EU Blue Card in Germany: Salary Thresholds and Settlement

You have a degree, a German job offer, and a salary number that looks high enough on paper. The next worry is picking the wrong permit: locking yourself into a slower path, or missing a rule that your spouse cannot work yet.

The EU Blue Card (Blaue Karte EU) is Germany’s residence title for highly qualified workers. What it buys you is speed to permanent residence: 21 months with B1 German, or 27 months with A1 German. If you clear the Blue Card salary and qualification rules, that path is usually faster and more flexible than a regular skilled work permit.

Current salary thresholds, eligibility, and application steps stay up to date on Make it in Germany – EU Blue Card. Check that page for this year’s numbers; this guide covers the choices around them.

Do you clear the Blue Card bar

You typically need all three:

• A recognized university degree (Bachelor level or higher)
• A job offer or signed employment contract in Germany
• Gross salary at or above the current Blue Card threshold

There are two salary thresholds, adjusted each year:

• A standard threshold
• A lower threshold for shortage occupations

Shortage occupations. The lower salary threshold can apply to fields such as:

• IT and software development
• Mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering
• Doctors and other medical professions
• Natural sciences and mathematics

Since 2024, IT specialists with at least 3 years of professional experience within the last 7 years can qualify even without a university degree, if they meet the shortage occupation salary level.

Degree recognition (Anabin). Check your qualification at anabin.kmk.org.

• If your university has H+ status, you usually do not need a separate recognition process.
• If it shows H+/- or is not listed, you may need a separate official recognition process.

If your salary sits just under the threshold, ask the employer whether the contract can meet the published Blue Card figure before you settle for a regular skilled permit. Crossing that line changes years of your timeline.

Changing jobs and getting permanent residence

During the first 12 months:

• You must notify the Ausländerbehörde before changing employers (Section 18g para. 4 AufenthG)
• You do not need prior approval, but the authority can suspend the change for up to 30 days and reject it if Blue Card conditions are not met
• Confirm timing with the office before your first day at the new employer

After 12 months:

• The law does not require notification, though Make it in Germany still recommends informing the Ausländerbehörde
• The new role must continue to meet Blue Card salary requirements

Permanent residence. The countdown starts when you begin qualified employment, not from the date the card is physically issued:

• 21 months with B1 German
• 27 months with A1 German

Book the language exam early if permanent residence is your goal. Waiting until month 20 for a B1 slot is how people miss the shorter track.

Renewing your Blue Card

File the extension about eight weeks before the card expires. You still need a qualifying job and a salary above the current Blue Card threshold. While a timely application is pending, a Fiktionsbescheinigung under Section 81 AufenthG usually keeps your stay (and often your work rights) legal; confirm what is printed on yours before you travel. At the same appointment, ask whether you already clear the permanent residence clock.

Family rights versus a regular skilled permit

With a Blue Card, family reunification is usually simpler than with many regular permits:

• Your spouse can work immediately without restrictions
• Your spouse usually does not need to prove German before arrival
• Children under 18 can generally join and access German schools

Compared with a regular skilled work permit:

• Permanent residence: 21 to 27 months versus often around 5 years
• Spouse work rights: immediate and unrestricted versus potentially limited
• Changing jobs: notification rules in the first 12 months, then fewer formal steps versus more immigration checks
• EU mobility: easier after 12 months with a Blue Card

Blue Card salaries must meet statutory minimums; regular permits can sometimes be more flexible on pay. If you clear the Blue Card thresholds, use the Blue Card rather than a regular skilled work permit. For bringing family, see Family Reunification in Germany.

Who needs a visa before travel

• EU citizens do not need a Blue Card because they can work freely in Germany.
• Citizens of visa-free countries can enter and apply at the Ausländerbehörde, but applying from home is often smoother.
• If your nationality requires a visa to enter Germany, apply at the German embassy before travel.

Not sure this is your route? See Which Visa Do You Need in Germany.