FAQ

Legal topics explained briefly and understandably by our experts

Can I travel within the EU with an EU Blue Card?

Yes, holders of an EU Blue Card are permitted to travel to other Schengen countries within the EU for tourism purposes without a visa. For up to 90 days within a 180-day period, you may even conduct business in other EU countries with your Blue Card, provided that this activity is related to the job for which you received the Blue Card. This allows you to participate in business meetings, negotiations, or training courses in other EU countries, among other things. If the EU member state to which you wish to travel for this purpose is not part of the Schengen area, you may need to provide additional evidence in order to be allowed to enter. We therefore recommend that you always check with the relevant authorities in the destination country to find out about the rules that apply there.

After you have stayed in Germany for one year with your EU Blue Card, you can leave the country at any time to obtain a Blue Card and work in another EU member state. After entering this other EU country, you must submit an application for a Blue Card to the immigration authorities there as soon as possible, at the latest within one month. In order to obtain this, you must meet the requirements of this country for the issue of an EU Blue Card, but this should not usually be a problem as you have already met the requirements for the issue of a Blue Card in Germany.

Published: June 26, 2023
Updated: December 30, 2025

Further FAQs on the topic:

If the job offer you have received only meets the lower salary threshold for shortage occupations and career starters, you must first obtain approval from the Federal Employment Agency for your EU Blue Card. No approval is required for all employees whose salary is above the general (higher) salary threshold, even if they work in a shortage occupation or are career starters. Here you will find the salary thresholds for the Blue Card for the year 2026.

If you are a national of a so-called privileged country, you do not need an entry visa to apply for an EU Blue Card in Germany. These privileged countries that do not require an entry visa include: Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America. Citizens of other countries generally require a visa for the purpose of gainful employment, which is issued by the responsible German diplomatic mission abroad.

Yes, you can! With a Blue Card, it is even easier for you to obtain a settlement permit, which allows you to stay in Germany permanently for an unlimited period of time, than for holders of other residence permits. This is because, in most cases, you must have been in Germany for at least five years in order to be granted a permanent residence permit, with a residence period of at least three years applying to skilled workers. However, if you have an EU Blue Card, you can obtain a permanent residence permit with basic German language skills at level A1  after just 27 months. If you have German language skills at level B1, this period of residence is reduced by a further six months to just 21 months. There is no faster way to obtain permanent residence under German law.

If you are granted a permanent residence permit as a Blue Card holder, this offers advantages not only for you, but also advantages for your spouse. This is because, in accordance with § Section 9 (3a) of the Residence Act (AufenthG) they can apply for a settlement permit themselvesafter just three years of residence. However, the prerequisite for this is that your spouse works at least 20 hours per week.

In order to be granted a permanent residence permit, you must also meet a number of other requirements. You can find out what these are on our main page on permanent residence.

Yes, with the EU Blue Card, changing jobs is easier than with almost any other residence permit for gainful employment. If you have a Blue Card and change your job, you do not even need permission from the immigration authorities. According to § Section 82 (1) sentence 6 AufenthG you only have the obligation to inform the immigration authority about your change. To comply with this obligation, it is best to send the authority the notice of termination from your old job, the employment contract for your new job, including a detailed job description, and a declaration of employment completed by your new employer. The obligation to notify applies only within the first yearin which you are employed with your EU Blue Card. After that, you are no longer obliged to notify a change of job. A change in your place of work does not cause the year does not start anew.

Within the first year of your employment with the EU Blue Card, the immigration authority can suspend your planned job change and reject it within 30 days of the suspensionif the new job does not fulfill all requirements of the Blue Card requirements. In this case, instead of the Blue Card, you may be issued a another residence permit for example a residence permit for skilled workers with an academic education in accordance with § 18b AufenthG.

At the end of the first year rejection of your change of employment by the foreigners authority is no longer possible - even if your new job does not meet all the requirements, for example because your new salary is below the salary threshold is below the salary threshold. Your Blue Card will still be valid for the entire period for which it was originally issued. However, an extension beyond this period could be problematic.

Yes, the (nuclear) family can accompany you. As a holder of a Blue Card, you can not only bring your children not yet of age and your spouse to come to Germany with you, but also your parents. If your spouse also lives in Germany, you can even bring their parents, i.e. your parents-in-lawto join you. This regulation was introduced with the Skilled Immigration Act of 2023 and only applies to holders of a Blue Card who received it in March 2024 or later.

Family reunification for holders of an EU Blue Card is also subject to less stringent requirements. In this case, according to § Section 29 (5) AufenthG you do not have to be able to prove that there is sufficient living space for you and your family members. In addition, your spouse is also § 30 para. 1 sentence 3 no. 5 AufenthG exempts your spouse from having to prove knowledge of the German language. This means that you can bring both your spouse and your children to Germany even if neither of them speaks German, if neither of them speaks German. In addition, your family members may work in Germany work without restriction and even become self-employed. And as a rule, they should be entitled to take part in an integration course. You can find more information on this on the BAMF website.

Family reunification can also be applied for as part of the accelerated procedure for skilled workers, which has the advantage that the processing time for the application is the same for you and your family. You can enter Germany together.

No, unlike other residence permits, no German language skills are required to obtain an EU Blue Card. This applies to both the applicant and their family.

If you can demonstrate language skills at level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), you can apply for a permanent work and residence permit after just 21 months with an EU Blue Card. However, language skills are not mandatory. Without language skills, the waiting period for the possibility of applying for a permanent work and residence permit is extended to 27 months.

1. extended period of stay abroad for holders of the EU Blue Card:

    • Normally, a residence permit expires in accordance with Section 51 (1) no. 7 AufenthG if the holder has been abroad for more than six months without interruption.
    • However, an extended period of up to twelve months applies to EU Blue Card holders and their family members (Section 51 (10) AufenthG). This means that they can stay abroad for up to one year without their residence permit expiring.

2. application to settlement permits pursuant to Section 18c (2) AufenthG:

    • The twelve-month period also applies to foreigners who have received a settlement permit pursuant to 18c (2) AufenthG.
    • It is therefore important that the correct legal basis is entered in the electronic residence permit when the settlement permit is issued.

3. principles for stays abroad:

    • Since Section 51 (10) AufenthG only extends the time limit, the previous rules from Section 51 (1) (7) AufenthG apply accordingly, but with the proviso that the time limit is 12 months instead of 6 months.
    • According to the Federal Administrative Court (judgment of 11.12.2012, BVerwG 1 C 15/11), stays abroad are harmless if they are limited in time and do not result in a significant change in living conditions in Germany.
    • It is important that the absence is uninterrupted Several shorter stays abroad are not added together and do not lead to the expiry of the residence permit as long as the 12-month period is not exceeded.

4. abuse through repeated short entries:

    • However, if there are several trips abroad and the reasons for the absence are not only temporary, the right of residence may expire in accordance with 51 (1) no. 6 AufenthG.
    • The practice of entering Germany only briefly shortly before the 12 months expire in order to obtain the residence title does not prevent the title from expiring.

5. extension to 24 months for certain persons:

    • For holders of an EU permanent residence permit who previously had an EU Blue Card and their family members, the period is extended to 24 months (Section 51 (9) no. 3 AufenthG).

To summarize:

  • EU Blue Card holders and their family members can stay abroad for up to 12 months without their residence permit expiring.
  • Several short stays abroad are not added together and do not lead to the loss of the title, provided the trips are temporary and the center of life remains in Germany.
  • Abuse through regular short entries in order to circumvent the time limit is not permitted and can lead to the expiry of the residence permit.
  • The period is extended to 24 months for certain persons with EU permanent residence.

Important:

These regulations are intended to ensure that holders of the EU Blue Card and comparable titles have their center of life in Germany and do not permanently move it abroad without their residence title expiring. Every situation is unique, so we are happy to help you with an individual legal assessment.

Your employer gives you notice or you have to leave your job for other reasons and you can't find a new job straight away - what now? In the event that you are dismissed by your employer, you have three months to find a new job. If you are unable to do so, there is a risk that your Blue Card will be revoked and you will have to leave Germany again. 

In principle, the EU Blue Card is only issued for the purpose of employment. This means that if you lose your job, the basis for your Blue Card also disappears. However, the EU Directive on the EU Blue Card stipulates in Art. 8 Para. 5 that temporary unemployment does not lead directly to the loss of the Blue Card. A total of up to three months of unemployment is irrelevant. If you have already held your Blue Card for at least two years, then even up to six months of temporary unemployment are harmless. However, if you are unable to find a new job during this time, your Blue Card may be revoked. In this case, however, you may be able to obtain a residence permit to look for a job instead. instead.

If you have found a new job, you must comply with the rules on changing jobs with the EU Blue Card, which we have summarized summarized for you here have summarized for you here.

A termination or change of employment also entails certain obligations for employers vis-à-vis the local immigration authority. For example, employers are obliged to inform the foreigners authority within four weeks of the premature termination of the employment relationship if the residence permit for this employment has been issued. Violations of the notification obligation can be punished with a fine of up to 30,000 euros .

From an employment law perspective, you may be able to claim severance pay from your employer as a result of your dismissal. Find out more about severance pay following dismissal here.

In principle, certain additional payments can be included in the gross basic salary. These payments count towards the minimum salary if the supplements are firmly agreed in the employment contract and are not dependent on certain conditions being met. Not every salary component is clear from the outset and requires individual examination in case of doubt.

There are two minimum salary thresholds that must be met in order to obtain an EU Blue Card. The basic salary threshold for 2026 is an annual gross salary of €50,700. For so-called shortage occupations, the minimum salary threshold in 2026 is €45,934.20.

Find out more about the current topic of minimum salary thresholds in 2026 here, or read more about the development of minimum salary thresholds in recent years here.

The EU Blue Card is usually issued for four years, unless the employment contract is shorter than four years. In this case, the EU Blue Card is valid for the duration of the employment contract plus three months, but never longer than four years. The EU Blue Card can be extended before it expires, provided you still meet all the requirements for an EU Blue Card.

At the end of each year, the minimum salary required to obtain an EU Blue Card in the coming year is announced. To understand this change, it is important to know the following: The minimum salary for the EU Blue Card is derived from the contribution assessment ceiling in the general pension insurance scheme, which rises slightly at the beginning of each year. Therefore, the minimum salary required for a Blue Card also increases every year. In November 2023, however, the new Skilled Immigration Act adjusted the calculation method, resulting in a relatively sharp drop in salary limits this year.

The following chart provides an overview of the development of the minimum salary for the EU Blue Card. For more information on the minimum salary and the EU Blue Card, please visit our website, where you will find an article on the currently applicable salary threshold as well as articles on the years 2025 and 2024 and on the last months of 2023 after the new Skilled Immigration Act comes into force.

EU Blue Card - Salary limits over time
General minimum salary Minimum salary for shortage occupations
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