EU Blue Card (Germany)

The EU Blue Card is the standard residence permit in Germany for people who hold a university-level qualification and have a skilled job offer with a good salary. It is a European scheme, but each country runs its own version, and this guide covers the German one.

The Blue Card has some of the most favourable terms among the German work permits. You can bring your family, you can change employer with little paperwork, and you can reach permanent residence faster than most other permit holders.

The official Make it in Germany portal says the permit is meant for qualified professionals from outside the EU. Citizens of EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland do not need a visa or residence permit to work in Germany.

To qualify you need all of the following:

• A recognised foreign university degree, or a German university degree. A tertiary qualification counts as equivalent if it takes at least three years to complete.
• A work contract or a concrete job offer in Germany that lasts at least six months and matches your qualification level.
• A salary that meets the threshold for your job, explained in the next section.
• A licence to practise, if your profession is regulated. Doctors, nurses and teachers are common examples.

IT specialists have an extra option. If you have no degree but at least three years of comparable professional experience at an academic level, you can still qualify. The Federal Employment Agency checks that experience, and the lower salary threshold applies.

Germany sets the Blue Card salary as a percentage of the annual income ceiling for statutory pension insurance. The official portal says the exact euro figures are published every year by 31 December in the Federal Gazette and on the Make it in Germany website.

Two thresholds apply:

• The standard threshold is 50% of the ceiling. For 2026 that works out at about 50,700 euros gross a year.
• The lower threshold is 45.3% of the ceiling, about 45,934 euros gross a year. It applies to shortage occupations, to graduates who finished their degree less than three years ago, and to IT specialists without a degree.

We calculated these euro amounts from the official percentages and the ceiling implied by the official 2026 figure for the over-45 rule, so treat them as close estimates and confirm the exact number on the official portal before you sign a contract.

The lower salary threshold applies to jobs in the following groups, according to the official questions and answers:

• Science professionals, mathematicians and engineering professionals
• Information technology professionals and ICT service managers
• Medical doctors, veterinarians, dentists and pharmacists
• Nursing and midwifery professionals
• Professional services managers, for example in childcare or health services
• Manufacturing, mining, construction and distribution managers
• School and out-of-school teachers and educators

In these jobs the Federal Employment Agency must approve the employment. Above the standard threshold, the Blue Card is issued without that approval.

If your profession is regulated, you must apply for recognition through the competent German authority. This is a separate process that can take months, so start it early.

For other professions you can usually prove your degree with a positive result in the anabin database or with a Statement of Comparability from the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB). Check which one your local authority prefers before you pay for either.

Keep your degree certificate, transcripts and any certified translations together. Missing paperwork can hold up an application, so check each document before you submit.

The steps usually run in this order:

• Find a job and get a contract or a concrete offer that meets the salary threshold.
• Have your degree recognised or checked, as described above.
• If you work in a shortage occupation, your employer completes a declaration of employment so the Federal Employment Agency can approve the job.
• Apply for the entry visa through the Consular Services Portal of the Federal Foreign Office, then attend an appointment at the German embassy or consulate to give fingerprints, a photo and your original documents.
• Pay the national visa fee of 75 euros.
• After you enter Germany, apply at the local foreigners authority for the Blue Card itself.

The entry visa is normally issued for twelve months. The Federal Foreign Office warns that national visas can take several months to process, so apply as early as you can.

You can change employer, inside or outside your company, without asking the foreigners authority for permission. If you change within the first twelve months you must report it, and the authority can pause the change for up to 30 days to check that the new job meets the conditions.

Your spouse and children can join you. Since 1 March 2024 you no longer need to prove sufficient living space for a first Blue Card application, though family members must show adequate health insurance. You can also bring your parents and parents-in-law when your Blue Card is first issued, provided they have adequate health insurance.

A German Blue Card does not give you the right to work in other EU countries straight away. You can do short business visits of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. A longer move is possible without a visa after you have held a Blue Card in another EU country for at least twelve months.

The Blue Card offers a faster route to permanent residence than most German permits. You can apply for a settlement permit after 27 months of employment with social security or statutory pension contributions. If your German is at level B1, the wait drops to 21 months.

You must also show at least A1 German, basic knowledge of the German legal and social system (usually through the Living in Germany test), and enough living space and income.

Your first permit lasts the length of your contract plus three months, up to a maximum of four years, so most holders will reach the settlement stage while the first card is still valid.

Check the salary threshold for the year you apply, because it changes each January. A job that qualified last year may fall just short this year.

Make sure the job matches your qualification. The Blue Card is the one permit where the work must be at the level of your degree.

Do not resign from your home job or book flights before you have the visa in hand. Processing times vary by embassy, and a delay is more costly if you have already committed to dates.