EU Blue Card

This page contains information on the EU Blue Card provided by the European Commission. Other websites on the EU Blue Card may contain incorrect information or charge for their services and cannot, in any case, issue EU Blue Cards. Only Member States of the European Union can issue EU Blue Cards - you can find the links to the official national authorities websites in these pages.

Please note that the rules for the EU Blue Card Directive were amended in 2021 and EU Member States had to transpose them into their legislation by November 2023.

Please find information on the EU Blue Card for each EU Member State.

Introduction

Are you a highly-qualified worker wishing to work in an EU Member State?

If so, you might be eligible to acquire an EU Blue Card. On these pages you can find out what an EU Blue Card is, how to apply for one and learn more about the rights that an EU Blue Card holder can enjoy. Some EU countries may offer other employment permits for highly-qualified workers in addition to the EU Blue Card. For detailed information on what rules are applicable in a particular EU Member State, select your destination Member State on the map.

What is an EU Blue Card?

An EU Blue Card gives highly-qualified workers from outside the EU the opportunity to live and work in an EU Member State, provided they hold the necessary higher professional qualifications, or, where appropriate, higher professional skills, and an employment contract or a binding job offer for at least six months with a salary at least equal to, but no higher than 1.6 times, the average gross national annual salary of the country concerned. . The EU Blue Card applies in 25 of the 27 EU Member States. It does not apply in Denmark and Ireland. For information on rules for highly-qualified workers in these two Member States, select the Member State on this map.

What conditions must I fulfil to apply for an EU Blue Card?

You must prove that you have:

a valid work contract or a binding job offer for highly qualified employment for at least 6 months in the Member State concerned;
documents confirming your professional qualifications (see more in the FAQ section);
a valid travel document, and where required an application for a visa, a valid visa or, where applicable, a valid residence permit or valid long-stay visa;;
evidence of having or, if provided for by national law, having applied for, sickness insurance for all the risks normally covered for nationals of the Member State concerned

Where can I apply?

You or your employer must submit an application for an EU Blue Card to the competent national authorities in the Member State where you wish to work. Depending on the rules in that Member State, you may have to pay an application fee.

How do I find a vacancy in the EU?

European employers use different services and communication tools to post their job vacancies. They can post them directly on their website or use other channels such as: public employment services, private employment agencies and recruitment agencies, specialised websites and publications, universities, etc.

FAQ

How long must I wait for a decision?

You are entitled to receive a decision as soon as possible but no later than 90 days after the submission of your complete application.

Can my application for an EU Blue Card be refused?

Yes. The national authorities will reject your application if:

You do not meet the admission criteria;
Your application was based on incorrect or false documents;
You present a threat to public policy, public security or public health. Employer’s business main purpose is to facilitate the entry of non-EU nationals.

National authorities may reject your application if:

A national or EU worker, or an already legally present non-EU citizen, could fill the vacancy;
Your employer has not met tax and other legal obligations, is bankrupt, is facing insolvency or has illegally employed non-EU nationals;
Your home country lacks qualified workers in your profession/sector.

Can EU Member States set quotas on the number of non-EU citizens who can enter their countries for highly-qualified work?

EU Member States may limit the number of non-EU citizens who can enter their country for highly-qualified work.

Do I need a visa?

You may need a visa. This depends on your nationality and the rules in the EU Member State you arrive in.

How long can I work with an EU Blue Card?

You can stay and work for a period for at least 24 months, or, if a work contract is for a shorter period, a further 3 months after the contract ends;

The card may also be renewed as long as you still satisfy all the conditions.

With a valid EU Blue Card, you can enter, re-enter and stay in the EU Member State which has issued the card. You can also pass through other EU Member States and stay there for up to three months (read more below).

Am I free to change jobs and/or employer?

Yes, but you may have to inform national authorities of any change of employer or circumstances during the first 12 months of legal employment to ensure that you continue to fulfil the criteria for admission and allow national authorities to carry out a check of the labour market situation;

After this period, you can change jobs and/or employers but may have to inform competent authorities of a change of employer or a change that affects the fulfilment of the criteria for admission.

Can I bring my family with me?

Yes, the EU Blue Card offers more favourable conditions for family reunification and access to work for spouses notably. If the relevant conditions are fulfilled and the applications lodged simultaneously, their residence permits should be issued at the same time as your EU Blue Card.

Does the EU Blue Card allow me to travel to other EU Member States?

Yes. You can visit other EU Member States for up to three months (90 days) during a six-month period (180 days). You can also travel through other EU Member States on your way to the EU Member State that you live and work in. For more information, please consult the section on ‘Moving between EU countries’.

You may, after living legally for 12 months in the Member State that issued the EU Blue Card, move, live and work with your family in another Member State.

Can I work in other EU Member States?

After 12 months, you may move to a different EU Member State to work in highly-skilled employment. You must apply for a new EU Blue Card in the Member State you wish to move to. Please note that EU Member States have different rules on this. You need to check by selecting the Member State of your destination on the map.

What other rights do I have?

As a holder of an EU Blue Card, you are guaranteed equal treatment with citizens of the host country as regards:

Working conditions;
Professional education and training;
Recognition of diplomas and qualifications;
Social security;
Freedom of association and
Access to goods and services offered to the public (e.g. transport, museums, restaurants, etc.).

Member States may restrict some of these rights according to the rules of the EU Blue Card Directive.

With an EU Blue Card, it will be easier for you to acquire EU long-term residence status, as the rules for calculating the period of time necessary are more generous (you can add together periods of time spent in different EU Member States instead of the whole five years being in just one EU country, subject to certain conditions).

What happens if I lose my job?

If you become unemployed, and hold an EU Blue Card for less than 2 years, you have three months to find a new job. If you become unemployed and hold an EU Blue Card for more than 2 years, you have six months to find a new job. If you are still unemployed after these periods, your EU Blue Card may be withdrawn. If that happens, you may have to leave the country.

Are there any other risks of withdrawal or non-renewal of my EU Blue Card?

Your EU Blue Card could be withdrawn or not renewed for – among others -any of the following reasons:

You no longer meet the necessary conditions outlined above;
It is found out at a later stage that your application was based on false information or documents;
You present a threat to public policy, public security or public health.
Where appropriate, where your employer has failed to meet its legal obligations regarding social security, taxation, labour rights or working conditions.
You do not have sufficient financial resources to maintain yourself and your family members without social assistance.

In the event of any such occurrence, a notification will be provided to you by the relevant national authorities.

May I argue against a decision to refuse or withdraw my EU Blue Card?

Any decision to reject an application for an EU Blue Card, to withdraw an EU Blue Card or not to renew an EU Blue Card shall be notified in writing to the third-country national concerned and, where relevant, to his or her employer in accordance with the notification procedures set out in the relevant national law. The notification shall specify the reasons for the decision and the competent authority to which an appeal may be submitted, as well as the time limit for submitting an appeal. Member States shall provide an effective judicial remedy, in accordance with national law.

What happens if I overstay my EU Blue Card?

If you overstay the validity period of your EU Blue Card, you will find yourself in an irregular situation and may be required to leave the country.

Where do EU Blue Card holders come from?

81 851 EU Blue Cards were granted in 2022.

Citizens of India were granted the highest number of EU Blue Cards in the EU in 2021, followed by Russia, Belarus, Türkiye and Iraq.

What are regulated and unregulated professions?

A profession is said to be regulated when access and exercise is subject to the possession of a specific professional qualification. For more information, please visit the EU Single Market Regulated professions database.

Unregulated professions do not require specific professional qualifications.

What is meant by 'Higher professional qualifications'?

‘Higher professional qualifications’ means

qualifications attested by evidence of higher education qualifications or higher professional skills;
any diploma, certificate or other evidence of formal qualifications issued by a competent authority attesting to the successful completion of a post-secondary higher education or equivalent tertiary education programme, namely a set of courses provided by an educational establishment recognised as a higher education institution or equivalent tertiary educational institution by the State in which it is situated, where the studies needed to acquire those qualifications last at least 3 years and correspond at least to ISCED 2011 level 6 or, where appropriate, to EQF level 6, in accordance with national law;

‘Higher professional skills’ means:

(a) as concerns the occupations listed in Annex I of the EU Blue Card Directive, knowledge, skills and competences attested by professional experience at a level comparable to higher education qualifications, which are relevant to the profession or sector specified in the work contract or binding job offer, and which have been acquired over the duration set out in Annex I for each relevant occupation;
(b) as concerns other occupations, only where provided for by national law or national procedures, knowledge, skills and competences attested by at least 5 years of professional experience at a level comparable to higher education qualifications and which are relevant to the profession or sector specified in the work contract or binding job offer;

What is a labour market test?

Labour market test is a mechanism that aims to ensure that migrant workers are only admitted after employers have unsuccessfully searched for national workers, EU citizens (in EU Member States this also means EEA workers) or legally residing third-country nationals with access to the labour market according to national legislation.

The labour market test (LMT) is implemented and applied widely in most Member States. Where the LMT is applied, some categories of workers can be exempt, reflecting the specific national situations and priorities.
Member States apply different methodologies in undertaking LMTs. In general, a considerable role is left to employers and public employment services. Duration of the verification process varies among Member States.

You do not meet the conditions to apply for an EU Blue Card, but you are still interested in migrating to the EU to work? For more information on the different national rules and procedures, select the Member State you are interested in on the map.