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EU Blue Card: how long it takes, what it costs, and whether it leads to permanent residence
Work Permit
Highly qualified employment — settlement is a later permit
Section 18g residence title for academics and comparable qualifications with a job offer of at least six months. 2026 salary floor is EUR 50,700, or EUR 45,934.20 in shortage occupations and for recent graduates. Settlement permit after 21 months with German B1, or 27 months with A1.
Source: Federal Government (Make it in Germany) · verified 2026-08-15
We tell you when we re-read a route you follow, in the note from that check, with the official link.
Does EU Blue Card lead to permanent residence?
- Residency
Temporary on grant; permanent residence is a later application after 21 months
Page: 'After 27 months, EU Blue Card holders can obtain a [settlement permit] if they can prove that they have German language skills at level A1. If language level B1 can be demonstrated, the settlement permit can be issued after only 21 months.' Stored months are the shorter B1 path, not a guarantee.
Open the authority's page for this fact
Source: Federal Government (Make it in Germany) · verified 2026-08-15
Do you need a job offer for EU Blue Card?
- Job offer
Required
Source: Federal Government (Make it in Germany) · verified 2026-08-15
How much does EU Blue Card cost to apply for?
- Application fee
EUR 75
National visa fee EUR 75 (Federal Foreign Office / AufenthV § 46). Issuing the EU Blue Card in Germany is a separate AufenthV § 45 charge of EUR 100. Do not treat 75 as the total of visa plus Blue Card card.
Source: Federal Foreign Office · verified 2026-08-15
How long does EU Blue Card take to process?
- Processing time
No duration published; the authority points to a guidance tool
Open the authority's page for this fact
Source: Federal Foreign Office · verified 2026-08-15
What does Federal Government (Make it in Germany) actually require?
Quoted from the pages named beside each rule, not paraphrased.
- Age
No minimum or maximum age is published for the EU Blue Card itself. A separate skilled-worker route (Sections 18a/18b) sets a 2026 salary of at least EUR 55,770 for people over 45 coming to work in Germany for the first time; that rule is not the Blue Card rule.
Source: Federal Government (Make it in Germany) · verified 2026-08-15
- Language
German is not published as a condition for issuing the EU Blue Card. A settlement permit is available after 27 months with German A1, or after 21 months with German B1 (CEFR).
Source: Federal Government (Make it in Germany) · verified 2026-08-15
- Education
Bachelor's degree
German academic qualification or a foreign academic qualification comparable to a German one. Without a traditional degree, a tertiary qualification of at least three years at ISCED/EQF level 6 may suffice. IT specialists can qualify with professional experience instead. 'bachelor' is the closest stored enum to an academic qualification; it is not the only accepted path.
Source: Federal Government (Make it in Germany) · verified 2026-08-15
What Federal Government (Make it in Germany) does not publish
We checked for each of these and the page carried no figure. The absence is recorded with the reason, so this page states nothing the authority does not.
Processing time
National visas 'may take several months'. Employment visas often do not need foreigners-authority consent, which the German page says can speed the process. No fixed month range is stored.
Source: Federal Foreign Office · verified 2026-08-15
How it works
- 1Hold a qualifying degree (or comparable) and a job offer of at least six months that meets the salary floor.
- 2A settlement permit is a later application after 21 months with German B1, or 27 months with A1.
What changed when we last checked this record
Route is open under Section 18g AufenthG. Issued for the employment contract plus three months, maximum four years. IT specialists may qualify with three of the last seven years' experience instead of a formal degree. Previous stored age 18–55, USD 600 fee, and 1–3 month processing were unsourced or contradicted and have been removed.
Source: Federal Government (Make it in Germany) · verified 2026-08-15
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