At a glance
Salary threshold 2026
50,700 euros gross per year. That is 50 percent of the annual contribution assessment ceiling in the general pension insurance system
Reduced threshold
45,934.20 euros gross per year, that is 45.3 percent of the same contribution assessment ceiling. This threshold applies to skilled workers with academic training who pursue an occupation from certain groups of the International Standard Classification of Occupations. The law lists these groups, among them doctors, teachers, engineers, and skilled workers in information and communication technology. The same threshold applies to skilled workers whose university degree was obtained no more than three years before the application for the EU Blue Card, and to the pathway based on professional experience. In all of these cases, the EU Blue Card is issued with the approval of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency)
Minimum duration
The job offer must provide for employment of at least six months
Validity period
Four years (§ 18 Absatz 4 AufenthG). If the employment relationship or the approval of the Federal Employment Agency is limited to a shorter period, the EU Blue Card is issued for that shorter period plus six months, but for no more than four years
How the amount is determined
The amounts are based on the contribution assessment ceiling, which is set anew each year. The minimum salaries are announced by the Bundesministerium des Innern (Federal Ministry of the Interior)
Who receives the EU Blue Card
As a skilled worker with academic training, you receive the EU Blue Card without the approval of the Federal Employment Agency for employment in Germany commensurate with your qualifications if your salary reaches the annual threshold and there are no statutory grounds for refusal. In addition, the requirements that apply to every residence title for employment must be met, such as a concrete job offer and entry with the required visa, which may be waived if there is an entitlement to issuance. For the EU Blue Card, the employment offered must also last at least six months.
A widespread misconception is that any position for which a university degree is required is sufficient. The law requires employment that is commensurate with your qualifications. The residence permit for economic activity as a skilled worker with academic training, by contrast, is granted for any qualified employment.
The law lowers the salary threshold for occupations from certain occupational groups and for university degrees obtained no more than three years before the application. Whether your occupation belongs to these groups is governed by the International Standard Classification of Occupations and has to be clarified in the individual case. In these cases, issuance requires the approval of the Federal Employment Agency.
From the EU Blue Card to the settlement permit
If you have pursued employment holding the EU Blue Card for at least 27 months and have provided proof, for that period, of contributions to the statutory pension insurance scheme or of expenditure for comparable benefits from an insurance or pension institution or an insurance company, the settlement permit must be issued to you if you have a basic knowledge of the German language and the further requirements of § 18c Absatz 2 AufenthG are met. With sufficient knowledge of the language, the period is reduced to 21 months. The further requirements include a secure means of subsistence and sufficient living space.
Possession of the EU Blue Card is a requirement. Only the time during which you pursued employment while holding this residence title is counted, however. Anyone who was without employment in between reaches the 27-month threshold later than expected. We are happy to advise you on this.
Family and change of employer
Spousal reunification is made easier
For family reunification, your spouse does not need to be able to communicate in German at a basic level if you hold an EU Blue Card. This follows from § 30 Absatz 1 Satz 3 Nummer 5 AufenthG.
What applies when changing employer
As a holder of an EU Blue Card, you do not need permission from the Ausländerbehörde (immigration authority) in order to change jobs (§ 18g Absatz 4 Satz 1 AufenthG). During the first twelve months of employment, however, the immigration authority may suspend the change for 30 days. The authority may refuse the change within this period if the requirements for issuing an EU Blue Card are not met.
During the first twelve months after taking up the employment, you are obliged to notify the competent immigration authority of every change of employer and of every change that has an effect on the requirements for issuing an EU Blue Card. This is often overlooked because the law does not require permission for the change itself. The requirements for the EU Blue Card must be met with the new employer just as they were with the previous one, and this includes the minimum salary. How a change works in the case of other residence titles is set out on the page on the work permit. It is advisable to have the requirements checked before signing the new employment contract.
Frequently asked questions about the EU Blue Card
What is the salary threshold?
For the year 2026 it is 50,700 euros gross per year. For occupations from the occupational groups named by the law, and for a university degree obtained no more than three years before the application, it is 45,934.20 euros gross per year. The same amount applies to the pathway based on professional experience without a university degree. In these cases the EU Blue Card is issued with the approval of the Federal Employment Agency. The amounts follow from the contribution assessment ceiling in the general pension insurance system and therefore change every year. The Federal Ministry of the Interior announces the minimum salaries in the Federal Gazette (Bundesanzeiger) by December 31 of the previous year.
Is the EU Blue Card also possible without a university degree?
The law provides a separate pathway for certain occupations in information and communication technology. You then need skills, knowledge, and abilities whose level is comparable to a university degree and which are necessary for performing the employment. These must be based on at least three years of professional experience from the last seven years in such an occupation. If your salary additionally reaches the reduced threshold and there are no statutory grounds for refusal, the EU Blue Card is issued to you with the approval of the Federal Employment Agency. Whether your professional experience is sufficient for this is a question of the individual case.
What happens in the event of unemployment?
The residence title is tied to the employment. As a skilled worker, you may be granted the opportunity card (Chancenkarte), but only if your means of subsistence are secure. We will clarify with you what works in your case.
What if my salary falls below the threshold?
Which threshold applies to you depends on the pathway by which you obtained the EU Blue Card, and only when you no longer reach this threshold are the requirements no longer met. A residence permit for economic activity as a skilled worker with academic training may be an option. Where that permit is issued for the first time after reaching the age of 45, however, an additional salary threshold applies which the EU Blue Card does not have. This threshold does not apply if you provide evidence of adequate provision for old age. It may also be waived if there is a public interest in the employment, in particular if the threshold is only slightly undercut. Which residence title is an option for you depends on the individual case.
Can my employer expedite the procedure?
This is possible as long as you have not yet entered the country. Under your power of attorney, your future employer can apply to the competent immigration authority for an accelerated skilled worker procedure (beschleunigtes Fachkräfteverfahren), which is also open to the EU Blue Card. The procedure covers the reunification of your spouse and your minor unmarried children if their visa applications are filed in temporal connection. How it proceeds in detail is set out on the page on labor migration. We are also happy to advise your employer.
Last updated: September 10, 2026. Professionally responsible: Gülay Tasli, specialist lawyer for migration law and social law (Fachanwältin für Migrationsrecht und Sozialrecht).
