Germany EU Blue Card 2026: salary thresholds, shortage occupations and how it compares
Germany's EU Blue Card is the main route for university-educated professionals to work and eventually settle in the country. The decisive requirement is a minimum gross annual salary, which is lower for certain occupations and for people just starting their careers.
2026 salary thresholds
According to German official figures summarised by advisers:
- General threshold: about EUR 50,700 gross per year.
- Shortage occupations and new entrants: about EUR 45,934.20 gross per year. These include many engineering, IT, healthcare and teaching roles, and applicants who graduated recently.
The numbers are reviewed every year, so check the current figure on the official portal before you apply.
Other conditions
- A recognised university degree (or in some IT roles, equivalent professional experience).
- A binding job offer or employment contract in Germany that matches your qualification.
- Recognition of a foreign degree, which you can check in the anabin database.
Why the Blue Card is attractive
- Fast track to permanent residence: often after 27 months, or as little as 21 months with B1-level German.
- Family reunification with relatively easy conditions.
- Mobility within the EU after a period of time, subject to each state's rules.
Alternatives
Germany also offers a skilled-worker visa, a job-seeker permit for qualified professionals, and the points-based Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte). These suit people who do not meet the salary threshold or do not yet have a job.
Practical tips
- Ask the employer to confirm that the salary meets the threshold in gross annual terms.
- Check that your degree is rated as equivalent.
- Prepare translations of your documents.
- If you are in Germany on another status, ask the foreigners' office about changing status.
Confirm all figures with the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees or your local authority.
Visa Ray is a rule-based reference tool, not a law firm. Rules and fees change, so always confirm current figures with the official government source before you apply. You can run a free assessment on Visa Ray to see which pathways fit your profile.