EU Blue Card
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | Aufenthaltstitel „Blaue Karte EU“ as of 2026-08-12[12][15] NAG § 8 Abs. 1 Z 3 and § 42 name the title. |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | EU Blue Card as of 2026-08-12[4][16] Official English name used by the administering portal. |
| Legal basis | NAG § 42 in conjunction with AuslBG §§ 12c and 20d Abs. 1 Z 5, transposing Directive (EU) 2021/1883 as of 2026-08-12[1][12][16] |
| Instrument type | residence permit as of 2026-08-12[15] |
Who can apply
| Nationals not served by this route | EEA, EFTA as of 2026-08-12[5][6] |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | Not established from a qualifying source |
| Criminal-record condition | No as of 2026-08-12[7][8] Austrian residence law imposes no clean-criminal-record condition as such. NAG § 11 Abs. 1 lists the mandatory grounds of refusal and none of them is a conviction in general: the only conviction-based ground is Z 6, a final penalty in the last twelve months for circumventing border control or unlawful entry. A criminal record can still defeat an application through the public-interest test in NAG § 11 Abs. 2 Z 1, which is why migration.gv.at records that many authorities ask for a police-record extract not older than three months with a first application. So the answer here is "no" in a narrow sense: a clean record is not a condition of this permit, but a conviction can still cost an applicant the permit. |
Permit terms
| Initial duration | up to 2 years as of 2026-08-12[4][12][16] NAG § 42 Abs. 4: issued for two years unless the employment contract is shorter, in which case for the contract term plus three months. oesterreich.gv.at states 'up to two years'; migration.gv.at states 24 months. Recorded with bound 'maximum' and basis matches_contract. |
|---|---|
| How the initial term is set | matches the contract |
| Renewable | Yes as of 2026-08-12[16] oesterreich.gv.at: where the conditions for switching to a „Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus“ are not met, a further EU Blue Card may be applied for. |
| Work rights | own activity only as of 2026-08-12[2][12][16] |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | Yes as of 2026-08-12[13][15] Settlement title under NAG § 8 Abs. 1 Z 3; five years' uninterrupted actual settlement under NAG § 45 Abs. 1. NAG § 45 Abs. 3 additionally counts prior lawful residence in another member state on a Blue Card once the holder has been settled in Austria for two years, and NAG § 20 Abs. 4a lets a „Daueraufenthalt – EU“ derived from a Blue Card survive 24 rather than twelve consecutive months outside the EEA. |
|---|---|
| How this time counts toward citizenship | 1 as of 2026-08-12[17] StbG § 10 Abs. 1 Z 1; settlement title. |
Requirements
| Job offer required | Yes as of 2026-08-12[1][4] A binding job offer for at least six months in employment matching the applicant's education. |
|---|---|
| Salary threshold | |
| Labour-market test | Yes as of 2026-08-12[2][4] AuslBG § 20d Abs. 1 requires the labour-market test in the Z 5 cases and migration.gv.at states the AMS must be unable to place an equally qualified registered jobseeker. AuslBG § 12c Abs. 5 disapplies it where the applicant already holds a Red-White-Red Card as a very highly qualified worker, other key worker or graduate and continues with the same employer. |
| Qualification requirement | degree, equivalent experience, regulated profession as of 2026-08-12[1][4][16] AuslBG § 12c Abs. 1: a completed course of study at a tertiary institution of at least three years' minimum duration. Abs. 2 admits, without a degree, managers and academic or comparable specialists in information and communication technology falling under ISCO-08 groups 133 or 25 who show at least three years' relevant experience at a level comparable to such a degree, acquired in the seven years before the application. Where the employment is in a regulated profession the relevant access authorisation must be evidenced. |
| Employer sponsorship | Yes as of 2026-08-12[2][16] Employer declaration under the AuslBG required. |
| Job-search route | No as of 2026-08-12[4][12] This is an employment route. |
Process
| Where to apply from | either as of 2026-08-12[4][16] Personally at the competent Austrian representation abroad, or with the competent residence authority in Austria after lawful entry and during a lawful stay; the employer may also file in Austria, and may file for family members while the principal's procedure is pending. |
|---|---|
| Statutory processing time | Recorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value as of 2026-08-12[2][12][16] |
| Fees | |
| Quota |
|
Family inclusion
| Family members may be included | Yes as of 2026-08-12[5][14] NAG § 46 Abs. 3: family members of an EU Blue Card holder may be issued a „Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus“, and migration.gv.at states that titles for family members of Blue Card holders are not quota-limited. § 46 Abs. 6 Z 1 requires the decision within eight weeks and ties the card's validity to the sponsor's. |
|---|---|
| Eligible relations | spouse, registered partner, minor child as of 2026-08-12[5][14] Spouses, registered partners and minor unmarried children including adopted and step-children; spouses and registered partners must have completed their 21st year at the time of application. |
| Family may apply at the same time | Yes as of 2026-08-12[2][16] AuslBG § 20d Abs. 1 and oesterreich.gv.at: the employer may file for family members alongside the principal. |
| Family members' work rights | full as of 2026-08-12[5][15] NAG § 8 Abs. 1 Z 2: the „Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus“ carries unrestricted labour-market access. |
Your next step
Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.
The next step is your own case. That assessment is legal work. Create profile for our assistance in this.
Profile benefits
- A 30-minute call with our consultant, who reads your profile first.
- An offer for legal support built around your case, covering the whole process.
Verification
| Sources cited | 17 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 17 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2026-08-12 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-08-12 |
| Reviewed on | 2026-08-17 |
| Schema version | 1.1 |
Sources
- [1] AuslBG § 12c — Blaue Karte EU (single multiple of the average Austrian gross annual salary; ICT experience alternative)
Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2022-10-01 · Accessed 2026-08-12 - [2] AuslBG § 20d — Zulassungsverfahren for the Red-White-Red Card, EU Blue Card, Niederlassungsbewilligung – Künstler and Grenzgänger permission, including the four-week AMS deadline and the six-month post-unemployment job-search period (version in force from 7 August 2026)
Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-08-07 · Accessed 2026-08-12 - [3] AuslBG § 20e — Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus (the 21-of-24-months employment condition and the six-week AMS deadline) (version in force from 7 August 2026)
Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-08-07 · Accessed 2026-08-12 - [4] Blaue Karte EU — EU Blue Card: 2026 minimum gross annual salary of EUR 55,678, ICT experience alternative, 24-month validity, fees
migration.gv.at — joint portal of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection and the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-12 · Archived copy - [5] Familienzusammenführung — family reunification: definition of family member, which title each sponsor category yields, the quota rule, 'Deutsch vor Zuzug' A1 requirement, 2026 equalisation supplement reference rates, fees
migration.gv.at — joint portal of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection and the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-12 · Archived copy - [6] Permanent immigration — Red-White-Red Card groups and general requirements for issuing residence permits (incl. the equalisation supplement reference rate from 1 January 2026)
migration.gv.at — joint portal of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection and the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-12 - [7] Temporärer Aufenthalt — the Aufenthaltsbewilligung (temporary residence permission) catalogue: general conditions, 2026 equalisation supplement reference rates including the reduced rates for pupils and students, labour-market access for pupils and students
migration.gv.at — joint portal of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection and the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-12 · Archived copy - [8] NAG § 11 — Allgemeine Voraussetzungen für einen Aufenthaltstitel (incl. Abs. 5: subsistence measured against the § 293 ASVG reference rates)
Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-12 - [9] NAG § 13 — Niederlassungsverordnung (the annual quota ordinance and the exhaustive list of quota-bound residence titles)
Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-12 - [10] NAG § 20 — Gültigkeitsdauer von Aufenthaltstiteln (12-month default, three-year issue after Module 1, five-year long-term-resident document, EEA absence rule)
Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-12 - [11] NAG § 41a — Aufenthaltstitel „Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus“ (version in force from 7 August 2026)
Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-08-07 · Accessed 2026-08-12 - [12] NAG § 42 — Aufenthaltstitel „Blaue Karte EU“ (version in force from 7 August 2026)
Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-08-07 · Accessed 2026-08-12 - [13] NAG § 45 — Aufenthaltstitel „Daueraufenthalt – EU“
Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-12 - [14] NAG § 46 — Bestimmungen über die Familienzusammenführung (version in force from 7 August 2026)
Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-08-07 · Accessed 2026-08-12 - [15] Niederlassungs- und Aufenthaltsgesetz (NAG) § 8 — Arten und Form der Aufenthaltstitel (consolidated federal law, version in force on the access date)
Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-08-07 · Accessed 2026-08-12 - [16] „Blaue Karte EU“ – Antrag — EU Blue Card application: conditions, validity, employer change, eight-week statutory decision period, EUR 218 application fee
oesterreich.gv.at — Austrian federal digital-services portal (content responsibility: Federal Ministry of the Interior) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-08-07 · Accessed 2026-08-12 - [17] Staatsbürgerschaftsgesetz 1985 (StbG) § 10 — Verleihung (ten years' lawful residence, five of them settled; renunciation rule; constitutional discretionary limb in Abs. 6)
Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-12