A residence or work permit from one EU country does not normally let you work in another. With a valid residence card and passport, you can usually travel to other Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, but those trips are for visits, not work. Some EU permits do give mobility rights for work: EU Blue Card holders can move to a second member state under simplified rules after 12 months; intra-corporate transferees can work at other group entities for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and longer under long-term mobility rules; and EU long-term residents have a conditional right to move. This guide explains what each permit allows and when you need a new permit. All information was checked on 11 November 2026.

The basic rule: travel, not work

Each EU country controls access to its own labour market. A permit to live and work in one country is issued for that country. What a residence permit usually adds is the right to travel. In Poland, for example, the MOS portal explains that a residence card entitles the holder to travel within the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, provided the entry and short-stay conditions of the other country are met (MOS portal). The voivodeship office in Poznań adds that such trips are for tourism or visits (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office). See travelling in Europe with a Polish residence card.

Taking a job in another country during such a trip, even for a few weeks, normally requires that country's authorisation.

Permits with mobility rights

EU Blue Card

The Commission explains that Blue Card holders can move to a second member state under simplified intra-EU mobility rules after 12 months in the first member state, without the need to repeat a labour market test (European Commission). The EU Immigration Portal adds that you may, after living legally for 12 months in the member state that issued the card, move, live and work with your family in another member state, and that you must apply for a new EU Blue Card there (EU Immigration Portal). The directive also allows short business activities in other member states. See how the EU Blue Card works across Europe.

Intra-corporate transfer permit

An ICT permit holder can work at entities of the same company or group in other member states for up to 90 days in any 180-day period under short-term mobility (EU Immigration Portal). For longer stays, long-term mobility rules apply, and the second country may issue its own permit, such as Germany's Mobile ICT Card (EU Immigration Portal). Some countries require a notification before work starts. See intra-corporate transfer permits in Europe.

Researchers

Researchers admitted under EU rules also have mobility rights. The Polish Office for Foreigners' guide, for example, describes short-term mobility for researchers from other member states for up to 180 days in any 360-day period in Poland, under conditions (Office for Foreigners guide).

EU long-term residents

EU long-term residents have a right, under conditions, to reside in another member state for work, study or other purposes. The second country can still apply its own conditions and procedure. See EU long-term resident status for foreign workers.

Permits without mobility rights

Single permits and national work permits

A single permit under the Single Permit Directive is issued for residence and work in the member state that issued it. It gives the right to change employer within that country, under conditions, but not to work in another country. See EU single permit rules after May 2026. National work permits work the same way.

Seasonal permits

Seasonal permits are tied to a specific seasonal job in one country. See seasonal work permits in Europe compared.

Comparison table

Business trips and postings

Business trips

A short trip to attend meetings or a conference is generally different from working. But if the trip involves productive work, such as installing equipment, providing services to a client or covering a colleague's role, the rules of the host country may treat it as work. Ask your employer to confirm in writing what the trip involves and which rules they have checked.

Postings

Employers can post workers temporarily to another EU country to provide services. EU posting rules protect posted workers' pay and conditions, and host countries can require notifications. For non-EU workers, some host countries also check the worker's right to reside and work in the sending country. Posting is not a way around the host country's rules. Check with the host country's labour authority before any posting.

Crossing the border

Internal Schengen borders normally have no checks, but checks can happen, so always carry your passport and residence card. When you cross an external Schengen border, holders of residence permits and long-stay visas issued by a country that uses the Entry/Exit System are generally not registered in it (Personal Data Protection Office). See EES and ETIAS rules for foreign workers.

Moving permanently to another country

If you want to move your life and work to another EU country, treat it as a new application in that country unless you hold a permit with mobility rights. Steps typically include:

1. finding an employer in the new country;
2. applying for the right permit there, or using your mobility rights if you have them;
3. waiting for the decision before starting work;
4. ending your residence in the first country in the proper way, including notifying the authorities if required.

Leaving the first country can affect your permit there and any path to long-term residence. Check the effect before you move.

Worked examples

A single permit holder offered a job elsewhere

A warehouse supervisor holds a Polish temporary residence and work permit and is offered a job in the Netherlands. The Polish permit does not allow work in the Netherlands, so the Dutch employer must use a Dutch route, and the worker waits for that permit before starting.

A Blue Card holder after 14 months

An engineer has held a German Blue Card for 14 months and accepts a job in another member state. Because more than 12 months have passed, she can use the simplified Blue Card mobility rules and applies there.

An ICT transferee covering a project

A specialist on a French ICT permit is asked to work for six weeks at the group's office in Belgium. This falls within short-term mobility of up to 90 days in 180, subject to any notification Belgium requires.

Where to get official information

• The EU Immigration Portal, run by the European Commission, has a page for each permit type in each member state, with conditions, procedures and links to national authorities (EU Immigration Portal).
• The national immigration authority of the country where you will live publishes the binding procedure, forms and fees.
• The labour or employment authority of the host country explains the rules on posted workers.

Where an article, including this one, differs from the national authority's current page, follow the authority's page.

Questions to ask before working across a border

• Which permit do I hold, and does it give mobility rights?
• How many days will I spend in the other country, and in which 180-day period?
• Will I do productive work there, or only attend meetings?
• Does the host country require a notification or permit before I start?
• Who is my employer during the stay, and who pays me?
• Will the trip affect my residence or my path to long-term residence in my home country?

For employers sending staff abroad

• Check each employee's permit type before planning travel.
• Use mobility rights only where the permit provides them, such as for Blue Card or ICT holders.
• Check posting rules and notifications in the host country.
• Keep records of each trip, its purpose and its length.
• Do not send employees to do productive work abroad on a travel right alone.

Changing country as a career plan

If you expect to work in more than one EU country, the permit you choose at the start matters. An EU Blue Card or an intra-corporate transfer permit gives structured mobility rights, and Blue Card periods can be combined towards long-term residence. A national permit or single permit is simpler to obtain for many jobs, but each move means a new application. Think about your plans for the next three to five years when choosing a route, and discuss them with your employer.

Your next steps

1. Identify your permit type and the mobility rights it gives, if any.
2. Read the host country's page on the EU Immigration Portal.
3. Complete any notification or application before starting work there.
4. Keep a record of days spent in each country.

Researchers and students

EU rules give researchers and some students their own mobility rights, separate from those of workers. Researchers admitted in one member state can carry out part of their research in another under short-term or long-term mobility rules, and students in some programmes can study part of their course in another member state. These rights are linked to research or study, not to general employment. If you are a researcher or student who also wants to work, check the work rules of each country separately.

Long-term residents moving countries

EU long-term residents have a right to reside in a second member state for work, self-employment, study or other purposes, but the second country can apply its own conditions, such as a labour market check or evidence of resources, and its own procedure. The move is not automatic. Apply in the second country and wait for the decision before starting work there. The status in the first country is kept for a period while you live elsewhere, but long absences can lead to its loss. See our guide on EU long-term resident status for foreign workers.

Frontier and cross-border workers

Some people live in one country and work in another, commuting across the border every day or week. For non-EU nationals, this usually needs authorisation in the country of work, even if they live lawfully in the neighbouring country. The rules differ between countries and are often specific to border regions. Check with the authority of the country where you will work before accepting a cross-border job.

Remote work for an employer abroad

Some workers ask whether they can live in one EU country and work remotely for an employer in another. Immigration rules focus on where you physically work. If you live in a country on a permit, working remotely from there for a foreign employer may or may not be allowed by that permit, and tax and social security rules also apply. Check with the authority of the country where you live before agreeing to such an arrangement, and do not assume that a permit for one employer covers remote work for another.

When in doubt, treat any paid or productive activity in another country as work that needs authorisation, and check before you start. Correcting a breach afterwards is far harder than asking first.

Common mistakes

• Treating the 90 in 180 travel right as a right to work.
• Starting work in a second country before the permit or notification is in place.
• Assuming a single permit has the same mobility rights as a Blue Card.
• Calling productive work a "business trip".
• Moving abroad without checking the effect on long-term residence plans.

For the differences between visas, work permits and residence permits, see work visa, work permit and residence permit explained.