The EU Blue Card is a German residence permit for people with a university degree, or in IT with specific work experience, who have a concrete job offer in Germany at or above a set salary. Three things decide whether it fits: whether your degree is recognised or comparable, whether the job matches that qualification, and whether the gross annual salary meets the threshold for the year. This guide is for Indian IT and engineering professionals with an offer, or close to one.

What the EU Blue Card is

The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) describes it as a residence permit for university graduates and non-EU nationals with specific professional experience. BAMF says it is issued for four years in principle, or for the length of the employment contract plus three months if the contract is shorter. It can be extended if the conditions are still met.

If you are still comparing the Blue Card with the Opportunity Card or the general skilled-worker visa, start with our route comparison.

The requirements, from the official overview

Make it in Germany’s “At a Glance: EU Blue Card” sheet (as of January 2026) lists these requirements:

  • equivalence or comparability of your foreign academic qualification (for a regulated profession, a licence to practise as well);
  • a concrete job offer in Germany or a valid employment contract, with a minimum contract period of six months;
  • the minimum annual gross salary for 2026 (see below).

The Federal Employment Agency (BA) adds that the position must match your qualifications. A computer science graduate hired as a software developer fits; the same graduate in an unrelated role may not.

The 2026 salary thresholds

Make it in Germany and the German missions in India give the same two figures for 2026:

Case Minimum gross salary per year (2026)
General threshold, all other professions €50,700
Shortage occupations, and graduates within three years of their degree €45,934.20

The BA says bonuses and special payments count only if they are not subject to conditions. The thresholds are adjusted every year, so check the figure for the year in which you apply.

The lower threshold applies in two cases. The first is a shortage occupation. The German missions in India name MINT (STEM) and other shortage professions, with scientists, engineers, doctors and IT professionals as examples. The second is a new entrant: the BA says a person whose qualifying degree was obtained no more than three years before the application can use the lower threshold, whatever the profession.

The threshold also decides whether the BA must approve the job: at €50,700 or more it does not; below that, approval is obtained during the visa procedure.

For applicants aged 45 or older, the German missions in India ask for proof of adequate German pension contributions if the salary is below €55,770 a year.

IT specialists without a degree

Make it in Germany lists a special case for IT specialists without a formal qualification. The conditions are at least three years of work experience at an academic level, a concrete job offer as an IT specialist in Germany or a valid employment contract (minimum six months), and a minimum annual gross salary of €45,934.20 (2026). The BA adds that this experience must fall within the past seven years.

Check your degree first

For the degree route, the German missions in India ask applicants to check their degree in anabin, the database of the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB):

  • the degree must be rated “entspricht” or “gleichwertig”;
  • the university must have the rating “H+”; if it is rated “H+/-”, your programme must be listed in the comments for your university.

If your degree is not in anabin, the BA says you apply to the ZAB for a statement of comparability. Indian applicants are also asked for a university confirmation that they studied on-site or in “regular mode”. A distance-learning degree needs a confirmation from the relevant Indian authority. Our guide to degree recognition with anabin and ZAB explains the check step by step.

Applying from India

The German missions in India say a Blue Card visa is applied for online through the Consular Services Portal, which is obligatory where an online application is possible. You choose your country of residence, not your citizenship, and the German mission responsible for your state. After the online step you receive a link to book an on-site appointment.

The missions’ document list includes your passport, degree and mark sheets, the anabin printout or ZAB statement, the “Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis” (employment declaration) completed by your employer, and proof of health insurance from your German employment start date. The visa fee is 8,300 INR or €75 for applicants over 18, paid in rupees on the day of the appointment, and a service provider fee is charged on top. Your employer can also use the paid fast-track procedure for skilled workers.

After arrival, you apply for the Blue Card itself at the local foreigners authority, before the entry visa expires.

Family and later settlement

The BA says family reunification is generally possible with the EU Blue Card. A BAMF page dated November 2023 says spouses of Blue Card holders do not need German for their residence title and may work. Other conditions, such as housing and income, still apply.

For permanent residence, the BA says a Blue Card holder can apply for a settlement permit after 27 months with German at A1 level, or after 21 months with B1. BAMF adds conditions: highly qualified employment and pension contributions during that period, basic knowledge of the legal and social order, adequate living space and secured subsistence. The foreigners authority decides.

Where it depends

Which mission handles your file depends on your state of residence. Whether your occupation counts as a shortage occupation, and whether a salary below €50,700 is approved, is decided in the BA check. The sources read for this guide do not give a processing time.

Limits

SGC does not decide whether your degree is comparable, whether a salary qualifies or whether a visa or settlement permit is granted. The ZAB, the BA, the German mission and the foreigners authority decide. SGC can help you organise the degree documents, translations and recognition paperwork; see our document recognition support.

Your next step: look up your university and degree in anabin, and write down the rating you find before you discuss the salary with your employer.

Official resources

What we cannot promise

German authorities, universities and employers make every decision on visas, admissions, recognition and jobs. SGC explains the process and helps you prepare; it cannot promise an outcome.