What happens if I do not want to open an office in the EC, but just want to contract my company’s services to an entity in the EC?
February 09 2012 | Travel Agents, Tour Operators and Tour Guides
Generally, the following provisions apply to personnel of Barbadian companies that wish to enter into a contract to provide services to a company in the EC:
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If you are applying for temporary entry into the EC country, you must be supplying a service as employee of a business with a service contract for a period not exceeding 12 months. |
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The person from Barbados wishing to provide contract services in an EC country must have been an employee of the Barbadian business for at least one year before application for entry, and must have at least three years professional experience in the relevant sector - in this case Accounting or Bookkeeping Services. |
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The person applying for temporary entry must have a university degree or equivalent qualification, and must also have professional qualifications where required by law. |
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The person shall not receive remuneration during their stay, other than that paid by their employer. |
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The temporary entry will be for a cumulative period not exceeding 6 months (or 25 weeks in Luxembourg) during a 12-month period or for the duration of the contract (whichever is less). |
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The visa permits only the contracted service activity, no other business activities. |
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The number of persons covered by the services contract shall not be larger than necessary to fulfil the contract. |
In addition to these provisions, some countries impose their own restrictions on tour operators from CARIFORUM countries (including Barbados) wishing to provide contract services in the EC. Those countries and the conditions for travel agencies and tour operators are:
- Belgium: Economic needs tests will be applied, except when the annual wage is above the amount defined by relevant laws and regulations.
- Denmark: Economic needs tests will be applied except for stays of up to three months.
- Ireland: There is no commitment to permit the supply of these services. However, there is a commitment to permit tour managers to provide their services through this mode of supply.
- Bulgaria, Greece, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Romania & Slovakia: Economic needs tests will be applied.
For those Barbadian contractors offering tour guide services, the following conditions are in place:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia & United Kingdom: Economic needs tests will be applied.
Spain, France, Lithuania, Poland & Portugal: There is no commitment to permit the provision of services through this mode of supply.