Single Permit Directive (EU) 2024/1233
EU directive on the combined work and residence permit for non-EU workers.
EU member states had until 21 May 2026 to bring the recast Single Permit Directive into national law, giving non-EU workers one procedure for a combined work and residence permit; Portugal's transposition took effect on 11 September 2026.
Last refreshed: 4 October 2026
Can a non-EU worker change employer without a new permit?
Timeline for Single Permit Directive (EU) 2024/1233
Mentioned in: Portugal axes tacit renewal of permits
Nomads & CommunitiesBackground
Directive (EU) 2024/1233, adopted on 24 April 2024, recasts the 2011 Single Permit Directive. It sets one application procedure for a combined permit to live and work in a member state and a common set of rights for third-country workers. Member states had to transpose it by 21 May 2026; it does not apply in Denmark or Ireland.
Authorities must decide an application within 90 days. A holder may change employer, subject at most to a notification that can suspend the change for up to 45 days. A permit cannot be withdrawn in the first three months of unemployment, or in the first six months for a holder with two years' residence. People already legally resident may apply from inside the country.
Portugal brought the directive into national law through Lei 62/2026, which took effect on 11 September 2026. It lets an employed permit holder change employer by notifying AIMA, without a new card.