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Global Work Glossary

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Table of Contents

What is the purpose of a foreign ID?

How do foreign IDs impact global hiring?

Does the US issue a foreign ID?

Which countries issue foreign IDs?

Are there viable foreign ID alternatives?

What is a consular ID?

How does HR interact with foreign IDs?

Do remote workers need foreign IDs?

What compliance issues may arise from foreign IDs?

How can Deel help you maintain foreign ID compliance?

What is foreign ID

A foreign ID is a formal identification document issued to a nonimmigrant individual by a foreign government. Foreign IDs perform different objectives and vary by jurisdiction.

In international hiring, a foreign ID verifies a worker’s identity and eligibility to work in a host country. Maintaining proper foreign IDs for your nonimmigrant workforce is a crucial compliance issue.

What is the purpose of a foreign ID?

A foreign ID identifies a worker’s immigration status and work eligibility. As an employer, it allows you to perform proper background checks and maintain hiring compliance.

Foreign IDs are also official forms of identification. For a nonimmigrant worker, they may offer access to banks, travel, and other government services that require identification.

How do foreign IDs impact global hiring?

Foreign IDs are most useful during recruiting and onboarding. By determining if a candidate is legally authorized to work in your country, they help you recruit global talent compliantly.

A valid foreign ID is usually a good sign to offer a candidate an EOR visa sponsorship. It shows that should you hire them, they have the proper paperwork to work in the country.

Foreign IDs also help HR maintain proper employment records. In the US, verifying and recording employee identity and work permit information is a crucial employer task.

Deel can help you manage this task compliantly by screening all your candidates in advance. Our global in-house experts handle hiring, onboarding, and ongoing visa support across 150+ countries.

See how we helped Leya hire top talent and broaden its market reach.

“Deel solves a very specific pain point for us. And it’s hiring people in other countries with confidence.” —Max Junestrand, CEO, Leya

Does the US issue a foreign ID?

Yes, but only to permanent residents. When the US government issues an individual permanent resident status, it also assigns them an Alien ID (Green Card). This ID features a unique Alien Registration Number (A-Number) that allows the holder to live, travel, and work in the US.

Nonimmigrant workers do not receive an Alien ID upon attaining nonimmigrant status. However, they can use several documents to prove their identity and work authorization, including:

  • An employment authorization document with their photo (Form I-776)
  • A completed Form I-9
  • A foreign passport with Form I-94A or I-94

As an employer, you must keep these forms on file for every nonimmigrant worker you employ.

Which countries issue foreign IDs?

Some other countries that issue a form of identification to foreign individuals include:

China

Like the US, the People's Republic of China issues a foreign ID to permanent residents. This ID is called the Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card and allows the holder to access the following services:

  • Employment
  • Healthcare
  • Education
  • Transportation
  • Communication
  • Social insurance and taxation
  • Property registration

China does not issue foreign IDs to temporary visitors or nonimmigrant workers.

Finland

In Finland, the national police may issue a foreign ID to individuals who lie in the country permanently. Foreigners must have their information entered in the Population Information System to qualify.

Finland foreign IDs are typically valid for five years but may expire alongside the holder’s resident status, whichever happens first. Holders cannot use the document to travel.

Istanbul

The Turkish Republic issues foreign individuals an identity number upon granting a residence permit. This 11-digit number appears on the holder's passport and other work documents.

Netherlands

To work in the Netherlands, individuals must have valid documents proving their identity or work authorization. There are three such documents in the country:

The Type O Foreign Nationals Identity Document, which applies to refugees fleeing Ukraine, proves the holder’s authorization to work in the Netherlands.

Employers do not need a work permit (TWV) to hire a worker with this foreign ID.

See also: A guide to employee background checks in the Netherlands

Spain

Spain issues foreigners a foreign identity card (NIE) featuring a unique identifying number. The NIE is available to individuals who wish to engage in activities related to the country for economic, social, or professional reasons. It communicates the holder's identity and immigration status.

To get the NIE, an individual must have a valid permit to stay in Spain for more than six months. They must request the ID within one month of their entry to the country.

Many other countries have unique requirements and procedures for issuing foreign IDs to nonimmigrant workers. Deel's immigration experts can help you comb through these policies to find what applies to you and help you hire your global team legally. Try a demonstration here.

Are there viable foreign ID alternatives?

Yes. Many countries accept valid passports as forms of identification for nonimmigrant workers. In these countries, these individuals are required to have their passports with them at all times.

Other documents that may double as ID for nonimmigrant workers include:

  • Valid driver’s licenses
  • Social security cards
  • Valid visas
  • Employment authorization documents (EAD)

As with foreign IDs, the specific acceptable documents may vary across regions. A Deel Immigration expert can help you arrange proper identification papers for your international hires.

What is a consular ID?

A consular ID is a type of foreign ID issued by some governments to their citizens living in foreign countries. Consular IDs allow holders to vote, access financial services, and identify themselves.

However, these documents do not reflect the holder’s immigration status. This is because they are issued by the holder’s home country (through the consulate), not the host country.

As an employer with international assignees in another country, consular IDs provide an alternative way to document your employees’ employment records.

You can use them to facilitate your assignee’s easy movement in their country of assignment, even as you work with Deel to expand into new markets.

How does HR interact with foreign IDs?

Most governments task employers with the job of ensuring their workers are in the country legally and have legal authorization to work in the region.

HR teams use foreign IDs to confirm this legal authorization and maintain accurate employee records. To this end, HR must set clear policies and procedures for verifying foreign IDs.

You must know what each foreign ID communicates about its holder and when additional identifying documents are necessary. This task is designed to help you and your company maintain hiring compliance and avoid the penalties of hiring illegal workers.

Deel can help you streamline foreign ID verification and recordkeeping by automating and combining all these tasks into one easy-to-use platform.

See also: 9 HR processes to automate and how

Do remote workers need foreign IDs?

It depends on the work model and regulations in the host country.

When you hire remote international talent, you can make their duties fully remote or require them to travel occasionally for meetings and projects.

Remote employees who travel internationally to their employer’s home country need valid visas and identifying documents. Whether they get a foreign ID will depend on if the home country issues one.

See also: 9 strategies for managing a remote team on a budget

What compliance issues may arise from foreign IDs?

Legal problems may arise when nonimmigrant workers use their foreign ID fraudulently or improperly. Some workers may also forge their IDs, exposing you to compliance issues.

On the employer’s side, issues may arise if you fail to flag and report a fraudulent foreign ID to national authorities. This is why HR teams must implement protocols to verify and detect invalid IDs.

You may also attract legal sanctions and repercussions if you use an employee's foreign ID to discriminate against them based on their nationality, religion, or other information indicated on the document.

These and other compliance breaches may expose you to fines, license revocations, legal lawsuits, and other repercussions prescribed by your home country.

Deel can help you avoid these penalties by handling onboarding and screening for international hires. We recently acquired Legalpad, the leading US immigration provider, to further enable us to help you streamline global hiring and workforce management processes.

How can Deel help you maintain foreign ID compliance?

Foreign IDs vary in purpose, content, and validity period across jurisdictions. At Deel, our immigration and compliance experts can help you determine what foreign IDs indicate valid immigration status and work authorization so you can grow your global team compliantly.

Our all-in-one HR platform also allows you to file foreign ID information, track validity and expiate dates, and maintain accurate immigration records for your global team.

Contact the team today to learn more, or book a demo to see how our tools can help you.

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