Germany · DE-BLUE · Work visa

EU Blue Card Germany

7 official facts · checked 5 Nov 2026

Cost
€75
Time
3 weeks
Stay
to confirm
Germany DE-BLUE

EU Blue Card Germany

7 verified facts

Cost
National visa fee: €75 (Section 46 Residence Ordinance). Service providers used by some missions may charge extra.
Time
Under the accelerated procedure, the visa decision is normally made within 3 weeks of a complete application (visa appointment offered within 3 weeks).
Stay
To be confirmed with the German mission or local foreigners' authority before applying.
Leads to
You may get a permanent settlement permit after 27 months of Blue Card employment, or 21 months with sufficient German. Not automatic.
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The details

What the official rules say

Each line links to its official source and the date we checked it. Anything we could not check is marked.

Cost

€75

National visa fee: €75 (Section 46 Residence Ordinance). Service providers used by some missions may charge extra.

Applies to National (D) visa fee, when applying for a visa at a German mission abroad.

≈ USD 84 — indicative only, at the ECB reference rate of 3 Nov 2026. Not an official fee.

gesetze-im-internet.de ↗ · checked 4 Nov 2026

€100

Residence permit or EU Blue Card issued in Germany: €100 (Section 45 Residence Ordinance).

≈ USD 112 — indicative only, at the ECB reference rate of 3 Nov 2026. Not an official fee.

gesetze-im-internet.de ↗ · checked 4 Nov 2026

How long it takes

Under the accelerated procedure, the visa decision is normally made within 3 weeks of a complete application (visa appointment offered within 3 weeks).

The government's target, not a promise

Applies to Only under the employer-initiated accelerated procedure for skilled workers (Section 81a Residence Act, €411 fee).

gesetze-im-internet.de ↗ · checked 4 Nov 2026

How long you can stay

To be confirmed with the German mission or local foreigners' authority before applying.

Can it lead to living there permanently?

You may get a permanent settlement permit after 27 months of Blue Card employment, or 21 months with sufficient German. Not automatic.

gesetze-im-internet.de ↗ · checked 4 Nov 2026

Rules

2026: at least €50,700 gross a year (50% of the €101,400 pension contribution ceiling). €45,934.20 for shortage occupations and recent graduates.

gesetze-im-internet.de ↗ · checked 4 Nov 2026

You need a concrete job offer in Germany.

gesetze-im-internet.de ↗ · checked 5 Nov 2026

These are the official rules we have so far. There may be more. Read the official page before you apply.

Official page

The EU Blue Card — Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF)

bamf.de ↗ · checked 4 Nov 2026

What can come next
  1. This visa EU Blue Card Germany
  2. Next step Next step: permanent residence — details coming soon

A possible next step. Times come from each visa's official rules. See what long-term visas need.

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