EU Blue Card Cologne
The EU Blue Card - The Entry Visa and the Application Process to Obtain the EU Blue Card in Cologne
Requirements for obtaining an EU Blue Card in Cologne
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In order to obtain an EU Blue Card in Cologne, you generally have to go through two procedures. In the first step, a national visa must be applied for to enable entry into Germany. Once this has been completed, an application for an EU Blue Card must be submitted to the competent authority in Cologne.
Usually the requirements of the visa for entry and the requirements for obtaining the EU Blue Card in Cologne are the same.
As a result, the German bureaucracy makes it necessary to submit the same application several times: Firstly, to obtain the visa to enter Germany and then a second time in the form of the application for the electronic residence permit - the EU Blue Card - in Cologne.
In order to obtain the EU Blue Card in Cologne, three prerequisites must be met as a matter of priority:
- A completed and accredited university degree,
- an employment contract or a binding job offer with a minimum gross salary,
- a license to practice the profession, if applicable.
IT specialists even have the option of obtaining an EU Blue Card, even if they do not have a university degree. As IT specialists are in particularly high demand, it is sufficient in their case if they have gained three years of professional experience in the past seven years and have thus acquired theoretical knowledge on a par with a university degree. You can find out more about this exemption here.
Citizens of the following countries do not need an entry visa to apply for an EU Blue Card in Cologne. These countries are: The USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, South Korea, Japan and Israel.
Further information on the EU Blue Card can be found here (as of November 2023).
At which authority must the issuance of the EU Blue Card be applied for in Cologne?
The responsible authority in Cologne is the Cologne Immigration Office. This is where you must apply for the EU Blue Card in order to obtain your residence permit in the form of an electronic residence permit.
You do not need an entry visa?
If you do not need a visa to enter Germany and are a citizen of one of the already "privileged countries", then this is a great advantage. This way is a good way to simplify and speed up the procedure.
If you do not need a visa for entry and want to apply for your EU Blue Card in Cologne, we will be happy to advise you in detail about all your legal options. We accompany you in this process and make sure that it runs smoothly and that you receive your EU Blue Card in Cologne quickly. We support our clients with our expertise throughout the entire application process.
Do you need an entry visa?
In the event that a visa is required for entry in order to apply for the EU Blue Card in Cologne, we also advise our clients. In particular, we draw attention to the accelerated skilled worker procedure within the meaning of Section 81a AufenthG. This offers a number of advantages: It is often sufficient to submit the required documents to the German diplomatic mission abroad, as some diplomatic missions do not require an appointment to apply in person. If an appointment is necessary, the German diplomatic mission abroad is obliged to schedule an appointment within three weeks. A decision on the application is usually made a few weeks after the documents have been submitted.
We advise our clients on the details of the accelerated skilled worker procedure and also carry out this procedure for you.
More information about the EU Blue Card can be found here.
