Blue card

The Blue Card is an EU residence permit aimed at highly educated workers, based on the EU Blue Card Directive 2021/1882. 

Income: To qualify for the permit, as of January 1, 2024, one must earn a salary of at least €5.688 gross per month, excluding 8% holiday pay. 

Reduced Salary Criterion: The reduced salary criterion is €4,265 gross per month for graduates who have completed higher education up to three years before the application.

Educational Level: Besides the minimum education requirement of at least a three-year bachelor’s degree, work experience is also considered proof of higher professional qualifications. Professional experience of at least five years is accepted as evidence of higher professional skills. 

An additional requirement is that the employment contract must be valid for at least six months.

The permit is issued for a minimum of six months and a maximum of four years. The Blue Card can be extended. One of the advantages of the Blue Card is that the duration of stay in the first member state before availing long-term mobility has been reduced from eighteen months to twelve months. (Note that ‘long-term mobility’ means that the individual can transfer the accumulated period of residence to the new member state instead of having to start over.) This enables Blue Card holders to qualify more quickly for an EU long-term resident permit, even as they move to other EU member states.