Recruiting Staff for your Jersey Business

It is important to understand Jersey’s residential and working statuses before you become an employer in the Island. You can find more information on Residency and Immigration.

To operate a business that employs staff in Jersey, by law you must have a Business Licence. Once this is approved, ensuring all other registrations and regulatory requirements are in place, you can start to employ staff. 

You can employ from the local population or relocate staff* to the Island for essential/highly skilled/high value roles. You do not need permission to employ Entitled or Entitled for Work individuals however you do need specific permission to employ people who would require a Registered or Licenced consent. 

 *If you are establishing your business in Jersey through the help of Locate Jersey, Licensed permissions for any staff you need to relocate with the business will be applied for during the Business Licence process. 

There’s an annual charge for each Registered and Licensed permission that you hold on 1 November of each year, and you will receive a bill payable by 31 December each year.

The cost for a Registered permission is £52.50 and for a Licensed permission it’s £236.

If you have relocated essential staff to the Island, you will need to provide any ‘licensed’ employees, with a Licenced Employee Template Letter so that they can get the appropriate registration card.

You can apply for permissions, find the Licenced Employee template letter and find more information on employing new staff here.

You need to register as an employer with Customer and Local Services at least 2 days before you intend to employ a member of staff for 8 hours or more a week. Once you are registered, you will receive a unique employer code.

There are two ways to begin the registration process: 

1. 1. call Customer and Local Services on +44 (0)1534 444444
   2. visit Customer and Local Services at their office in La Motte Street, St Helier. 

To find out more information on personal or employer tax and contributions visit our page Tax and Contributions

If you have recruited someone through an agency on a temporary basis, you do not need to see their registration card. The employee will be covered under the agency’s business licence.

Before you employ staff, you must check their residential status and that they have the appropriate registration cards. The employees’ status will be written on the front of their card, you should check that the card is up to date.

Once you have checked the card you should also ask for a copy of their ID. Take a photocopy of both the ID and the registration card and return the originals to the employee.

You are required by law to submit Manpower returns. 

All businesses or undertakings operating in Jersey are required to submit manpower returns twice a year.  Manpower returns provide data about the local workforce which is used to inform Government policy. They are submitted online on 31 January and 31 July each year and you must provide information correct as at that date. You must include yourself on the return. 

To find out more information on personal or employer tax and contributions visit our page Tax and Contributions.

Anyone that wishes to live and work in Jersey must have UK immigration clearance. Some nationalities will require a Jersey work permit as well as a visa. Work Permits are issued by the Jersey Customs and Immigration Service and are applied for by you the employer, before the prospective employee comes to Jersey. If the work permit application is successful, your employee can then apply for the appropriate UK visa.

More information on work permit requirements and ‘permit free’ categories where you do not need to apply for an employee’s work permit can be found here.

You may be able to bring household staff with you when you move to Jersey, so long as they have the right to live and work in United Kingdom. If they are live-in staff, then no special work or housing permission are required (they will enter the Island and remain as ‘Registered’ individuals for the first 5 years).  

They may require a visa if they’re relocating to Jersey from outside of United Kingdom, the EU/EEA or Switzerland unless they’re a holder of an EEA family permit. You can find out more information on our page
Residency and Immigration. 

Employment law in Jersey is governed by the Employment (Jersey) Law 2003. There are legal and consultancy firms in Jersey who can assist with all areas of implementation of the law, and further free and independent advice can be taken from the Jersey Advisory and Conciliation Service. More information is available here.