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Blue Card EU
To whom does this leaflet apply
University graduates who have a degree recognized or a comparable in Germany and who currently earn a gross salary of at least 50,700 euros per year can receive a Blue Card for the purpose of taking up adequate employment according to their qualifications.
In professions where there is a shortage of skilled workers (e.g. doctors, engineers, specialists in IT and communication technology), non-EU nationals can also obtain an Blue Card EU below this salary threshold if they currently earn a gross salary of at least EUR 45,934.20 per year and are to be employed in a position commensurate with their qualifications. Their degree or professional qualification must be recognized or comparable in Germany.
Skilled workers with an academic education who have a degree recognized or comparable in Germany, which they obtained no more than three years before applying for the Blue Card EU, and who currently earn a salary of at least 45,934.20 euros gross per year, can obtain a Blue Card for the purpose of taking up adequate employment according to their qualifications.
A Blue Card can be issued to a skilled worker who has successfully completed a tertiary education program if this qualification corresponds to a level of education which in Germany is assigned to at least level 6 of the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED 2011) or level 6 of the European Qualifications Framework. The contractually agreed salary must be at least EUR 45,934.20 gross per year. Some examples for professions that can be achieved through a tertiary education programme include technical specialist, commercial specialist, specialist with achieved master’s certificate, educational specialists and therapeutical specialists.
Employees who work in the IT sector and have gained at least three years of professional experience in the sector in the last seven years can receive a Blue Card. The job must be in an occupational profile in groups 133 or 25 according to ISCO-08 (at an academic level). The contractually agreed salary must be at least EUR 45,934.20 gross per year.
Please note that holders of an EU long-term residence permit (pastāvīgais iedzīvotājs – ES) cannot apply for a Blue Card. Instead, they can submit an application for a residence permit in accordance with Section 38a of the Residence Act (Residence permit for long-term residents in other member states of the European Union) to the responsible immigration authority in Germany immediately after entering the country. Employment may only be taken up once the residence permit has been issued. Alternatively, you can apply for a work visa (not a Blue Card) at the embassy.
Additional information is available on the website www.make-it-in-germany.com:
https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/de/visum-aufenthalt/arten/blaue-karte-eu
Explanatory video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3izpA4MF0o&t=1s
https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/pdf-blaue-karte-eu
What kind of documents need to be submitted
These documents depend on the type of visa you are applying for and must be submitted in addition to the standard proofs:
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signed employment contract (and a non-certified copy) |
The contract/offer must contain information on the nature of the intended activity:
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OR concrete job offer (and a non-certified copy) |
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For doctors: at least the assurance of the granting of the professional license according to §10 (1) BÄO (Bundesärzteordnung) (original document with a non-certified copy) OR professional license according to §10 (1) BÄO (original document with a non-certified copy) OR license to practice medicine (original document with a non-certified copy) |
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Form “Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis„ from Federal Employment Agency
Please have this form filled in by a responsible person at your future workplace and then submit it.
| ☐ | Complete curriculum vitae in tabular form in German or English | In your CV, please summarize all previous activities, trainings and qualifications up to the current application date in one table. |
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University diploma OR Proof of completed professional training (training period min. 2 years) AND notarized translation (Diploma in the English language do not require translation). (original document with a non-certified copy) |
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AND Proof of equivalence/comparability of your degree (Information on degree’s recognition and ways of proving, you can find in our leaflet “Information on degree’s recognition„) |
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OR Proof of at least three years of professional experience in the IT sector in the last seven years and notarized translation (English-language proofs do not need to be translated). (original document with one non-certified copy) |
Please provide previous employment contracts or a workbook. |
General information
- Please note:
- Due to the high workload and in order to ensure equal treatment of all applicants, the visa section can only accept applications in the requested form for processing.
- Submitting incomplete documents may lead to the rejection of the application.
- Unsolicited documents cannot be assigned to your application.
- All documents, leaflets and application forms provided by the Embassy are free of charge.
- All information on the application procedure is available on our website.
- Please refrain from submitting status requests. Status requests do not speed up the visa process.
- Processing time: Approximately one to two weeks, in individual cases shorter or longer.
- If the Embassy has questions during the course of the visa procedure or if additional documents need to be submitted, we will contact you directly.