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Apply for the EU Blue Card

Ausländerbehörde · Residence law

In personMake it in Germany

The EU Blue Card (Blaue Karte EU), which the Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz, AufenthG) governs in § 18g AufenthG, is the most important residence title for highly qualified skilled workers from third countries. It requires a recognised university degree – or, for IT specialists, equivalent professional experience – and a job offer for at least six months. The salary is decisive: in 2026, €50,700 gross per year applies as the standard threshold, and in shortage occupations and for career starters €45,934.20.

The title offers advantages that no other residence for the purpose of employment provides: the settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) after just 21 months with knowledge of German at level B1, or after 27 months with level A1, spousal reunification without proof of language skills, a change of employer without an approval procedure and onward migration within the EU. This page explains the documents, the procedure, the fees and the typical mistakes that lead to refusal.

Last updated3 October 2026
Legal basis§ 18g AufenthG · § 18c Abs. 2 · § 45 AufenthV
VerificationChecked by AmtsDeutschland.de
Written and reviewed byAndrés Sánchez Botta
Independent information website: we are not the Ausländerbehörde, not an authority and not a paid advice service – we do not submit applications on your behalf. All information comes from official sources and is explained here in plain language; binding information always comes from the competent body. All information is provided without guarantee. We are neither lawyers nor tax consultants: we document official procedures and check the information against the official source – this is information, not legal or tax advice.
Costs€100.00Fixed amount under § 45 AufenthV
Processing timeDepends on the AusländerbehördeFast-track procedure: § 81a AufenthG
MethodIn personAppointment required, collection on site
Required documents

What you need to bring

Valid passport

All applicants must present their passport in the original, and it must cover the entire requested duration of residence – the Ausländerbehörde (foreigners authority) generally does not issue the EU Blue Card for longer than the passport is valid. If your passport is about to expire, first renew it at your embassy or consulate in Germany. Also bring your visa or your previous residence title so that the authority can check that your lawful stay has been uninterrupted.

Recognised university degree

You must prove a German degree, a recognised foreign degree or a foreign degree comparable to a German university degree. Check your university and your degree in advance free of charge in the anabin database of the Central Office for Foreign Education (Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen, ZAB); if the degree is not rated as “equivalent” there, you need an individual Statement of Comparability (Zeugnisbewertung), which can take several months. Present the degree certificate and the Diploma Supplement in the original with a certified translation.

Employment contract or binding job offer

The contract must provide for a period of employment of at least six months (§ 18g Abs. 3 AufenthG) and state a gross annual salary of at least €50,700. In shortage occupations and for career starters with a university degree obtained within the last three years, €45,934.20 is sufficient. What counts is the salary firmly agreed in the contract – the authorities often do not take variable bonuses, commissions or flat-rate overtime payments into account.

Proof of professional experience (IT specialists without a degree)

If you apply for the EU Blue Card without a university degree, you submit employment references (Arbeitszeugnis), reference letters and evidence of projects covering at least three years of comparable professional experience. The experience must have been gained within the last seven years, and the intended activity must fall under ISCO-08 groups 133 or 25. The references should clearly show the periods, tasks and technologies used.

Declaration on the employment relationship (Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis)

The employer fills in this form; it describes the activity, working hours, pay and any fixed term, and serves the authority as the basis for its examination of the employment conditions. With the reduced salary threshold, it is forwarded together with the application to the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit), whose approval is then required. You can obtain the form from the competent Ausländerbehörde or on its website.

Biometric photograph

For the electronic residence title, you need a recent biometric photograph, which since 1 May 2025 has only been accepted in digital form (§ 60 Abs. 2 Satz 2 Nr. 1 AufenthV); the transitional period for paper photographs ended on 31 July 2025. A certified photographer transmits the photograph in encrypted form and gives you a Data Matrix code for the appointment, or you have it taken at the self-service terminal of the Ausländerbehörde, if it operates one – a paper photograph that you bring with you is not accepted. Fingerprints and your signature are also taken at the appointment.

Proof of health insurance

You must provide proof of adequate health insurance coverage from your first day of employment – for employees, this is usually the Mitgliedsbescheinigung (health insurance membership certificate) from the statutory health insurance fund (Krankenkasse); for higher incomes, alternatively the confirmation from a private health insurer. Travel health insurance is not sufficient for the issue of the residence title. The certificate should include the name of the employer and the start of the insurance cover.

Meldebescheinigung and Wohnungsgeberbestätigung

The Ausländerbehörde works with your registered address; you must therefore have registered your place of residence at the Bürgeramt (citizens’ office) beforehand. The Anmeldung (residence registration) must be made within two weeks of moving in and requires the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (landlord’s confirmation) from your landlord. The registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung) or the Anmeldebestätigung (confirmation of registration) serves as proof.

Completed application form

Depending on the local authority, you submit the “Antrag auf Erteilung eines Aufenthaltstitels” (application for the issue of a residence title) online via the service portal or on paper at your appointment. Missing signatures and empty fields are the most common reason for queries, which prolong the procedure by weeks. If you have received your employer’s advance approval (Vorabzustimmung), enclose it as well.

Licence to practise for regulated professions

Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, teachers and other regulated professions additionally need the full licence to practise (Approbation) or the professional licence issued by the competent Land (federal state) authority. Without this licence, the employment must not be taken up, regardless of how high the agreed salary is. The procedures are handled by the state examination office (Landesprüfungsamt) or the district government (Bezirksregierung) and should be initiated early.

Step by step

How to proceed

  1. 1

    Check the 2026 salary threshold

    First calculate which threshold applies to you. In 2026, the standard threshold is €50,700 gross per year; it corresponds to 50% of the contribution assessment ceiling (Beitragsbemessungsgrenze) of the general pension insurance of €101,400 and is reset every year. If your offer is below that, check the reduced threshold of €45,934.20: it applies in the listed shortage occupations and to career starters whose university degree was obtained no more than three years ago. What counts is the time of the decision on the application – if you apply in December and receive the decision in January, keep the new annual threshold in mind.

  2. 2

    Conclude an employment contract for at least six months

    The law requires a specific job offer with a period of employment of at least six months. Have the contract drawn up with the full salary, working hours, job description and start date, and make sure that the activity matches your qualification – a skilled worker with a computer science degree who is hired as service staff will not receive an EU Blue Card. The employer also fills in the declaration on the employment relationship. Larger companies can obtain a Vorabzustimmung in advance and thus considerably shorten the procedure.

  3. 3

    Prove your degree or IT professional experience

    Look up your university and your degree programme in the anabin database. If the institution is classified as “H+” and the degree as equivalent, presenting the degree certificate and the translation is usually sufficient. Otherwise, apply for a Zeugnisbewertung from the Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen; allow several months for this. IT specialists without a degree replace the degree with at least three years of comparable professional experience from the last seven years in ISCO-08 groups 133 or 25 – meaningful employment references are decisive here.

  4. 4

    Apply for a visa at the German mission abroad

    If you are entering from abroad, you first need a national visa for the purpose of employment; it costs €75.00 under § 46 of the Ordinance Governing Residence (Aufenthaltsverordnung, AufenthV). Nationals of privileged states – for example Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the USA – may enter without a visa and apply for the title directly in Germany. Under the fast-track procedure for skilled workers (beschleunigtes Fachkräfteverfahren) under § 81a AufenthG, the employer in Germany submits the application; the German mission abroad then usually allocates an appointment within three weeks and generally decides within a further three weeks.

  5. 5

    Register your address and book an appointment

    After entering the country, register your address at the Bürgeramt within two weeks – without a registered address, the local jurisdiction of the Ausländerbehörde is not established. Then book the appointment immediately: in conurbations, waiting times of several weeks are common, which is why you should submit the application before the expiry of the visa. If you cannot get an appointment in time, submit the application in writing or via the online portal and have a Fiktionsbescheinigung (provisional residence document) issued, which secures your stay and your employment until the decision.

  6. 6

    Submit the application and wait for the approval of the Federal Employment Agency

    At the appointment, you hand in the application with all documents, pay the fee and have your photograph, fingerprints and signature recorded for the electronic residence title. If you apply for the card on the basis of the reduced salary threshold, the Ausländerbehörde involves the Federal Employment Agency internally; you do not have to submit a separate application for this, but it makes the procedure take longer. At the standard threshold of €50,700, no approval is needed – this is the most important procedural difference between the two routes.

  7. 7

    Collect the EU Blue Card and note the deadlines

    The card is produced centrally as an electronic residence title and must be collected in person; when you collect it, you receive the PIN letter and the supplementary sheet (Zusatzblatt) with the ancillary provisions (Nebenbestimmungen). The period of validity is no more than four years or, for shorter employment contracts, the duration of the contract plus six months (§ 18 Abs. 4 AufenthG). Note two dates: the extension about eight weeks before expiry and the earliest possible application for the settlement permit after 21 or 27 months.

Fee information

Costs and payment

Fees

Issue€100.00 – fixed amount under § 45 Nr. 1 AufenthV, uniform nationwide and with no local range
Extension€93.00 for an extension of more than three months · €96.00 for an extension of up to three months (§ 45 Nr. 2 AufenthV)
National visa€75.00 at the German mission abroad (§ 46 AufenthV) — the subsequent card issued in Germany costs an additional €100.00
Settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis)€113.00 as a rule (§ 44 Nr. 3 AufenthV); €147.00 for highly qualified persons under § 18c Abs. 3 AufenthG (§ 44 Nr. 1 AufenthV)
Family members who are minorsReduced fee; the competent Ausländerbehörde will state the exact amount in the fee notice
Place of paymentAt the Ausländerbehörde; in many local authorities, also in advance by online payment in the service portal
Means of paymentEC card, bank transfer or cash — depending on the competent authority; credit cards are not accepted in many places

Not included in the fee are the costs of certified translations, of a Zeugnisbewertung from the Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen and of the digital photograph. These amounts are set by the respective bodies themselves and vary considerably.

For the approval of the Federal Employment Agency, no separate fee is charged; it is obtained in the internal participation procedure between the Ausländerbehörde or the German mission abroad and the Federal Employment Agency. You do not have to submit a separate application.

Good to know

Important notes

The salary thresholds rise every year. They are linked as a percentage to the contribution assessment ceiling of the general pension insurance: 50% in the standard case, 45.3% in the reduced case. For 2026, this results in €50,700 and €45,934.20. Older information such as €45,300 (the 2024 value) or €48,300 (the 2025 value) is out of date – always check the current annual value before signing the contract.

The reduced threshold applies in two cases. First, in the shortage occupations listed by law; second, for career starters whose university degree was obtained no more than three years before the submission of the application. The second case is often overlooked: if you have just completed your master’s degree, you can obtain the EU Blue Card with €45,934.20 even outside a shortage occupation.

Shortage occupations are defined by ISCO-08 groups, not by job titles. The groups covered are 132 (production and service managers in mining, manufacturing and construction), 133 (managers in information and communications technology), 134 (managers in the provision of professional services), 21 (natural scientists, mathematicians, engineers), 221 (doctors), 222 (nursing and midwifery professionals), 225 (veterinarians), 226 (other academic health professions), 23 (teachers) and 25 (IT professionals with academic training). What is decisive is the actual activity under the employment contract.

Approval of the Federal Employment Agency only with the reduced threshold. If you reach the standard threshold of €50,700, you receive the EU Blue Card without the involvement of the Federal Employment Agency. At €45,934.20 – i.e. in shortage occupations, for career starters and for IT specialists without a degree – the Federal Employment Agency checks the employment conditions. This prolongs the procedure, but it is not an additional application on your part.

Settlement permit after 21 or 27 months. Since 1 March 2024, § 18c Abs. 2 AufenthG has provided for the unlimited settlement permit after 27 months with basic knowledge of German (A1) and after just 21 months with sufficient knowledge of German (B1) – in each case with proof of compulsory contributions to the pension insurance for this period. The previously widespread figure of 33 months dates from the legal situation before 1 March 2024 and is out of date.

Change of employer: notification instead of approval. Under § 18g Abs. 4 AufenthG, you do not need permission from the Ausländerbehörde to change jobs. In the first twelve months of employment, you merely have to notify the change; the authority can then suspend it for 30 days and refuse it within this period. After the expiry of twelve months, the obligation to notify also ceases to apply. Nevertheless, notify the change in writing – that way, you have proof of when the period started.

Unemployment must be notified. If you lose your job, inform the Ausländerbehörde without delay; the EU Blue Card is tied to employment. Temporary unemployment does not automatically lead to the withdrawal of the title – under the underlying EU directive, up to three months of unemployment are not detrimental, and up to six months if you have held the card for more than two years. The competent Ausländerbehörde decides on the individual case and on the proof required.

EU-wide mobility. The EU Blue Card allows short-term business trips to other member states of up to 90 days within 180 days without an additional residence title. For a permanent move, the following applies: if you have held the card in another member state for at least twelve months, you may enter Germany without a national visa, but you must submit the application to the Ausländerbehörde within 30 days of entry; you may start work from the submission of the application.

Family reunification without proof of language skills. Under § 30 Abs. 1 Satz 3 Nr. 5 AufenthG, the otherwise required proof of basic knowledge of German does not apply to spousal reunification with holders of an EU Blue Card. The spouse joining you receives a residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) with unrestricted access to the labour market; given the salaries that apply here, proof of secure subsistence is usually provided without difficulty.

Naturalisation: the route after three years has been abolished. The former “turbo naturalisation” after three years for special integration achievements was abolished without replacement on 30 October 2025 – without a transitional arrangement, so that older applications not yet decided are also examined under the new law. Only the period of five years of lawful residence now applies. You can read exactly what is now required on our page on naturalisation.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Calculating with an outdated salary threshold. If you negotiate the contract on the basis of the values for 2024 (€45,300) or 2025 (€48,300), you miss the 2026 threshold of €50,700. The consequence: the EU Blue Card is refused, the fee has already been paid and the employment contract has to be renegotiated – or the only option left is another residence title with considerably worse conditions.

Including bonuses instead of the basic salary. Variable pay components, target bonuses or company cars do not reliably count towards the salary threshold. If the threshold is reached only with the bonus, the authority refuses the application or requests an amendment to the contract – both cost several weeks and can derail the agreed start date.

Degree not checked in anabin. If the university is not recognised or the degree is not classified as equivalent, an individual Zeugnisbewertung is required, which can take months. If you only find this out at your appointment with the authority, you lose the entire lead time and risk your visa expiring before the assessment is available.

Contract for less than six months. § 18g Abs. 3 AufenthG requires a job offer with a period of employment of at least six months. Short project contracts or probationary fixed terms of three months lead to refusal, even if the salary and qualifications are right.

Change of employer in the first twelve months not notified. You do not need an approval, but you do need to notify the change. If you conceal the change, you violate a statutory obligation to cooperate: the Ausländerbehörde can examine the change within 30 days and refuse it, and in repeated cases you face ancillary provisions, regulatory fines and problems with the extension.

Application submitted only after the expiry of the visa. If you book the appointment too late, you are staying in the federal territory without a residence title from the day after expiry. This can lead to an obligation to leave the federal territory and will be put on record for later applications. Submit the application in writing in good time and protect yourself with a Fiktionsbescheinigung.

Counting on naturalisation after three years. This route has no longer existed since 30 October 2025. If you have built your life plans around it, you lose two years: only the five-year period applies, and this also applies to applications that were submitted before the change in the law but have not yet been decided.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

What is the minimum salary for the EU Blue Card in 2026?

As a rule, you must earn at least €50,700 gross per year in 2026; this corresponds to 50% of the contribution assessment ceiling of the general pension insurance of €101,400. In shortage occupations and for career starters, €45,934.20 gross per year is sufficient, but the approval of the Federal Employment Agency is then required.

Does the reduced salary threshold only apply to shortage occupations?

No. Under § 18g Abs. 2 AufenthG, the threshold of €45,934.20 also applies to career starters who obtained their university degree within the last three years before the submission of the application. In this case, the occupation does not have to belong to the listed ISCO-08 groups.

Can I get the EU Blue Card without a university degree?

Yes, since 18 November 2023, IT specialists can obtain the EU Blue Card without a degree if they prove at least three years of comparable professional experience gained within the last seven years. The employment must fall under ISCO-08 groups 133 or 25, the reduced salary threshold of €45,934.20 applies and the Federal Employment Agency must give its approval.

How quickly will I get the settlement permit?

Under § 18c Abs. 2 AufenthG, holders of an EU Blue Card receive the settlement permit after just 21 months if they prove sufficient knowledge of German at level B1, and after 27 months with basic knowledge of German at level A1. In each case, the requirement is compulsory contributions to the statutory pension insurance for this period. The previously quoted period of 33 months has no longer applied since 1 March 2024.

Am I allowed to change employer with the EU Blue Card?

Yes. Under § 18g Abs. 4 AufenthG, you do not need permission from the Ausländerbehörde to change jobs. In the first twelve months of employment, there is merely an obligation to notify the change; the authority can examine the change within 30 days, suspend it for this period and refuse it within that time. After twelve months, the obligation to notify also ceases to apply.

Does my spouse need to know German?

No. Under § 30 Abs. 1 Satz 3 Nr. 5 AufenthG, the otherwise customary proof of basic knowledge of German does not apply to spousal reunification with holders of an EU Blue Card. The spouse joining you also receives unrestricted access to the labour market.

How much does the EU Blue Card cost?

Issuing the card costs a uniform €100.00 nationwide under § 45 AufenthV; this is a fixed amount with no local range. An extension costs €93.00 if the card is extended by more than three months, and €96.00 for an extension of up to three months.

How long does processing take?

There is no uniform nationwide processing deadline; the duration depends on the competent Ausländerbehörde and its workload. Only the fast-track procedure for skilled workers under § 81a AufenthG is regulated by law, under which the German mission abroad allocates an appointment within three weeks and usually decides on the visa within a further three weeks.

Can I move to Germany with an EU Blue Card from another EU country?

Yes, the EU Blue Card provides for EU-wide mobility. If you have held the card in another member state for at least twelve months, you can enter Germany without a national visa and submit the application to the competent Ausländerbehörde within 30 days of entry; you may take up employment from the submission of the application.

Related official procedures

Settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis)
Unlimited after 21 months (B1) or 27 months (A1)
€113
Family reunification
Spouses without proof of language skills
€75 visa + €100 title
Naturalisation
After 5 years — route after 3 years abolished on 30 October 2025
€255

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