A long-scheduled amendment to Germany’s Residence Act entered into force on 1 January 2026, imposing a new compliance duty on companies that recruit third-country nationals from abroad. Under §45c AufenthG, employers must provide written notice—no later than a new hire’s first working day—of the employee’s right to obtain free labour- and social-law advice from the nationwide ‘Faire Integration’ network.
The rule applies only to foreign workers who are recruited while still resident outside Germany and who receive a German local employment contract. Existing staff and in-country transfers are excluded. Failure to issue the information sheet can trigger administrative fines and could complicate future visa audits.
For companies looking to simplify Germany-bound hiring, VisaHQ offers end-to-end visa procurement and compliance support. Its dedicated German team (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) can help employers secure the correct work authorisations and weave new obligations—such as the §45c advisory notice—into their onboarding workflows, reducing the risk of fines and delayed start dates.
![New employer duty: inform foreign hires about free ‘Faire Integration’ advice service]()
‘Faire Integration’ was formally designated by the Labour Ministry on 19 December 2025 as the responsible service. The network operates in 16 federal states and offers multilingual counselling on topics ranging from overtime pay to social-security contributions—areas where newly arrived talent often feel vulnerable. For HR teams, best practice is to attach the advisory notice as a contract addendum that the employee countersigns, creating a clear compliance trail.
Global-mobility specialists welcome the measure as a step toward fairer treatment of migrant staff but warn that it adds yet another document to already dense onboarding packages. Some multinationals are integrating the notice into their digital contract-signing workflows; others are training relocation vendors to hand over the leaflet during airport pick-up. Over time, observers expect the obligation to be folded into routine desk audits by immigration authorities, much like existing notification duties under the Posted Workers Act.
Practical tip: Employers should download the official bilingual template from the Labour Ministry website; self-drafted versions must include the name, postal address and phone number of the nearest counselling centre as well as a link to www.faire-integration.de.
The rule applies only to foreign workers who are recruited while still resident outside Germany and who receive a German local employment contract. Existing staff and in-country transfers are excluded. Failure to issue the information sheet can trigger administrative fines and could complicate future visa audits.
For companies looking to simplify Germany-bound hiring, VisaHQ offers end-to-end visa procurement and compliance support. Its dedicated German team (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) can help employers secure the correct work authorisations and weave new obligations—such as the §45c advisory notice—into their onboarding workflows, reducing the risk of fines and delayed start dates.
‘Faire Integration’ was formally designated by the Labour Ministry on 19 December 2025 as the responsible service. The network operates in 16 federal states and offers multilingual counselling on topics ranging from overtime pay to social-security contributions—areas where newly arrived talent often feel vulnerable. For HR teams, best practice is to attach the advisory notice as a contract addendum that the employee countersigns, creating a clear compliance trail.
Global-mobility specialists welcome the measure as a step toward fairer treatment of migrant staff but warn that it adds yet another document to already dense onboarding packages. Some multinationals are integrating the notice into their digital contract-signing workflows; others are training relocation vendors to hand over the leaflet during airport pick-up. Over time, observers expect the obligation to be folded into routine desk audits by immigration authorities, much like existing notification duties under the Posted Workers Act.
Practical tip: Employers should download the official bilingual template from the Labour Ministry website; self-drafted versions must include the name, postal address and phone number of the nearest counselling centre as well as a link to www.faire-integration.de.
