EU Blue Card in Germany
The EU Blue Card - The Entry Visa and the Application Process to Obtain the EU Blue Card in Germany
What requirements must be met in order to obtain an EU Blue Card in Germany?
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If you intend to obtain an EU Blue Card in Germany, this process is basically done in two steps: First, a national visa is required for entry into Germany (so-called D visa), in order to then be able to apply for the EU Blue Card in the German city you have chosen.
After all, the requirements for obtaining the entry visa in the form of a national visa and the requirements for your residence permit for employment(EU Blue Card) are identical.
The following requirements must generally be met if you want to apply for an EU Blue Card in Germany:
- You must have a university degree that is also recognized in Germany,
- should this be necessary in your intended profession, you will need the required professional practice permit
- and you must meet the required minimum salary threshold.
If you would like to obtain an EU Blue Card to pursue a profession in IT, you can look forward to an exemption: as IT specialists are in particularly high demand in Germany, they do not have to be able to prove that they have completed a university degree in order to be eligible for an EU Blue Card. However, they must have three years of relevant professional experience in the last seven years and theoretical knowledge at the level of a university degree. We explain the details of this exception here.
As already shown above, you have to submit practically the same application twice: A first time to enable entry to Germany in the first place and a second time to obtain a residence permit, in the form of the EU Blue Card in Germany.
However, not everyone is bound by this "double application". Citizens of some countries have the option of entering Germany without a visa in order to apply for the electronic EU Blue Card residence permit in Germany directly at the relevant immigration authority. The privileged countries in this respect are: The USA, Canada, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, South Korea, Japan, Israel, Australia and New Zealand. If you are a citizen of one of these countries, applying for an EU Blue Card in Germany is therefore a one-step process.
Further information on the EU Blue Card in Germany and the requirements for an entry visa can be found here (as of Nov. 2023).
Responsibilities in Germany
Which authority is responsible for applying for the EU Blue Card in Germany and where exactly you have to apply for it depends on the city or municipality in which you intend to have your permanent residence in the future.
Without entry visa
If you do not need an entry visa to be able to apply for the EU Blue Card in Germany, this is a fast and good option that you should use in any case to obtain the EU Blue Card in Germany as quickly as possible.
If you intend to apply for the EU Blue Card in Germany without an entry visa, we will fully advise you if we are mandated to do so and use all legal options to ensure that the application process for the EU Blue Card in Germany is completed as smoothly and quickly as possible.
With entry visa
Even if you need an entry visa to apply for an EU Blue Card in Germany, we will of course be happy to advise you and support you from the moment you apply for a visa until you receive your electronic residence permit.
In particular, we would like to draw your attention to the accelerated skilled worker procedure in accordance with Section 81a AufenthG. This offers a number of advantages. For example, an appointment is no longer necessary at some missions abroad and is limited to the submission of the required documents. If an appointment is nevertheless necessary, the German diplomatic missions abroad are obliged to schedule one within three weeks. A decision on your application will then usually be made within a few weeks of the date on which the documents are submitted.
We also carry out the accelerated specialist procedure for our clients and advise them on the details of this procedure.
You can find more information about the EU Blue Card here.