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Wikipedia mentions that citizens of certain Annex II countries are eligible to work in some parts of the Schengen area during their short-term stay. However several aspects are not entirely clear:

  1. Does the right to work get activated automatically upon arrival?
  2. Are immigration officials aware of this law, so one can safely announce their intention to work upon arrival?
  3. What documentation can be showed to would-be employers to prove that this rule exists on the books?
  4. Are there any websites specifically catering to Annex II individuals seeking short-term work in the Schengen area?

Note that since the default 90 out of 180 rule still applies to such trips, this question is on-topic for Travel.SE.

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  • 1
    Related meta: meta.travel.stackexchange.com/questions/3654/…
    – JonathanReez ♦
    Commented May 30, 2016 at 11:28
  • The article notes that "some" of those countries require separate work authorization, so that's your answer to question 1. I rather suspect that "some" really means "all."
    – phoog
    Commented May 30, 2016 at 13:21
  • I wouldn't put too much faith in that list. It is mostly unsourced and the criteria are really unclear. For example, it claims "yes" to all nationalities in the Denmark column, but I can find no substantiation for that in any Danish rules -- save for a particular exception saying that one may under certain conditions work as a visiting researcher during a sub-90-day stay without a work permit.
    – hmakholm left over Monica
    Commented May 30, 2016 at 13:21
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    @HenningMakholm the answer might as well be "it's not true". I'm only familiar with Czech and Slovak laws, so I can't confirm it for any other countries.
    – JonathanReez ♦
    Commented May 30, 2016 at 13:28
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    @HenningMalkholm I believe the relevant text should be in " Agreement for the waiver of visa requirements for American citizens entering Denmark for a temporary period, and the granting of gratis visas valid for twenty- four months to Danish subjects coming to the United States for temporary visits", however I can't find the full text anywhere. Remember that international law trumps domestic law.
    – JonathanReez ♦
    Commented May 30, 2016 at 19:26

1 Answer 1

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The Wikipedia article lists three relevant sources on the subject:

  1. A spreadsheet from the official EU website which indeed lists numerous exemptions for certain Annex II citizens. However there are no references to any national laws that would back up this information.

  2. A page on the website of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs which does indeed specify exemptions for citizens of certain countries:

Exempt from visa requirement for France’s territory in Europe are:

...

nationals of the following countries, whatever the reason for their stay ...

nationals of the following countries: Australia, Brazil, United States, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Venezuela. If you are gainfully employed, the exemption only applies if you can produce a work permit;

From this we can conclude that outside of the 8 specifically mentioned countries, all other Annex II nationals may be employed visa-free.

  1. A page on the website of the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration. However neither that page nor the FAQ on work permits list any exemptions for citizens of Annex II countries.

My conclusion is therefore that the only country where it's possible to work without a work permit is France, at least from the sources I could find.

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  • Regarding point 2, I would not expect that to be based on French law, if anything I would look for a treaty of some kind. Also I am not too sure about your conclusion. To me, it would rather suggest that nationals Australia, Brazil, etc. can work if they have a permit and all others cannot work at all.
    – Relaxed
    Commented Jun 9, 2016 at 18:36
  • Also note that the French version of the official website clearly refers to EU law (“Pour les courts séjours, c’est la réglementation européenne qui fixe la liste des pays dont les ressortissants sont dispensés de visa pour entrer dans l’espace Schengen“). So this is the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs' interpretation of current EU law, not a rule specific to France.
    – Relaxed
    Commented Jun 9, 2016 at 18:43
  • @Relaxed answer updated. It'd be interesting to track down the text of the actual visa-free agreements that allow for work during the stays, but I wasn't able to find any in English.
    – JonathanReez ♦
    Commented Jun 9, 2016 at 18:52
  • It is likely that the authorities of most countries specify on a website which countries' citizens are allowed to work and which aren't, see here for Germany for example (scroll down to the footnotes).
    – fkraiem
    Commented Jun 10, 2016 at 6:11
  • (It seems that Germany only includes EU/EEA countries actually.)
    – fkraiem
    Commented Jun 10, 2016 at 6:15

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