What is Check-in-at-Work (CIAW) and Check-in-and-out-at-Work (CIAO) ?
Check-in-at-Work (CIAW) and Check-in-and-out-at-Work (CIAO) is a mandatory presence registration for anyone working on Belgian construction or cleaning sites.
Every employee, subcontractor, or temporary worker must register when they arrive on site, and the data is shared with the NSSO (National Social Security Office).
It’s meant to ensure safety, traceability, and compliance with social laws but for many companies, it’s also become a daily administrative headache.
Miss one registration, and you risk fines, inspection warnings, or delayed payments from clients who require CIAW/ CIAO proof.
CIAO: What changes in 2025
From January 2025, the existing CIAW rules will expand into Check-in-and-Out-at-Work (CIAO).
That means:
- Workers must register both entry and exit times.
- The regulation extends beyond construction to cleaning and facility services.
- The NSSO now requires more granular time data (not just presence).
In short: compliance is getting stricter, and manual tracking won’t cut it anymore.
The hidden cost of manual compliance
Paper lists, Excel templates, or phone-based reporting seem simple until something goes wrong.
Common issues include:
- Wrong NSSO site codes or worker IDs
- Late file uploads causing audit alerts
- Disconnected systems (CIAW/CIAO data not linked to payroll or projects)
Even one missing registration can lead to fines up to €6,000 per site or inspection warnings.
And correcting data after the fact takes valuable HR time away from core tasks.
Why automation is now essential
With CIAO rules expanding, companies need a system that:
- Registers workers automatically (via badge, vehicle, or app)
- Syncs data directly to the NSSO
- Keeps an audit trail for every registration
That’s exactly what Suivo’s Time Registration does.
How Suivo keeps you compliant automatically
Suivo integrates Check-in-at-Work and Check-in-and-Out-at-Work directly into your existing workflows:
- Vehicle & site pole badging workers register presence automatically when arriving.
- Time Logger App employees clock in/out via mobile.
- Automatic NSSO export data syncs securely with the national CIAW/CIAO platform.
- Audit-proof reporting every registration is traceable and timestamped.
- Integration with ERP & payroll no manual exports or double entry.
With Suivo, compliance becomes part of the process not an extra step.
Use Case: Compliance without worry
The challenge:
Cegelec struggled to manage hundreds of workers across multiple sites. Manual CIAW files led to errors and late uploads.
The solution:
Suivo automated all registrations via site poles and the Time Logger App. NSSO data is now exported automatically, and HR validates absences and hours from one dashboard.
The result:
100 % compliance across all sites
0 fines or missing reports
Less admin time for HR
“We wanted a zero chance of making mistakes when registering 500 employees for the new attendance registration.”
— CEO, Benny Vandevenne
Key takeaways
- CIAO expands presence registration rules from 2025 both entry and exit required.
- Manual tools can’t guarantee accuracy or compliance.
Automation with Suivo ensures every registration is accurate, audit-proof, and NSSO-ready.
Conclusion - Compliance without complexity
The goal of CIAW and CIAO isn’t to create more work – it’s to ensure fairness and safety.
With Suivo, compliance happens automatically, giving HR the confidence to focus on people, not paperwork.
Stay compliant, automatically.
Book your free expert session and discover how Suivo keeps your operations CIAW- and CIAO-ready, every single day.
