EU Blue Card - Salary 2023
The EU Blue Card is a residence permit for university graduates that is intended to facilitate and promote the immigration of highly qualified workers from non-EU countries (so-called third countries).
In addition to a university degree, there are also minimum salary thresholds that must be met in order to obtain an EU Blue Card.
The salary limits for obtaining an EU Blue Card are set out in Section 18g (1) of the Residence Act. The minimum salary that a highly qualified worker must earn for an EU Blue Card is half of the annual contribution assessment ceiling for general pension insurance.
For so-called shortage occupations, a lower salary threshold of 45.3% of the annual contribution assessment ceiling of the general pension insurance applies with regard to the EU Blue Card. This lower threshold also applies to young professionals who graduated from university less than three years ago.
The minimum salary threshold for an EU Blue Card is currently (as of 2023) 43,800 euros gross per year or 3,650 euros gross per month. For shortage occupations, the salary limit (as of 2023) is EUR 39,682.80 gross per year or EUR 3,306.90 gross per month. These salary limits must be observed when applying for an EU Blue Card.
