Employ workers abroad, no local entity needed

An employer of record (EOR) is a service provider that legally employs your workers in their country on your behalf, becoming the local legal employer while your UK organisation continues to manage the day-to-day role. The EOR handles local employment setup, contracts, payroll, benefits and HR processes and gives the UK organisation a compliant route to employ workers in 187+ countries without setting up their own local entities.

Yes. In most countries an EOR can provide a compliant local employment route without the UK company opening its own entity first. Use EOR when you need to employ a small number of workers, support a relocation or test a market; consider setting up an entity once headcount becomes sufficient in a country and/or when long-term operations justify it. A UK-based Safeguard Global EOR expert can help you check the right option before you commit.

EOR is typically the right route when you need to employ a worker abroad quickly, support a relocation, hire an overseas candidate, convert a contractor or test a market before opening an entity. It may not be right for every role or long-term country plan, so the worker, country, role and timeline should be reviewed first. As a rule of thumb, EOR suits situations covering a smaller number of workers in a country or a short-to-medium-term horizon; entity setup tends to fit larger or permanent operations.

Yes. EOR is well-suited to employee relocations and ongoing work-from-abroad setups where the UK employer does not have a local entity in the host country. It creates a clearer local employment arrangement, including a compliant local contract, payroll, statutory benefits and worker support, so HR is not relying on “permission to work remotely” from another country.

Setting up a local entity usually takes three to six months and creates ongoing legal, tax and administrative obligations in the host country but gives you direct control. EOR is operational within days to weeks and is typically the more practical route when you have a small number of workers in a country, a short-to-medium-term horizon, or you want to test the market first. Beyond EOR, Safeguard Global can also support UK companies with entity setup (and ongoing, outsourced HR and other services) when the scale justifies it.

EOR pricing varies by country, salary, benefits, employer social contributions, contract length and provider fees. The total cost typically includes the worker’s salary, statutory employer costs, mandatory benefits, any additional benefits and the EOR management fee. Safeguard Global can provide a country-specific cost estimate before onboarding so you can compare EOR with contractor or entity options.

A UK-based EOR expert will review the information you provide, including the worker’s country, role, situation and timeline and be in touch within one business day to arrange a first conversation. The call will help you understand whether EOR is likely to fit, what information is needed next, what responsibilities sit where and what the local employment setup could involve.