No. From June 7, 2026, Article 5(2) of the EU Pay Transparency Directive bans employers from asking candidates about current or previous salary, directly, through application forms, or via third parties such as recruiters.Â
This applies to all employers recruiting for roles in EU member states. Instead, employers have to list the range of salaries for the job, either in the job posting or before the first interview.
What is banned
- Asking candidates about their current or past salary during interviews
- Salary history fields on application forms
- Making salary disclosure a condition of progressing
- Asking third parties (recruiters, staffing agencies) to obtain salary history on the employer's behalf
- Using salary history, even when the candidate volunteers it, though member states vary on voluntary disclosure
Also, pay secrecy clauses are not allowed. Any clause in a contract that says employees can't talk about pay with coworkers is null and void.
What employers must provide instead
Employers must communicate the starting salary or salary range for every vacancy, either in the job posting or before the first interview, without the candidate having to ask. The range must rest on objective, gender-neutral criteria such as job evaluation, market benchmarking, or internal pay bands. Any relevant collective-agreement provisions and the criteria used to determine pay progression must also be disclosed.
Which countries are already enforcing
- Poland: enforcing the salary history ban since December 2025
- Germany, Italy, Slovakia: on track for June 2026 transposition
- Netherlands: transposition delayed to January 2027
- Denmark, France: expected to miss the June 2026 deadline
Even where transposition is delayed, employers recruiting across borders tend to align with the Directive 2023/970 now.
What companies typically change in the hiring process
- Remove salary history questions from all application forms and interview scripts
- Brief hiring managers and recruiters: many ask out of habit
- Add salary ranges to job postings, or share them before the first interview
- Update recruiter and staffing agency agreements to prohibit salary history inquiries
- One final read to the European Council’s guidelines
For the US parallel, see salary range requirements.
Disclaimer:
This article informs. It does not advise on the law. EU member states could transpose the Pay Transparency Directive differently. Check what your country requires before you act.
TL;DR
- From June 7, 2026, EU employers cannot ask candidates about salary history directly, via forms, or through third parties.
- Employers must provide the salary range before the first interview or in the job posting. Pay secrecy clauses are void.
- Poland is already enforcing, Germany, Italy, and Slovakia are on track, and the Netherlands is delayed to 2027.