The expatriation allowance is a supplement paid to EU staff who work in a country where they are not nationals and did not habitually live before recruitment. It equals 16% of basic salary, plus the household allowance where that applies, and compensates for the cost of building a life away from home.
The conditions are set out in Article 4 of Annex VII to the Staff Regulations. In broad terms, you qualify if you are not, and have never been, a national of the country where you now work, and if during the five-year reference period ending six months before you entered service you neither resided nor carried out your main occupation in that country. Short absences such as study, military service or work for another state or international organisation are disregarded when the reference period is assessed. Staff who do not meet the full expatriation conditions but who still moved country to take up the post may instead qualify for the smaller foreign-residence allowance, worth a quarter of the expatriation rate. The 16% is calculated on basic salary plus household allowance, so it interacts with family circumstances, and it is paid on top of the country correction coefficient rather than instead of it. The allowance is a significant part of total remuneration for the many EU staff who relocate, and eligibility is fixed at recruitment based on your history, not on your nationality alone.
Frequently asked questions
- How much is the expatriation allowance?
- It is 16% of the sum of basic salary and, where payable, the household allowance. Staff who moved country but do not meet the full expatriation conditions may instead receive the foreign-residence allowance, worth about a quarter of the expatriation rate.
- Who qualifies for the expatriation allowance?
- Broadly, staff who are not nationals of their country of employment and who did not reside or work there during the five-year reference period ending six months before entering service, under the conditions in Article 4 of Annex VII to the Staff Regulations.