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The EU Blue Card Scheme was established to make it easier and more attractive for highly intelligent and educated people from elsewhere to live and work in the EU. After originally being proposed in 2007, it is finally open for applications. Germany, the EU's largest economy, started accepting Blue Card applications on 1st August 2012
This is a quick reference page, for full details of the Blue Card please see our main European Blue Card page.
Eligibility conditions
If you have
- A higher education qualification
- And a contract or binding offer of work in Europe
then you may be eligible for a Blue Card. Once you have one, a Blue Card entitles you to work anywhere in the EU (apart from Denmark, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom).
Entitlements
A Blue Card entitles holders to
- The same working conditions and pay as EU citizens
- The right to bring close family members to live with you
- The prospect of permanent resident status in the EU
- Attractive rates of pay – different countries have different rules as to minimum pay for Blue Card holders but the EU Blue Card directive suggests that Blue Card holders should get a salary of at least 1.5 times the national average. In Germany, the minimum salary for Blue Card holders is €35,000.
Each EU country has its own rules
