Onboarding
is everything between offer acceptance and a productive employee: contract signature, right-to-work and background checks, payroll and social-insurance registrations, equipment and access, and the human side of starting well. Internationally, each country adds its own registrations and deadlines.
The compliance spine of international onboarding
- Contract before start: several countries require signed written terms on or before day one.
- Right-to-work verification: before work begins, by the legal employer — see right-to-work check.
- Registrations: tax, social insurance, pension and accident cover within statutory windows (some pre-start, like Germany’s Sofortmeldung sectors).
- Payroll data: TIN, IBAN and status documents collected and validated for the first run.
- Probation clock: valid probation terms documented from day one — they cannot be added later.
FAQ
How long does compliant onboarding take per country?
With documents ready: days in the UK and Netherlands, one to two weeks where registrations queue, and permit-gated timelines for non-local hires. The long pole is rarely paperwork — it is missing employee documents, so front-load collection at offer stage.
What is different when onboarding via an EOR?
The EOR runs the legal steps — contract, checks, registrations, payroll setup — while the client handles team integration and tools. Split responsibilities should be explicit so nothing (equipment, systems access, buddying) falls between the two.