Before you sign with a recruitment agency for a job in Europe, check four things: that the agency is entered in the official register where the law requires it, that the company behind it exists in the business register, that the services and fees are set out in a written contract, and that any fee it asks you to pay is allowed. In Poland, employment agencies must be entered in the KRAZ register, which anyone can search for free, and Polish law restricts the fees agencies may charge job seekers. In Germany, temporary agency work requires a licence from the Federal Employment Agency. This guide explains how to carry out each check, what a fair agency contract should contain, and how temporary work agencies differ from placement agencies. All registers and rules were checked on 11 November 2026.

Why the check matters

A good agency can help a worker find a lawful job, understand the permit process and prepare documents. A bad one can take money and deliver nothing, place workers in jobs without permits, or leave them in poor housing with unpaid wages. From the outside, both can look similar: professional websites, testimonials and confident promises. The only reliable test is to check facts that the agency cannot invent, such as official register entries.

This guide is about agencies that recruit workers for jobs. It also applies, with some changes, to employers who want to use an agency to find workers.

Types of agency

Placement agencies

A placement agency finds a job for a worker, or a worker for an employer. Once the worker is hired, the employer is the company where the worker actually works. The agency's role ends, or continues only as support.

Temporary work agencies

A temporary work agency employs the worker itself and assigns them to work for a client company, known as the user undertaking. The agency is the legal employer and pays the wages. The EU Temporary Agency Work Directive, Directive 2008/104/EC, requires that agency workers receive at least the basic working and employment conditions they would have if the user company had hired them directly for the same job (EUR-Lex).

Why the difference matters

The type of agency affects who applies for your permit, who pays you and who you complain to if something goes wrong. Ask the agency directly which type it is and who your employer will be.

Check 1: the agency register

Poland

In Poland, employment agencies must be entered in the register of employment agencies, known as KRAZ. The register is kept by the voivodeship marshal's office where the agency has its seat (Public Employment Services). It is public and searchable online (KRAZ register).

When you search, check:

• that the agency name and registration number match the details you were given;
• that the entry is current and has not been deleted;
• which services the agency is registered for, such as job placement, temporary work or placement abroad;
• that the address matches the agency's contact details.

Germany

In Germany, a company that hires out workers to other companies as temporary agency workers needs a licence from the Federal Employment Agency. Ask the agency for its licence details and confirm them with the Federal Employment Agency.

Romania

Since 7 August 2026, placement agencies involved in hiring foreign workers in Romania must request authorisation, or its extension, on the WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform. Employers must also register there, and the hiring of foreign workers must go through the platform (National Employment Agency). Ask a Romanian agency to show its authorisation on the platform, and confirm it with the National Employment Agency.

Other countries

Most European countries have some form of registration or licensing for employment agencies, but the systems differ. Ask the agency which register it is in, then find that register on the government website of the country concerned. Do not rely on a link supplied by the agency.

Check 2: the business register

An agency is a company, and companies appear in business registers. In Poland, check the National Court Register (eKRS). The entry shows the company's legal name, registration number, address and the people who represent it. Compare these with the agency's website, contract and the names of the people you are dealing with.

Look for warning signs: a company registered very recently, a registered address that is only a virtual office, or a person who claims to represent the agency but does not appear in the entry and cannot show written authority.

AtoZ Serwis Plus is registered in Poland under KRS 0000843709, NIP 5213897844 and REGON 386174732. We encourage readers to check these numbers in the official registers, just as they would for any other company.

Check 3: fees

Fees charged to workers

Many countries restrict the fees that agencies may charge workers. In Poland, the law on the labour market restricts the fees an employment agency may charge job seekers for its services. If an agency asks you for a large sum for "placement", "processing" or "guaranteed employment", ask it which legal provision allows the fee and get the answer in writing.

Official fees

Some costs are official fees paid to authorities. They are published on official websites. In Poland, for example, a work permit for more than three months costs PLN 400 and the application is filed by the employer (Lubuskie Voivodeship Office). Compare any fee the agency mentions with the official list.

Payment method

Pay only to a company bank account in the agency's legal name, against an invoice or receipt. Never pay to a personal account, a money transfer service in a private name or a cryptocurrency wallet.

Check 4: the contract

A trustworthy agency gives you a written contract before you pay anything or travel. Read it carefully and keep a copy. It should state:

• the full legal names and addresses of the agency and of the employer or user company;
• the services the agency will provide and what it will not do;
• any fee, what it covers and when it is payable;
• the job title, gross pay, hours and place of work;
• who will apply for the permit, and what happens if it is refused;
• accommodation details and costs, if arranged;
• how to complain and how to end the contract.

If the contract promises a guaranteed visa or permit, treat it with caution. Permits are decided by the authorities, and no agency can guarantee the result.

Check 5: the job and permit route

Even a registered agency can offer a job that does not fit the rules. Check that the job and the permit route match the official information:

• Does the pay meet the salary rules? See work permit salary rules in Europe for 2027.
• Is the route open? Hungary, for example, stopped issuing new guest worker permits from 6 June 2026 (National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing).
• Is there a quota, and is the application timed correctly? See countries with quotas for non-EU workers in 2027.
• Is the vacancy listed where required, such as the Czech central vacancy database (Ministry of the Interior)?

Checking an agency in your own country

Many workers are first contacted by an agency in their own country, which then works with a partner in Europe. Many countries of origin also regulate agencies that recruit for work abroad. Ask the local agency which licence it holds, then check it with the government body that issues such licences in your country. Ask for the name of the European partner and check that partner too, using the registers described above. If either agency cannot be found, or the two give different information, stop and ask questions before paying anything.

What reviews and testimonials can and cannot tell you

Online reviews and testimonials can be useful, but they are easy to fake and hard to verify. A page full of positive comments does not prove that an agency is registered or that its fees are lawful. Use reviews only as a starting point. The checks that matter are those you can confirm in official sources: the register entry, the business register and the written contract.

Keeping a record of your checks

Write down what you checked and when. A simple record could include:

• the agency's name, registration number and register searched;
• the date of your search and a screenshot of the entry;
• the business register entry and the names of the people who represent the company;
• the contract version you received;
• every payment, with the account name and receipt.

This record helps if you need to complain later, and it helps others in your family or community who are offered the same job.

Fees for employers

Employers usually pay agencies for recruitment services. A fair agency agreement for an employer sets out the fee, what triggers it, any replacement guarantee and how candidates are selected and checked. Employers should also ask the agency to confirm in writing that workers are not charged unlawful fees, because exploitation further down the chain can expose the employer to legal and reputational risk.

Questions to ask an agency

1. Which register are you in, and what is your registration number?
2. Are you a placement agency or a temporary work agency?
3. Who will be my legal employer?
4. Which permit will be used, and who will file it?
5. What will I pay, to whom and when?
6. Can I see the contract and the job offer before I pay?
7. Who do I contact if there is a problem after I arrive?

A professional agency will answer all of these. Evasive answers are a warning sign.

Red flags

• The agency cannot be found in the official register or the business register.
• The register entry shows a different name, address or service.
• You are asked to pay before seeing a contract.
• The agency guarantees a visa or a permit.
• Communication happens only through messaging apps.
• The agency asks you to keep the arrangement secret or to give false information to the authorities.
• The agency asks to keep your passport.

Our guide on how to spot a fake job offer for Europe covers wider scam patterns.

Agencies that offer jobs in several countries

Some agencies advertise jobs in many European countries. This is not unusual, but each country has its own permit rules, and an agency registered in one country may still need to work with local employers or partners elsewhere. Ask the agency where the employer is based, which country's permit will be used and who will be your legal employer. Check that the job and route match the official rules of that country, not the rules of the country where the agency is registered.

Temporary agency work and permits

If you will be employed by a temporary work agency and assigned to a client company, the permit usually names the agency as employer. Ask whether the permit allows assignment to different clients, or only to one, and what happens if the assignment ends early. A move from one client to another, or from the agency to the client directly, may need a formal step. See our guide on changing employer on a work permit in Europe.

For employers using an agency

Employers who recruit through an agency should carry out the same checks in reverse. Confirm that the agency is registered for the service it provides, agree in writing who is responsible for each permit step, and confirm that workers have not paid unlawful fees. If a worker arrives through an agency, the employer still has its own duties, such as checking and keeping a copy of the worker's documents and reporting events on time. Our article on employer duties after hiring a non-EU worker explains these duties, and our guide to hiring through an employer of record covers a related model.

A simple rule

If an agency's details cannot be confirmed in an official source, treat its promises as unconfirmed too. Registration, a real company behind it, a written contract and lawful fees are the minimum. Everything else, including a friendly recruiter or a polished website, is secondary.

If something goes wrong

If an agency fails to deliver what it promised, keep all evidence and contact the authority that keeps the register. In Poland, problems with employment conditions can be reported to the National Labour Inspectorate (National Labour Inspectorate). If you paid money under false pretences, report it to the police and to your bank. If your job has ended as a result, see our guide on losing your job on a work permit in Europe.