Legal basis

§ 18g AufenthG

Standard salary threshold 2026

€50,700 gross / year · €4,225 / month

Shortage occupations & career starters 2026

€45,934.20 gross / year · €3,827.85 / month

Duration

Contract duration + 3 months, max. 4 years

Settlement permit

After 27 months — with B1 German after 21 months

Federal Employment Agency consent

Required only when reduced threshold applies

When Does the EU Blue Card Apply?

The EU Blue Card is the right permit when three conditions converge: a recognised university degree, a qualifying employment contract with a German employer, and a salary that meets the statutory threshold. The position must correspond to the degree — or stand in a recognisable professional connection to it.

In practice, the most common stumbling blocks are not the salary or the job offer, but the degree. Whether a foreign qualification counts as equivalent to a German university degree depends on the issuing institution, the level of the award, and its subject matter. We assess this before the application is submitted — not once the Ausländerbehörde raises questions.

IT professionals are a notable exception: under § 18g AufenthG, they may qualify without a formal university degree if they can document at least three years of relevant professional experience within the last seven years, at a level comparable to higher education and directly relevant to the position offered.

Requirements 2026

To obtain the EU Blue Card under § 18g AufenthG, four conditions must be met. A German university degree, or a foreign degree recognised as equivalent (at least EQF Level 6), is required. A binding employment contract or concrete job offer with a German employer must specify a salary meeting the statutory minimum. The position must correspond to the applicant’s qualification or stand in a demonstrable professional relationship to it. For IT professionals without a degree, at least three years of documented relevant professional experience within the last seven years serves as an alternative qualification basis.

The degree equivalency question regularly requires careful assessment. The anabin database of the Central Office for Foreign Education and the ENIC-NARIC network provide initial orientation; where a degree is not clearly rated there, a formal certificate evaluation should be initiated early, as the process takes time and the Ausländerbehörde may require it before processing the application.

Salary Thresholds — As of June 2026

The thresholds are adjusted annually and apply uniformly across Germany. Only the contractually agreed fixed salary counts toward the threshold. Variable performance-related components do not count in full as a rule. Guaranteed bonuses — such as contractually fixed Christmas or holiday pay — may be included if they are unconditional.

We review whether the employment contract meets these requirements before the application is filed.

Shortage Occupations

Shortage occupations include, in particular, certain roles in mathematics, informatics, natural sciences, and technology, medicine, health and nursing, education, and other occupational groups listed under the applicable Blue Card rules. The reduced salary threshold of €45,934.20 applies where a position falls within these groups. Where only the reduced threshold is met, Federal Employment Agency consent is required as part of the application. Where the standard threshold of €50,700 is met, this additional step is dispensed with — even in shortage occupations.

Whether a specific role qualifies as a shortage occupation should be checked before the employment contract is finalised, since the applicable threshold and procedure depend on it.

EU Blue Card vs Skilled Worker Visa vs Opportunity Card

Three residence titles are most relevant for non-EU professionals coming to Germany for work-related purposes, and they serve different situations.

The EU Blue Card (§ 18g AufenthG) requires a concrete qualifying job offer and a salary meeting the statutory threshold. It leads to a settlement permit after 27 months as a rule — or 21 months with B1 German — and carries particularly favourable conditions for family reunification. It is the strongest pathway for highly qualified professionals with an offer already in hand.

Skilled worker residence permits (§§ 18a, 18b AufenthG) cover a broader range of employment situations, including those where the salary falls below the Blue Card threshold or where the qualification route differs. Recognition of foreign qualifications plays a central role, and the Federal Employment Agency is typically involved in the consent procedure.

The Opportunity Card (§ 20a AufenthG) is a job-search permit, not an employment title. It allows qualified professionals to come to Germany to look for work for up to twelve months, with limited working hours permitted during that time. Once employment is found, conversion to an employment residence title — including the Blue Card where the requirements are met — is the next step.

We advise on which route applies to your situation. Further detail is on our pages for the Skilled Worker Visa and the Opportunity Card.

Application Process

For first entry, a national visa from the competent German embassy or consulate abroad is required as a rule. After entry, the Blue Card is applied for at the competent Ausländerbehörde.

The process begins with a preliminary assessment of degree, salary, and position. The applicant then applies for a national visa at the German mission abroad, enters Germany, and submits the Blue Card application at the Ausländerbehörde with the required documents. In Hamburg, the competent authority for skilled worker immigration is the Einwohner-Zentralamt.

For employers who need to fill a position promptly, the accelerated skilled worker procedure under § 81a AufenthG is worth considering. The employer initiates the procedure on behalf of the applicant, the Ausländerbehörde coordinates the participating authorities, and statutory deadlines — including a one-week window for the Federal Employment Agency and a three-week window for the German mission abroad — compress the overall timeline significantly. The fee is €411, borne by the employer.

Required Documents

A Blue Card application typically requires a valid passport, a biometric passport photograph, the university degree certificate with certified translation where required, evidence of degree equivalency or recognition, the employment contract or binding job offer, proof of salary meeting the applicable threshold, health insurance confirmation, a description of the position and its connection to the qualification, and — for IT professionals without a degree — documented evidence of at least three years of relevant professional experience within the last seven years. The Ausländerbehörde may request additional documents in individual cases.

Employer Change and Job Loss

A change of employer does not require prior permission from the Ausländerbehörde. During the first twelve months of Blue Card employment, the change must be notified to the foreigners authority; the authority may suspend the change for 30 days and reject it within that period if the Blue Card requirements are not met for the new position. After twelve months, a change within a qualifying position is generally possible under simplified conditions, provided salary, qualification, and the nature of the work continue to meet the statutory requirements.

In the event of job loss, the Blue Card does not lapse immediately. The holder generally has time to find a new qualifying position, but the Ausländerbehörde must be notified of the unemployment. We regularly advise at this intersection of immigration law and employment law: anyone who receives a notice of termination or is asked to sign a termination agreement should assess the immigration consequences before agreeing — the residence permit status affects the negotiating position, and vice versa.

Family Reunification

Spouses and registered civil partners of EU Blue Card holders can generally join without a prior A1 German language certificate and usually receive immediate access to employment in Germany. This distinguishes the Blue Card from most other residence permits, where a prior language certificate is required for the spouse’s entry visa as a rule. Other requirements — including livelihood and housing — should still be checked in the individual case.

Children are likewise entitled to join under the family reunification provisions, subject to the standard conditions.

Since 1 March 2024, parent and parent-in-law reunification may also be possible for EU Blue Card holders under § 36(3) AufenthG, provided the EU Blue Card was first issued on or after that date. This is not an automatic right and should be assessed separately in the individual case.

The full procedure — visa, application, documents — is set out on our family reunification page.

Settlement Permit Pathway

One of the Blue Card’s most distinctive advantages is the accelerated pathway to a permanent settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) under § 18c(2) AufenthG. The standard qualifying period is 27 months of Blue Card employment; with German language skills at B1 level, this period is reduced to 21 months. Additional requirements include continued qualifying employment throughout the qualifying period, pension insurance contributions, secured livelihood, adequate housing, and no disqualifying criminal convictions. Questions about specific constellations — particularly regarding prior residence periods and their crediting — should be assessed individually.

We plan the settlement permit pathway proactively from the outset of the mandate. Details on requirements and procedure are on our settlement permit page.

From Blue Card to German Citizenship

Under the current naturalisation rules following the StARModG reform (in force since 27 June 2024), German citizenship is generally possible after five years of lawful residence if the statutory requirements are met. The Blue Card’s accelerated settlement permit pathway means holders can reach that threshold comparatively early. For further detail on naturalisation requirements and timelines, see our German citizenship page.

For IT Specialists Without a University Degree

A university degree is not in every case a prerequisite. Under § 18g AufenthG, IT professionals who cannot demonstrate a formal degree may nonetheless qualify for the Blue Card if they can document at least three years of relevant professional experience within the last seven years, at a level comparable to higher education and directly relevant to the position offered. The salary threshold and employment requirement apply in the same way. Where only the reduced threshold applies, Federal Employment Agency consent is required as a rule.

This route requires careful documentation: the experience must be specific, verifiable, and directly relevant to the position. We advise on structuring this documentation before the application is submitted.

For Employers

Employers hiring non-EU professionals under the Blue Card framework should note several practical points. The salary in the employment contract must meet the statutory threshold at the time of application. The position description must reflect the actual duties and their connection to the applicant’s qualification.

Since 1 January 2026, § 45c AufenthG requires certain employers in Germany who recruit or hire third-country nationals from abroad to provide information, in text form, about advisory services under § 45b AufenthG, including the contact details of the nearest advisory centre. This is not a general duty to advise employees on their residence status or long-term immigration options. Separately, employers should check and document whether the residence permit allows the specific employment and whether notification duties apply.

We advise employers on Blue Card hiring processes, fast-track procedure coordination, and ongoing compliance. Further detail is on our page for hiring foreign skilled workers.

How We Advise

We advise skilled workers and their employers across the full Blue Card process: from the initial assessment of degree, salary, and position through the visa application, the Blue Card application at the Ausländerbehörde, and — where the employer chooses this route — the accelerated skilled worker procedure under § 81a AufenthG. Beyond the Blue Card itself, our advice covers employer changes, family reunification, EU mobility, and the settlement permit pathway. Our firm advises in German and English; by prior arrangement also in Russian.

Advice by Alexander Kagan, Attorney at Law, admitted to the Hanseatic Bar Association Hamburg. As of: June 2026.

The contents of this page are for general information only and do not constitute legal advice. A mandate is established only upon express acceptance.