Regulation and sustainability
Sending workers to another country
An installation, a site or a service abroad: documentation travels with the person, and ahead of them.
Sending three people abroad to install something for two weeks looks like a logistics matter, and it is mostly a documentary one. Some obligations must be met **before** they leave, and an inspection at destination may ask on site for papers that sit in your office.
What is usually required
| Document | When | Where it must be |
|---|---|---|
| Prior posting declaration | Before departure | Filed at destination |
| Applicable social security legislation document | Before departure | With the person |
| Contract and applicable terms | Before departure | Accessible, often translated |
| Role training and fitness | Valid on those days | With the person |
| And a reachable representative | During the posting | Designated in writing |
Important
The last row surprises most: many countries require designating someone reachable during the posting, and "call head office" does not satisfy it. It is a formal requirement met with a name and a contact, and almost nobody prepares it.
Why it gets complicated in practice
- 1
Requirements vary by country
And by sector. What worked in one does not work in the next.
- 2
They change without notice
What you did two years ago may be out of date.
- 3
Documentation is requested on site
On a site, to an inspector, with a phone as the only tool.
- 4
And it must be provable afterwards
Sometimes months later, once the posting has ended.
Watch out
The expensive mistake is preparing the posting with documentation in a folder on an office computer. If the inspector asks at destination and the person cannot show anything from their phone, the result is the same as not having it.
How to organise it
Worth knowing
The same applies in reverse: if you host workers from a foreign company at your premises, you will need to be able to evidence that you checked their documentation.
›Does it apply to a two-day trip?
It depends on the country and the work; many do not distinguish by duration.
›What if they are self-employed rather than staff?
The documents change, not the obligation to evidence it.
›Who should know the requirements?
A specific person in your company; delegating it entirely to the destination client does not exempt you.
A real case
The situation
A company sends three installers abroad with the paperwork left at the office.
What you do
- Opens a per-posting file accessible from a phone
- Designates the reachable representative in writing
What you get
The inspection at destination is resolved on site and there is a record for afterwards.
The situation
Who travels is decided the week before.
What you do
- Checks per person what documentation is current
What you get
The trip is not discovered blocked at the airport.
The situation
The documentation travels with the person on paper.
What you do
- Also keeps it accessible from a phone
What you get
A lost paper stops halting the work.
The situation
Somebody changes at the last minute.
What you do
- Keeps more people current than actually travel
What you get
The change is resolved by picking somebody who can go.
The situation
The destination client asks for different papers.
What you do
- Asks for the list before preparing anything
What you get
You prepare what they ask for there, not what applies here.
The situation
Nobody knows what expires before the trip.
What you do
- Warns about expiries in advance
What you get
Renewals happen before travelling.
This article answers
- posting workers abroad documentation
- prior posting declaration
- posted worker requirements
- overseas installation paperwork