Understanding your rights within the European Union is essential for ensuring your safety, dignity, and access to opportunities. Whether you are an EU citizen or a third-country national, EU law provides a framework of protections related to residence, work, education, and fair treatment. This page outlines key rights available to you, including freedom of movement, access to employment and training, fair working conditions, and protections for those in more vulnerable situations, such as victims of exploitation. It is designed to help you better understand your entitlements and the support available to you across Member States.
- All EU citizens have the right to remain in the territory of the Member States for up to three months, provided they have a valid passport or identity document, subject to certain limitations and conditions.
- All EU citizens have the right to reside anywhere in the EU if they have a valid employment contract or are studying at an accredited educational institution and have comprehensive health insurance (or sufficient resources to ensure that neither they nor their family members become a burden on the social security system of the host country), or are family members of a person who meets any of these conditions.
- Every EU citizen has the right to education and access to vocational and continuing training.
- Every EU citizen has the right to pursue a freely chosen profession and to work in any Member State (subject to certain restrictions); third-country nationals who are authorised to work in the territory of the Member States are entitled to working conditions equivalent to those enjoyed by EU citizens.
- Every worker has the right to fair and equitable working conditions that respect their health, safety and dignity, to a maximum working day, and to daily and weekly rest periods and a period of annual leave.
Member States should define the rules under which victims who are third-country nationals and hold a residence permit will have access to the labour market, vocational training and education during the period of validity of their residence permit.
- Victims who are third-country nationals should have access to existing programmes or schemes designed to help them return to a normal life, including, where appropriate, courses designed to improve their professional skills or to prepare for assisted return to their country of origin.
- Victims who are third-country nationals should enjoy equal treatment with nationals of the Member State in which they reside in terms of working conditions, including conditions of remuneration and dismissal and health and safety at work, as well as in terms of freedom of association, education and vocational training, the recognition of diplomas, certificates and other professional qualifications in accordance with the applicable national procedures, social security branches, tax benefits, access to goods and services and the acquisition of goods and services offered to the public, including the procedures for access to housing established by national law.
- A third-country national victim who is in an irregular residence situation has the right to file a complaint against their employer, either directly or through third parties such as trade unions or associations.
- Third-country nationals who are victims of trafficking and are in an irregular situation have the right to claim any outstanding remuneration (salary) from their employer, even after returning to their country of origin. Victims must be systematically and objectively informed of their rights before a return decision is enforced.
- The amount of remuneration must correspond, as a minimum, to the wage determined in the legislation on minimum wages, in collective agreements or in accordance with established practice in the sector concerned, unless the parties prove otherwise.
- A third-country national victim who is in an irregular residence situation may report their employer and, at the end of the appropriate proceedings, enforce the relevant judgment for any outstanding remuneration.