The revised EU Single Permit Directive, Directive (EU) 2024/1233, had to be applied in national law by 21 May 2026. It keeps the idea of one application leading to one permit that covers both residence and work, and adds four main improvements: a 90-day decision deadline, the option to apply from inside the country for people who already hold a valid residence permit, a clear right to change employer, and protection against losing the permit after a short period of unemployment. It does not apply in Denmark or Ireland. Not every country met the deadline: in July 2026 the European Commission opened infringement procedures against 17 member states, including Poland, Germany and Sweden, for not notifying complete transposition. This guide explains what changed, where the gaps are and what workers and employers should do in 2027. All information was checked on 11 November 2026.

What a single permit is

A single permit is a combined residence and work permit for non-EU nationals, issued after a single application procedure. Before the original directive of 2011, many countries required separate applications for the right to stay and the right to work, often handled by different authorities. The single permit brings these together into one decision and one document.

The 2024 revision, known as a recast, replaces the 2011 directive. It was adopted in April 2024, after the European Parliament approved it in March 2024 (European Parliament legislative summary). The final text is available on EUR-Lex.

Who it covers

The directive covers non-EU nationals who apply to reside in a member state for work, and those already admitted for other purposes who are allowed to work. Some groups follow separate EU rules and are outside its scope, including seasonal workers, intra-corporate transferees and EU Blue Card holders. Posted workers are also excluded. If you are in one of these groups, check the rules that apply to your permit type. Our guide to seasonal work permits in Europe covers the seasonal rules.

What changed

A 90-day decision deadline

The competent authority must decide on a complete application within 90 days. This includes any labour market test the country applies. The deadline can be extended by 30 days only in exceptional cases linked to the complexity of the application (European Parliament legislative summary). The earlier directive allowed four months.

The 90 days start from a complete application. Missing documents can pause or delay the procedure, so a complete file matters even more than before.

Applying from inside the country

Under the revised directive, people who already hold a valid residence permit in a member state can apply for a single permit from inside that state, as well as from abroad (EUR-Lex). For example, someone who came to study and then receives a job offer may be able to switch without leaving, depending on how the national law implements this.

The right to change employer

Single permit holders now have a right to change employer during the validity of the permit. Member states may require the change to be notified, may check the labour market situation and may require a minimum period of work with the first employer (European Parliament legislative summary). The directive does not allow states to ban changes altogether. Our guide on changing employer on a work permit in Europe shows how individual countries handle this.

Protection during unemployment

Unemployment alone should not lead to the permit being withdrawn if the total period of unemployment during the permit's validity is no more than three months, or six months if the person has held the permit for more than two years. Countries may allow longer periods and may require proof of sufficient resources for unemployment beyond three months (European Parliament legislative summary). Our guide on losing your job on a work permit in Europe explains how this works in practice.

Stronger protection against exploitation

Member states must provide monitoring, inspections, complaint mechanisms, legal redress and sanctions against employers who break the rules (European Commission). Single permit holders also have equal treatment with nationals in key areas, including pay and working conditions.

Summary of the main rules

Which countries were late

Member states had to notify the Commission of the national measures transposing the directive by 21 May 2026. In its infringement package of July 2026, the Commission sent letters of formal notice to 17 member states for failing to communicate complete transposition: Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland and Sweden. The countries were given two months to respond. We confirmed this list through published reports of the Commission's package rather than the Commission's own press page, so check the current status on the Commission's infringements database if it matters to your case.

A letter of formal notice is the first stage of an infringement procedure. It does not mean that a country has done nothing, only that it had not notified complete transposition by the deadline. Some of these countries may have adopted their laws since July 2026.

Timeline of the directive

What a labour market check means

A labour market check, or labour market test, is an assessment of whether a vacancy could be filled by a worker already available in the national labour market. Under the revised directive, any labour market test must fit within the 90-day decision period, and a country may also apply a check when a single permit holder changes employer (European Parliament legislative summary). Countries differ widely here. Poland abolished its labour market test for work permits from 1 June 2025 (Warsaw Labour Office), while others still use one for some jobs.

What a minimum period with the first employer means

The directive allows countries to require a minimum period during which a single permit holder must work for the first employer before changing. The Czech Republic, for example, generally allows a change of employer for employee card holders after six months (Czech public administration portal). Workers should ask, before accepting an offer, how long they will need to stay with the first employer and what happens if the job ends earlier.

What employers cannot do

Because the right to change employer now comes from EU law, an employer cannot lawfully prevent a single permit holder from moving by holding their documents, threatening to cancel their permit or refusing to provide information the worker is entitled to. Where a country requires notification, the procedure is set by the authority, not by the employer. Contract terms such as notice periods still apply, as they do for local workers.

What this means for workers

Check the national rule first

The directive sets minimum standards. The rules you deal with day to day are the national ones: the application form, the notification for a change of employer and the documents required. Always start with the national authority's guidance.

If the national law is out of date

Where a country is late, its older rules may still be applied in practice. Under EU law, provisions of a directive that are clear, precise and unconditional can in some situations be relied on against the state after the transposition deadline has passed. Whether a specific provision can be relied on in your case is a legal question. If a decision seems to conflict with the directive, ask a lawyer or an advice service before the appeal deadline expires.

Keep using the protections you already have

National protections that are more generous than the directive continue to apply. For example, the Czech Republic gives employee card holders 90 days to report a new employer after a job ends on or after 2 August 2025 (Ministry of the Interior), and Sweden gives three months to find a new job (Swedish Migration Agency).

In short, workers should treat the directive as a floor of rights and the national law as the route map. Where the two seem to conflict, get advice early rather than after a deadline has passed.

What this means for employers

• Plan for 90 days, not less. The deadline is a maximum for the authority, and it runs only from a complete application.
• Expect staff to move. The right to change employer makes retention more important. Fair pay and good conditions matter.
• Follow notification rules. If the national law requires a notification when a worker joins or leaves, file it on time. See our article on employer duties after hiring a non-EU worker.
• Treat equal pay as a legal duty. Single permit holders are entitled to equal treatment on pay and working conditions.

Country examples

Poland

Poland's temporary residence and work permit is its single permit. Since 27 April 2026, applications are filed through the MOS portal (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office). Zielona Linia explains the current rules on changing employer under this permit (Zielona Linia), and the job loss notification must be made within 15 working days (Office for Foreigners guidance). Poland was among the countries that received a letter of formal notice in July 2026, so further changes to the Polish rules are possible.

Czech Republic

The Czech employee card is a single permit. A change of employer is generally possible after six months, with at least 30 days' notice and a confirmation from the new employer (Czech public administration portal).

Sweden

Swedish work permits are tied to the employer and occupation for the first 24 months, and a change during that period requires a new permit (Swedish Migration Agency). Sweden was also among the countries that received a letter of formal notice in July 2026.

How to check the position in your country

Because the transposition picture changes over time, check it yourself before relying on it:

1. Look on the national immigration authority's website for news about changes to the single permit, changing employer or unemployment rules since May 2026.
2. Search EUR-Lex for Directive (EU) 2024/1233 and open the section on national transposition measures, which lists the national acts that countries have notified.
3. Check the Commission's infringements register for the latest stage of any procedure against the country.

Questions to ask before accepting a job

• Will my permit be a single permit, or a different type such as a Blue Card or seasonal permit?
• How long will the decision take in practice?
• Is there a minimum period I must stay with this employer?
• What do I have to do if I want to change employer later?
• What happens to my permit if the job ends early?

The answers will depend on national law, but asking them early helps you understand the commitment you are making.

Related EU developments

The Commission presented the updated single permit rules together with the EU Talent Pool, a planned platform to help employers recruit jobseekers from outside the EU (European Commission). The Talent Pool is still being built. At the borders, the Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026, but single permit holders are not registered in it. See our guide on EES and ETIAS rules for foreign workers.

For a country-by-country view of the 2026 and 2027 changes, see our tracker of Europe work permit changes for 2027. For the difference between visas, work permits and residence permits, see our explainer on work documents.