There is a ruling from the European court relating to the right of an European Economic Area company to provide its services across the EEA without the need for obtaining additional work permits. This is known as the 'van der Elst' ruling, and visas issued further to the ruling are often called van der Elst Visas.

Some EEA countries are disregarding this ruling; Germany, however has acknowledged and accepted it.

The effect of the ruling is that any non-EEA employees who have been in the EEA in the employ of the service provider for more than 12 months need not obtain additional work permits, they only need to apply for a van der Elst visa.

workpermit.com is happy to assist with applications for van der Elst visas for Germany. Such applications are made to the German Embassy in the candidate's country of residence, and need to be supported by a copy of the service provider's contract with its client in Germany.