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I'm looking for a job in a foreign country in the EU. Should I mention right away in my resume or cover letter that I have no work permit in their country and therefore need a visa sponsorship? My resume states my home address which is outside the target country, but it does not say anything about permits. I hope to get a remote interview but I'm afraid that mentioning the lack of permit may deter the employers and they won't even give me a chance.

I only apply to job postings on the internet that don't explicitly disallow foreigners, but they usually don't promise any sponsorship either.

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    Unless the EU work permit is little more than a rubber stamp, you're almost certainly wasting your time and the time of anyone who reads your resume by sending it to businesses that don't state they're willing to sponsor a work visa. – Dan Neely Jan 8 '17 at 18:55
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    You're not going to get any good will by not being up front about your lack of a visa. Not having a visa is probably not going to be an issue if your prospective employer is willing to let you work remotely. – Vietnhi Phuvan Jan 9 '17 at 3:00
  • In addition to what others have said - you may want to frame it a bit positively. Saying 'Require work permit in EU' instead of 'Do not have work permit' is tiny bit better. – YetAnotherUser Jan 9 '17 at 11:19
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In almost every circumstance, the first person you speak with (HR/recruiter) will ask this question anyways (or it will be included as part of the job description). It’s unavoidable, so you may as well be up-front about it.

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  • Even if you made it past all the stages, in the UK for example the company is required by law to check that you are allowed to work in the UK, not checking opens them up to fines and/or criminal charges, and if you don't have a work permit then your contract if you got one isn't worth the paper it's written on. – gnasher729 Jan 9 '17 at 9:27
  • Being upfront with a positive spin is the way to go. – Mister Positive♦ Jan 9 '17 at 12:09

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