The new Directive (EU) 2016/801 addresses the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals, for the purposes of research, studies, training, voluntary service, pupil exchange schemes or educational projects and au pairing.

A researcher is defined as: a third-country national holding a doctoral degree or an appropriate higher education qualification which gives access to doctoral programmes, and who is selected by a research organisation for carrying out a research activity for which the above-mentioned qualification is normally required.

The Directive applies to researchers intending to stay in Europe for more than three months. For those coming for less than three months, rules on short-term visas apply. Find more information here.

The new directive sets clearer, more consistent and transparent rules such as:

• Procedural guarantees: The 90-day time limit for Member States' authorities to decide on an application will make the process more straightforward and transparent.
• Stay after the research is completed: Researchers will be allowed to remain for up to 9 months in their Member State of residence after finalisation of their research to identify job opportunities or set up a business. This will not amount to an automatic right to work: the researcher who finds a job will have to apply for a work and residence permit.
• Simpler and more flexible mobility rules: will increase the possibility for researchers to move within the EU for their projects. Family members of researchers will also be granted mobility rights.

Those rules apply to researchers in both public and private organisations. 

Individual European countries do not have identical rules of procedure, they need to be verified for each country.

Find more information about the entry conditions in each country.

You can also visit the EU immigration portal

N.B: Two countries, Ireland and Denmark, are not taking part in the adoption of this Directive.

1) Once you have obtained a researcher's residence permit, you will have equal rights to that of nationals of your host country in terms of pay and working conditions, access to goods and services, recognition of professional qualifications and social security.

2) A residence permit will be granted to your family members for the duration of your residence permit if the conditions are fulfilled.

3) You can take up a teaching position. Member States may set a maximum number of hours or of days for the activity of teaching.

In order to obtain a long-stay visa or a residence permit (for a period of more than three months) from the relevant national authorities, a researcher will have to meet the following requirements:

a) be in possession of a valid travel document (e. g. passport; Member States may require the period of validity of the travel document to cover at least the duration of the planned stay),

b) be in possession of a signed hosting agreement with the research organisation,

c) prove that they will have sufficient resources and sickness insurance during their stay,

d) not pose a threat to public policy, security or health 

e) some Member States require the researcher to present a statement of "financial responsibility" issued by their research organisation, under which they will pay any costs incurred if the researcher stays beyond the time their residence permit is valid.

Discover how the visa/permit works in your host country

The "hosting agreement" is an agreement signed by a public or private research organisation in the Member State and the researchers, through which they both agree to undertake a research project. The research organisation can only sign a hosting agreement with a researcher if there are funds available for the research and they are satisfied with the researcher's qualifications and skills. It must include some information, notably the title or puspose of the research activity and the start and end date of the activity or its estimated duration.

Once awarded the residence permit or long-stay visa, a researcher may carry out his/her research not only in the country of his/her residence permit/long-stay visa, but also in other EU Member States under specific conditions.

The procedure to follow depends on the country where the researcher will go and the duration of stay:

• A researcher wishing to carry out a part of his/her research in another Member State for up to 6 months may need to send a number of documents to the authorities of that Member State and is then allowed to move there immediately after.
• A researcher wishing to carry out a part of his/her research in another Member State for more than 6 months will need to follow, depending on the Member State concerned, either the same procedure as for a stay shorter than 6 months, or will need to apply for a "long-term mobility" permit in that Member State.

All the European Union’s Member States except Denmark and Ireland.

The participating Member States are:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

The national EURAXESS Centres will be able to assist you with details on entry requirements.