Profile

EU Blue Card

Route status

Active as of 2026-08-08[4][15]

Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.

Residency route facts

Identity

Identity
Official name (local)Blaue Karte EU (§ 18g AufenthG) as of 2026-08-08[4]
Official name (English)EU Blue Card as of 2026-08-08[15]
Legal basisAufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 18g as of 2026-08-08[4]
Instrument typeresidence permit as of 2026-08-08[4]

Who can apply

Who can apply
Nationals not served by this routeEU, EEA as of 2026-08-08[1][14]

Permit terms

Permit terms
Initial durationup to 4 years as of 2026-08-08[2][15]
How the initial term is setmatches the contract
RenewableYes as of 2026-08-08[4][15]
Extension possible in Germany (portal). On renewal the reduced new-entrant threshold keeps applying only within the sec. 18g(6) windows.
Renewal durationNot established from a qualifying source
Work rightsown activity only as of 2026-08-08[4]
Qualification-appropriate employment. Job changes need no foreigners-authority permit (sec. 18g(4) s.1); within the first twelve months of employment the authority may suspend a change for 30 days and reject it (s.2).

Permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence and citizenship
Counts toward permanent residenceYes as of 2026-08-08[3][15]
Years to permanent residence on this route2.25 as of 2026-08-08[3][15]

Requirements

Requirements
Job offer requiredYes as of 2026-08-08[2][4][15]
Concrete job offer (sec. 18(2) no.1) with an employment duration of at least six months (sec. 18g(3)).
Salary threshold
    • Measured against: set by decree or programme rules
    • Amount: 0.50 × Contribution assessment ceiling, general pension insurance per year as of 2026-08-08[4][15][17]
      Standard threshold: 50% of the annual contribution assessment ceiling in the general pension insurance (EUR 50,700 in 2026). Reduced threshold: 45.3% (EUR 45,934.20 in 2026) for shortage occupations (ISCO groups 132, 133, 134, 21, 221, 222, 225, 226, 23, 25) and for new entrants whose degree is under three years old, both with BA approval. Minimum salaries announced annually by the BMI in the Bundesanzeiger (sec. 18g(7)).
Labour-market testNo as of 2026-08-08[4]
Issued without Federal Employment Agency approval at the standard threshold; BA approval (a conditions check, not a priority test) is required in the reduced-threshold cases (sec. 18g(1) s.2) and the IT-specialist cases (sec. 18g(2)).
Qualification requirementdegree, equivalent experience as of 2026-08-08[4][15]
Degree: German or comparable foreign higher-education degree, or an equivalent tertiary programme of at least three years (ISCED 2011 / EQF level 6). Experience route (sec. 18g(2)): IT managers and specialists (ISCO groups 133/25) with at least three years of relevant experience within the last seven, no formal degree required.
Employer sponsorshipNo as of 2026-08-08[4]
No sponsorship regime; the employer provides the offer and, where required, the BA approval is obtained in the procedure.
Job-search routeNo as of 2026-08-08[4]

Process

Process
Where to apply fromeither as of 2026-08-08[11][15]
Default is a national D visa from a German mission abroad; sec. 41 AufenthV nationals (AU, IL, JP, CA, KR, NZ, UK, US) may enter visa-free and apply in-country within 90 days.
Fees
    • Kind: application
    • Amount: EUR 75 as of 2026-08-08[13]
    • Charged per: applicant
    • Paid by: applicant
    • Condition: national visa (category D) applied for at a German mission abroad; does not arise where visa-free entry under sec. 41 AufenthV applies
    • Kind: issuance
    • Amount: EUR 100 as of 2026-08-08[12]
    • Charged per: applicant
    • Paid by: applicant
    • Condition: issuance of the residence permit (electronic residence title)
    • Kind: renewal
    • Amount: EUR 96 as of 2026-08-08[12]
    • Charged per: applicant
    • Paid by: applicant
    • Condition: extension for a further stay of up to three months
    • Kind: renewal
    • Amount: EUR 93 as of 2026-08-08[12]
    • Charged per: applicant
    • Paid by: applicant
    • Condition: extension for a further stay of more than three months

Physical presence

Physical presence
maximum consecutive absence12 months · to keep the permit as of 2026-08-08[10]
Sec. 51(10) AufenthG: by way of derogation from sec. 51(1) no. 7, the lapse period for the EU Blue Card (and the sec. 30/32/33/36 permits of a Blue Card holder's family members) is twelve months.

Family inclusion

Family inclusion
Family members may be includedYes as of 2026-08-08[5][6][7][8][16]
Spouse (sec. 30) and minor children (sec. 32) may join. Spouses of holders of a Blue Card, ICT Card or a permit under secs. 18a/18b/18d/19c/21 are exempt from the pre-entry A1 German requirement (sec. 30(1) s.3 no.5). Parents and parents-in-law of skilled workers whose first qualifying title was issued on or after 2024-03-01 may be granted reunification at discretion, livelihood secured (sec. 36(3)). For intra-EU Blue Card mobility cases, the housing requirement and parts of sec. 5(1) are waived (sec. 29(1) s.2).
Eligible relationsspouse, minor child, parent as of 2026-08-08[6][7][8]
Family members' work rightsfull as of 2026-08-08[9]

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.
Create profile

Verification

Verification
Sources cited17
of which official (tier 1)17
Oldest as-of date2026-08-08
Newest as-of date2026-08-08
Reviewed on2026-08-11
Schema version1.1

Sources

  1. [1] Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 1 – Zweck des Gesetzes; Anwendungsbereich (consolidated)
    Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08
  2. [2] Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 18 – Grundsatz der Fachkräfteeinwanderung; allgemeine Bestimmungen (consolidated)
    Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08
  3. [3] Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 18c – Niederlassungserlaubnis für Fachkräfte (consolidated)
    Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08
  4. [4] Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 18g – Blaue Karte EU (consolidated)
    Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08
  5. [5] Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 29 – Familiennachzug zu Ausländern (consolidated)
    Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08
  6. [6] Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 30 – Ehegattennachzug (consolidated)
    Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08
  7. [7] Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 32 – Kindernachzug (consolidated)
    Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08
  8. [8] Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 36 – Nachzug der Eltern und sonstiger Familienangehöriger (consolidated)
    Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08
  9. [9] Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 4a – Zugang zur Erwerbstätigkeit (consolidated)
    Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08
  10. [10] Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 51 – Beendigung der Rechtmäßigkeit des Aufenthalts (consolidated)
    Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08
  11. [11] Aufenthaltsverordnung (AufenthV) § 41 – Vergünstigung für bestimmte Staatsangehörige (consolidated)
    Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08
  12. [12] Aufenthaltsverordnung (AufenthV) § 45 – Gebühren Aufenthaltserlaubnis (consolidated)
    Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · fee schedule · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08 · Archived copy
  13. [13] Aufenthaltsverordnung (AufenthV) § 46 – Gebühren Visum (consolidated)
    Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · fee schedule · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08
  14. [14] Freizügigkeitsgesetz/EU (FreizügG/EU) § 1 – Anwendungsbereich (consolidated)
    Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08
  15. [15] EU Blue Card
    Make it in Germany (Federal Government portal for skilled workers) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08
  16. [16] Spouses joining citizens of non-EU countries
    Make it in Germany (Federal Government portal for skilled workers) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08
  17. [17] Sozialversicherungs-Rechengrößenverordnung 2026 § 4 – Beitragsbemessungsgrenzen in der Rentenversicherung
    Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08

Ask legal assistance

Send a message and ReResident will reply.

What you send stays with ReResident. It is read in order to reply to you, and it is deleted twelve months after it arrives. The privacy page says what's kept, for how long, and who can see it.

    Sending this shares your message and contact details with ReResident so it can reply. Kept for twelve months. · Privacy