Guide • Compliance • 14 min read
Right-to-work checks in Ireland and the UK
Hoe u het recht van een kandidaat om in Ierland en het VK te werken verifieert, boetes voor illegaal werken vermijdt en conforme dossiers bijhoudt.
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.
De situatie in Ierland
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.
Werkgevers moeten de nationaliteit van de persoon verifiëren en, waar relevant, het juiste vergunning- of immigratiebewijs bekijken en registreren voordat het dienstverband begint. Het in dienst nemen van een niet-EEA-onderdaan zonder de vereiste vergunning is een overtreding, dus bewaar bewijs van de controle en noteer vervaldata zodat vergunningen tijdig worden verlengd.
De situatie in het VK
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.
Er zijn drie routes: een handmatige documentcontrole, de online controle-service van het Home Office (met een share code), of het gebruik van een gecertificeerde Identity Service Provider voor bepaalde documenthouders. Volg de actuele richtlijnen van het Home Office nauwkeurig, omdat de geaccepteerde documentenlijsten en processen periodiek worden bijgewerkt.
Dossiers, timing en herhaalcontroles
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.
