Overview
The EU Blue Card is one EU-wide permit family for highly qualified non-EU professionals: a degree of at least three years, a qualifying job offer, and a salary above the national threshold. Thresholds are set nationally and republished periodically. This page compares the Blue Card in the seven issuing countries on this site.
Eligibility
A higher education degree of at least three years, a job offer for highly qualified work, and a salary at or above that country's threshold. The cards below give each country's current figure.
Requirements
Secure the qualifying offer, gather degree and salary evidence, and apply through the official channel. Country specifics are in the detail sections below.
Required documents
- Passport
- degree certificates with recognition evidence where required
- employment contract showing the salary meets the threshold
- the standard application forms. The exact list per country is on the country pages
Costs & fees
Official application fees plus relocation. The threshold figures on the cards are salary minimums, not fees; thresholds are republished periodically, so confirm the current figure before you sign.
Language requirements
The Blue Card tests qualifications and salary, not language. Language helps with the job search and later settlement, and some countries test it at the permanent residence stage.
Work rights
The Blue Card authorises highly qualified work, usually tied to the sponsoring employer at first. After a qualifying period, mobility rules can let you change employer or EU country.
Family information
Blue Card holders can generally bring a spouse and children, with faster family reunification than standard work routes in several countries. The country pages give the exact rules.
Application process
- 1
The pattern is the same everywhere: qualifying offer first, evidence that the salary clears the national threshold, application through the official channel, then entry and highly qualified work. Start from the country cards below.
The EU Blue Card is one EU-wide permit family for highly qualified professionals from outside the EU. The pattern is the same in every issuing country: a degree of at least three years, a qualifying job offer, and a salary above the national threshold. The thresholds are set nationally and republished periodically. This page compares the Blue Card in the seven issuing countries on this site.
Choose your country
Seven countries, seven thresholds. Compare the current figure per country, then open a country page for the full detail.
Czechia
EU Blue Card
- Threshold: CZK 73,823/month gross, the 2026 figure from 1 May 2026
- Degree: at least 3 years of higher education
- Contract: at least 1 year with a Czech employer
Germany
EU Blue Card (Section 18g)
- Threshold: EUR 50,700/year
- Shortage track: EUR 45,934.20 for shortage occupations and recent graduates
Spain
EU Blue Card (Ley 14/2013)
- Threshold: 1.4 times the average gross annual salary
- Route: highly qualified track through the UGE fast track
- Contract: at least 6 months
Austria
EU Blue Card
- Threshold: EUR 55,678 gross/year
- Degree: at least 3 years, no points system for this card
France
EU Blue Card
- Threshold: EUR 59,373 gross/year
- Contract: at least 6 months, degree of at least 3 years
Italy
EU Blue Card
- Threshold: EUR 33,500 gross/year on ISTAT data
- Note: sits outside the Decreto Flussi quotas
Slovakia
EU Blue Card
- Threshold: EUR 1,944/month, 1.2 times the average wage
- Contract: at least 6 months
Where the Blue Card does not exist
Ireland does not issue EU Blue Cards. It runs its own employment permits instead, led by the Critical Skills Employment Permit at a salary of at least EUR 40,904 a year from 1 March 2026 and the General Employment Permit at a minimum of EUR 36,605 a year. The United Kingdom, the United States and Canada are outside the Blue Card scheme entirely: they run their own work systems.
The common eligibility pattern
- A completed higher education degree of at least three years, with recognition evidence where the country requires it.
- A job offer for highly qualified work from an employer in the issuing country.
- A salary at or above that country’s threshold; the cards above give the current figure for each of the seven countries.
- A contract of at least the minimum length the country sets: at least one year in Czechia, at least six months in Spain, France and Slovakia.
How salary thresholds work
Each country sets its own threshold and republishes it periodically. Some are fixed figures, such as Austria at EUR 55,678 gross a year or France at EUR 59,373 gross a year. Others are formulas: Slovakia requires at least 1.2 times the average wage, which is EUR 1,944 a month on the 2025 average of EUR 1,620, and Spain requires 1.4 times the average gross annual salary.
The threshold is a hard floor, not a target: if the offer falls short, the Blue Card is closed to you and another route may fit instead. Always confirm the current figure on the official portal before you sign.
Moving between EU countries
The Blue Card is issued per country, but the scheme is EU-wide. In general terms, after a qualifying period of legal Blue Card residence you can take up highly qualified work in another participating EU state, subject to that state’s own conditions and application.
Mobility is a feature of the scheme, not an automatic right: each move still means meeting the new country’s threshold and filing its application.
Who this is for
This page is for you if you hold a higher education degree of at least three years and have, or can win, a qualifying job offer above the national salary threshold in one of the seven countries.
Who this is NOT for
- Anyone without a qualifying degree. The Blue Card is not a softer version of a standard work permit.
- Anyone whose salary sits below the national threshold. The threshold is a hard floor.
- Anyone looking at Ireland, the UK, the USA or Canada. Ireland runs its own employment permits, and the other three are outside the scheme.
FAQ
Q: What is the EU Blue Card?
A: One EU-wide permit family for highly qualified non-EU professionals. The pattern is the same in every issuing country: a degree of at least three years, a qualifying job offer, and a salary above the national threshold.
Q: Is the salary threshold the same in every country?
A: No. Each country sets its own threshold and republishes it periodically. The seven cards above give the current figure per country on this site; always confirm it on the official portal before you sign.
Q: Can I move to another EU country with a Blue Card?
A: In general terms, yes. After a qualifying period of legal Blue Card residence, mobility rules let you take up highly qualified work in another participating EU state, subject to that state’s own conditions and application.
Q: Does Ireland issue EU Blue Cards?
A: No. Ireland runs its own employment permits, led by the Critical Skills Employment Permit. The UK, the USA and Canada are outside the Blue Card scheme entirely.
Next step
If you hold a degree of at least three years and a qualifying offer above the national threshold, the Blue Card can be the honest way in. If the salary falls short, another work route may fit instead. Book a free consultation and we will test your degree, offer and salary against the real rules before you spend anything.
NVConsult provides education and application guidance, not legal advice. No visa, job or outcome is guaranteed. Decisions rest solely with embassies, authorities and employers.
Official sources
Every figure on this page comes from the NVConsult country page linked on each card, which cites the official authority for that country. Always confirm the current threshold on the official portal before you sign or apply.