Moving from the US to Eastern Europe on a work permit
If you live in the United States on an H-1B, F-1 with OPT, or another temporary visa, some of the ten EU countries we cover in Eastern Europe take work-visa applications where you live and some do not. Here is what each country’s official pages say, so you can plan without guessing.
About your current visa
We don’t advise on your current US visa. For that, speak to a US immigration attorney. Never stay or work beyond what your visa allows while you plan a move.
Which countries take applications from the United States?
Country by country, from the consulates’ and immigration offices’ own pages. Where they say nothing, we say “not confirmed”.
- PolandYes, confirmed by the mission
Yes. Apply in person at the Polish office covering your state (Embassy in Washington; consulates in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York) with proof of legal status: Green Card or a valid A, E, F (with I-20), G, H, I, J (with I-797), L, O or R visa. B1/B2 visitors and J-1 Summer Work Travel must apply in their country of residence. Fee USD 235; decision within 15 working days (up to 30).
gov.plchecked 24 Oct 2026 - CzechiaOnly with conditions
The Embassy in Washington takes Employee Card applications by emailed appointment and its page mentions no quota; under the IPC rule an Indian national needs long-term or permanent US residence and at least 2 years of legal residence there. Decision 60 days (90 if complex).
ipc.gov.czchecked 24 Oct 2026 - LatviaRule says where you live; mission not confirmed
PMLP: foreigners residing outside Latvia may file at a Latvian embassy abroad. Which Latvian mission serves US residents: not confirmed.
pmlp.gov.lvchecked 24 Oct 2026 - RomaniaRule says where you live; mission not confirmed
Apply at a Romanian embassy or consulate in your country of residence (EU Immigration Portal). Which Romanian missions in the US accept D/AM visa files: not confirmed.
home-affairs.ec.europa.euchecked 24 Oct 2026 - EstoniaRule says where you live; mission not confirmed
D visa: apply in person in your country of residence at an Estonian representation that handles visas (or the accredited/nearest one). Which mission serves the US: not confirmed.
vm.eechecked 24 Oct 2026 - HungaryRule says where you live; mission not confirmed
Allowed at the Hungarian consulate for your habitual residence (OIF rule); mission locations not confirmed.
oif.gov.huchecked 24 Oct 2026 - CroatiaNot confirmed
Same as Canada: employer files in Croatia; D visa at a Croatian mission; acceptance of non-citizen residents not confirmed.
home-affairs.ec.europa.euchecked 24 Oct 2026 - SlovakiaNot confirmed
Not confirmed: Slovak mission pages in the US were not checked. General rule: embassy in country of citizenship or residence.
home-affairs.ec.europa.euchecked 24 Oct 2026 - BulgariaNot confirmed
Not confirmed . The official page only says the worker applies at a Bulgarian embassy or consulate in their home country.
home-affairs.ec.europa.euchecked 24 Oct 2026 - LithuaniaGenerally not
VFS office exists in the US (New York), but it accepts only citizens of the country where the office is (plus AU, JP, UK, US, CA, NZ, KR citizens) except for ICT, researchers/lecturers, major investors and collective relocation. An Indian citizen on an H-1B or F-1 generally cannot file there.
migracija.lrv.ltchecked 24 Oct 2026
What stays the same wherever you live
In most of these countries the employer applies for the work permit in its own country first. Only the visa step depends on where you live, because consulates take applications from people legally resident in their district.
- Poland: Polish consulates take national visa applications from people legally resident in their district, which covers Indians on work or study visas in the US (listed visa types) and residence-permit holders in the UK and Ireland. The Polish work permit itself is applied for by the employer in Poland, wherever the worker lives. gov.plchecked 24 Oct 2026
- Czechia: Rule (IPC): apply in person at a Czech mission in (a) your country of nationality or of the travel document, (b) a country where you hold long-term or permanent residence and have lived legally for at least 2 years (for EU countries, only the Dresden visa centre), or (c) any mission if you are a national of the listed countries. Some missions have quotas. From 1 Jul 2026 the embassies in Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait, Riyadh, Singapore, Tel Aviv, Taipei and Tokyo have a zero Qualified Worker quota for nationals of countries outside their district (60 a year each for the highly qualified/key staff programmes) — so Indians living in the Gulf can no longer use those embassies for the Qualified Worker route. ipc.gov.czchecked 24 Oct 2026
- Lithuania: Migration Department rule since 22 Oct 2025: applications at external service provider offices 'can only be submitted by citizens of the country where the external service provider office is located'. Citizens of Australia, Japan, the UK, the US, Canada, New Zealand and South Korea may use any office. Exceptions allowing a filing in another country: intra-company transfers, lecturers or researchers employed by a higher-education or research institution, major investors, and collective relocation under the Law on Investments. A person already legally in Lithuania can apply at the Migration Department in Lithuania. Whether a Blue Card applicant who is an Indian citizen may file in CA/US/UK/AU/NZ: not listed as an exception, so treat as no unless the Migration Department confirms. migracija.lrv.ltchecked 24 Oct 2026
The EU Blue Card, if you have a degree
Each country sets its own Blue Card salary. These are the minimums in the official sources, as published.
| Country | Minimum pay |
|---|---|
| Poland | At least 150% of the previous year's average wage: PLN 13,355.34 gross a month for applications filed in 2026 (2025 average PLN 8,903.56 per GUS) (secondary source). |
| Latvia | 1.5 times the previous year's average gross monthly wage: EUR 2,723 a month; 1.2 times (EUR 2,178) for professions on the Cabinet's list of expected significant labour shortages (PMLP, from 1 April 2026). |
| Romania | Not confirmed: sources conflict. KPMG (secondary) says that since 8 March 2024 (Law 28/2024) the minimum is the average gross salary (previously two average gross salaries). The EU Immigration Portal page (updated 1 Apr 2025) says at least four times the national average gross wage. Confirm with IGI before publishing a figure. |
| Croatia | Not confirmed: not stated on the MUP page. |
| Slovakia | At least 1.2 times the average wage in the Slovak economy; the average wage itself if the degree was obtained in the last 3 years (IOM, Jul 2026). The Ministry of Labour page still says 1.5 times — see not confirmed. 2026 EUR amount: not confirmed. |
| Czechia | At least 1.5 times the average gross annual wage (MPSV, IPC). The average used from 1 May 2026 to 30 Apr 2027 is CZK 590,580 a year (CZK 49,215 a month), which law firms put at CZK 73,823 gross a month. |
| Bulgaria | At least 1.5 times the average gross salary in Bulgaria, based on the 12 months before the contract (EU Immigration Portal). Secondary estimate: about EUR 2,071 gross a month using July 2025 to June 2026 data (Innovires); the figure changes with each quarterly statistics release. |
| Estonia | At least 1.5x the annual average gross monthly wage: EUR 3,138 from 5 March 2026; 1.24x (EUR 2,594) for listed top-specialist professions (science, technology, health, teaching, business, IT, law, culture). |
| Lithuania | At least 1.5 times the most recently announced average gross monthly earnings (EU Immigration Portal). Using the EUR 2,411.40 average quoted by Work in Lithuania in 2026, that is about EUR 3,617 gross a month (our arithmetic; confirm the current average before publishing). |
| Hungary | HUF 1,001,048 gross a month in 2026 (HUF 800,838 for listed occupations such as general practitioners and pharmacists); HUF 883,671 in 2025. |
Questions
Can I apply for a Poland work visa from the United States?
Yes. Apply in person at the Polish office covering your state (Embassy in Washington; consulates in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York) with proof of legal status: Green Card or a valid A, E, F (with I-20), G, H, I, J (with I-797), L, O or R visa. B1/B2 visitors and J-1 Summer Work Travel must apply in their country of residence. Fee USD 235; decision within 15 working days (up to 30).
gov.plchecked 24 Oct 2026gov.plchecked 24 Oct 2026gov.plchecked 24 Oct 2026bip.lubuskie.uw.gov.plchecked 24 Oct 2026
Can I apply for a Czech Employee Card from the United States?
The Embassy in Washington takes Employee Card applications by emailed appointment and its page mentions no quota; under the IPC rule an Indian national needs long-term or permanent US residence and at least 2 years of legal residence there. Decision 60 days (90 if complex).
ipc.gov.czchecked 24 Oct 2026mzv.gov.czchecked 24 Oct 2026mzv.gov.czchecked 24 Oct 2026epravo.czchecked 24 Oct 2026(secondary)mzv.gov.czchecked 24 Oct 2026mzv.gov.czchecked 24 Oct 2026
Can I apply for a Lithuania work permit from the United States?
VFS office exists in the US (New York), but it accepts only citizens of the country where the office is (plus AU, JP, UK, US, CA, NZ, KR citizens) except for ICT, researchers/lecturers, major investors and collective relocation. An Indian citizen on an H-1B or F-1 generally cannot file there.
migracija.lrv.ltchecked 24 Oct 2026workinlithuania.comchecked 24 Oct 2026home-affairs.ec.europa.euchecked 24 Oct 2026
Do I have to go back to India to apply?
Not always. Several consulates take visa applications from people legally resident in their district, and the work permit itself is usually applied for by the employer in the destination country, wherever you live. For the United States, the official pages confirm this for Poland. Where a page does not confirm it, we check with the mission before you apply.
Can you advise me on my US visa?
No. We only help with work permits for the countries we cover. For your current US visa, speak to a US immigration attorney.