Relocation hiring in Europe: what startups need to know about visas, costs, and timelines
Want to hire someone from another country? Here is what it actually takes — visas, costs, timelines, and the mistakes that delay everything.
The talent you need doesn't live in your city
You're based in Helsinki and the best candidate for your role is in Barcelona. Or you're in Amsterdam and the perfect engineer is in Bucharest. This happens constantly in European startups. The question isn't whether to hire across borders — it's how to do it without the process taking 6 months and costing a fortune.
EU vs non-EU: two very different realities
Hiring within the EU
If your candidate is an EU/EEA citizen, there's no visa requirement. They have the right to work in any EU country. This makes intra-EU relocation relatively simple from a legal standpoint.
But "no visa" doesn't mean "no process." They still need to register with local authorities, get a tax ID, set up banking, find housing, and navigate a new healthcare system. These practical hurdles are where most relocations stall.
Hiring from outside the EU
This is where it gets complicated. Every EU country has its own work permit process with different requirements, timelines, and costs.
Germany: The Skilled Workers Immigration Act makes it relatively straightforward for qualified tech workers. Processing takes 4-8 weeks. The candidate needs a recognized qualification or proven professional experience.
Netherlands: The Highly Skilled Migrant program is fast — 2-4 weeks if the employer is a recognized sponsor. Getting sponsor recognition takes 2-4 weeks separately, so do this before you need it.
Finland: The startup permit and specialist visa are options. Processing times have improved but still take 4-8 weeks on average.
Sweden: Work permits take 2-6 months. Not weeks — months. The Swedish Migration Agency is notoriously slow. Plan accordingly.
France: The French Tech Visa (Talent Passport) is surprisingly fast for qualifying companies and roles. 2-4 weeks. But the bureaucracy around it — housing, healthcare, bank accounts — is classically French.
The realistic timeline
Here's what relocation actually looks like, start to finish:
Weeks 1-2: Offer accepted. Start visa/permit process. Candidate begins preparing documents (diplomas, certificates, translations).
Weeks 3-6: Application submitted and processed. Timeline depends heavily on the country. Run housing search in parallel.
Weeks 7-8: Permit approved. Candidate gives notice at current job (add 1-3 months for notice period depending on country).
Weeks 9-12: Notice period served. Candidate moves. First week on the job spent also setting up their life — banking, registration, healthcare.
Best case for an EU citizen: 4-8 weeks from offer to start (limited mainly by notice period). Best case for a non-EU citizen: 3-5 months. Worst case: 6-8 months if there are complications.
If you need someone to start in 2 weeks, relocation isn't your answer. Plan ahead or hire someone local as a bridge.
The costs nobody warns you about
Legal and administrative
Immigration lawyer: 2,000-5,000 per case. Work permit fees: 200-500 depending on country. Document translation and apostille: 500-1,000. If you're doing this regularly, an immigration service on retainer is more cost-effective than case-by-case lawyers.
Relocation support
Flight and initial travel: 500-2,000. Temporary accommodation (first 1-2 months while finding permanent housing): 2,000-5,000 depending on the city. Moving costs for household goods: 2,000-8,000 for an intra-European move. Relocation bonus (common for competitive roles): 3,000-10,000.
Settling-in costs
Housing deposit (often 2-3 months' rent): advanced by employer in some cases. Language courses: 1,000-3,000 if relevant. The "stuff you don't think about": new phone plan, transport card, home furnishing. Some companies give a settling-in allowance of 1,000-2,000.
Total cost for an intra-EU relocation: 5,000-15,000. For a non-EU relocation: 10,000-25,000. These numbers scare startups, but compare them to the alternative: leaving the role empty for months costs more.
How to make the process smooth
Start the paperwork before the offer is signed
Don't wait until the contract is signed to start visa research. As soon as a candidate from another country enters your final round, check the visa requirements. Know the timeline. Know the documents needed. This shaves weeks off the process.
Provide a relocation checklist
Most people have never relocated internationally. They don't know what to do first. Give them a step-by-step guide: documents to prepare, deadlines, what you'll handle, what they need to handle. Remove the ambiguity.
Help with housing
Housing is the number one stressor for relocating employees. Markets like Amsterdam, Munich, and Stockholm are extremely tight. Help them — either through a relocation agency, a list of recommended neighborhoods and resources, or a company-rented apartment for the first months.
Assign a relocation buddy
Pair the new hire with someone at the company who relocated previously. They know the practical stuff: which bank to use, how the healthcare system works, where to register. This is worth more than any relocation guide.
Use an EOR for speed
If you don't have a legal entity in the candidate's country and can't wait for a visa, an Employer of Record lets you hire them in their current location immediately. They start working remotely while the relocation process runs in the background. This can save months.
Is relocation worth it?
For the right hire, absolutely. The 10,000-25,000 relocation cost is a fraction of the 100,000+ cost of a bad local hire. And the talent pool expands dramatically when you're willing to relocate people.
We source candidates from 116 countries. The companies that embrace relocation consistently fill roles faster and with better-matched talent than those that limit themselves to local candidates. The process takes planning, but the payoff is worth it.