The EU ICT Directive addresses a key demand from many international companies: allowing their highly-skilled non-EU nationals to work in various EU countries while only requiring to meet immigration formalities in a single EU country. 

This section provides a deeper understanding of the Directive's purpose and set-up.

The EU Intra-corporate Transfer (ICT) permit is a residence permit that grants work authorization for specific highly skilled roles. Eligibility for this permit first requires the transfer to fall within the scope of the EU ICT regime. Subsequently, the transfer must meet specific national permit requirements that may vary significantly across individual member states.

This section outlines the criteria a transfer must meet to fall within the Scope of the EU ICT regime.

Once a transfer is determined to be in scope of the EU ICT Directive, the next critical step is to verify compliance with the host country's permit requirements. This illustrates how EU directives function: they establish a framework that member states then implement through domestic legislation, allowing them to align with their specific national interests.

Applying for an EU ICT permit for the first time involves administrative requirements and initial setup. Once obtained, however, it serves as an efficient instrument for subsequent transfers of staff to other EU countries (provided that implemented the Directive).