Guide • Compliance • 14 min read
Right-to-work checks in Ireland and the UK
Cómo verificar el derecho a trabajar de una candidata en Irlanda y el Reino Unido, evitar sanciones por trabajo ilegal y mantener registros conformes.
Why right-to-work checks matter
Employers in Ireland and the UK have a legal duty to ensure that everyone they employ is permitted to work. Getting this wrong exposes the business to civil penalties and, in serious cases, criminal liability. It is the local equivalent of the US I-9 process, but the rules, documents and record-keeping requirements are different and must not be conflated.
The right approach is to check consistently for every new hire, not selectively, because inconsistent checking risks discrimination claims. Build the check into your standard onboarding workflow so it happens the same way every time.
La situación en Irlanda
Irish and EEA/Swiss nationals have an automatic right to work in Ireland. Non-EEA nationals generally require an employment permit (such as a Critical Skills Employment Permit or a General Employment Permit) or another permission that allows employment, such as certain immigration stamps. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment administers the employment-permit system.
Las empleadoras deben verificar la nacionalidad de la persona y, cuando corresponda, revisar y registrar el permiso apropiado o la autorización migratoria antes de que comience el empleo. Emplear a una nacional no perteneciente al EEE sin el permiso requerido es un delito, así que conserven evidencia de la verificación y anoten cualquier fecha de vencimiento para renovar los permisos a tiempo.
La situación en el Reino Unido
In the UK, employers must carry out a prescribed right-to-work check to establish a statutory excuse against a civil penalty for illegal working. Since Brexit, EU nationals no longer have an automatic right to work and must evidence their status, most commonly through the online share-code service or under the EU Settlement Scheme.
Hay tres vías: una verificación manual de documentos, el servicio en línea de verificación de Home Office (usando un share code) o el uso de un Identity Service Provider certificado para ciertos titulares de documentos. Sigan con precisión la guía vigente de Home Office, porque las listas de documentos aceptados y los procesos se actualizan periódicamente.
Registros, tiempos y verificaciones repetidas
Carry out the check before employment starts, retain a clear dated copy of the evidence for the duration of employment and for a defined period afterwards, and store it securely in line with the GDPR. For people with time-limited permission, schedule a follow-up check before their permission expires.
An HRIS helps by storing right-to-work evidence against each employee record with restricted access, and by triggering reminders ahead of expiry dates. This turns a compliance risk into a routine, automated step rather than something that depends on an individual remembering to act.
