EU Blue Card: how to get, benefits, professions

How to get a Blue Card

1. Find a job

   An important point — you must find and get a job with a salary that is 1.5-1.2 times higher than the country’s market value.

2. Submit documents

   You can do this at the consulate of the chosen country or on the EU Blue Card Network. The decision process takes up to 90 days.

3. Get a visa

   To do this, you need to apply for a national single entry visa, which completes the procedure for obtaining a Blue Card.

4. Move to the designated country and receive the card

   Within three days of your arrival, you must contact your local immigration office and accept your Blue Card.

Next, we will describe each stage in detail.

Step 1. Find a job

You do not have to travel to the EU in order to do this. There are three options for finding a job:

• Find one via the Internet
• Use employment agency services
• Register on the EU Blue Card Network

The EU Blue Card Network is a platform where European employers look for non-EU professionals. You create a profile, add information about your education and work experience, and wait for an invitation — interviews are conducted online. You may wait a long time for an answer — employers are obliged to search for a EU citizen. If unsuccessful, only then are they allowed to search for non-EU workers. Many companies set a trial period during which they pay a lower salary. In this case, you will first have to find a job on a work visa, find a better paying position, and only then apply for a Blue Card.

Step 2. Apply for the Blue Card

Documents must be submitted on the EU Blue Card Network. You will need:

• Passport. The expiration date must be at least 90 days longer than the Blue Card expiration date and have at least 2 vacant pages.
• Internal passport with 2 copies of all occupied pages.
• Employment contract, submitted in the local language on company letterhead. It must indicate the salary, hours per working day, and include the contract itself.
• Original and translated copies of the diploma. The diploma must undergo the recognition procedure or be certified as equivalent to the diplomas of the chosen country. The specialization obtained at university should be relevant to the position, but does not have to entirely coincide with it.
• Proof of residence. If the employer provides housing, he must issue a corresponding document. If you choose an apartment yourself, you need to provide a lease agreement for a period of at least a year.
• Blue Card application.
• 3.5×4.5 cm color photos.

Additional documents that may be required (depending on the country):

• Certificate of a clear criminal record (original and translation)
• Recommendation letters with translation into a foreign language
• Biography in table form indicating addresses and contacts
• "Statement of Employment Relations" form — completed and provided by the employer (required in Germany)
• Permission to carry out professional activities
• Certificate of marriage and birth of a child
• Proof of language proficiency — this is mandatory if your work is directly related to communication (doctors, lawyers, pharmacists)

It takes up to 3 months to obtain a permit. If you have not received a response after this time, feel free to contact the consulate of the country. They should provide an explanation for the reason behind the delay. Also, ask your employer to contact the relevant authority in their country.

Step 3. Obtain a visa

Once you have been approved for a Blue Card, you must receive your national single entry visa at the consulate. Here, you no longer have to wait — all you have to do is arrive, show your documents, and receive your passport with all of the necessary stamps.

Documents for a visa:

• Internal passport
• International passport
• Health insurance with 2 copies (private health insurance for incoming foreigners is only necessary for the period up to the first working day — after starting the job, state health insurance will begin to operate)
• Blue Card application number (issued when applying for a Blue Card)
• Insurance payment receipt (original and copy)
• Payment receipt of all state fees for the consideration of documents — about 158 USD

Step 4. Move to the designated country and receive the card

You will pick up the Blue Card itself in the designated country. Within three days after arrival, you must go to the local immigration office and receive the long-awaited card. Now, you can not only work, but also enjoy all of the benefits offered by the country!

Blue Card 2022: latest changes

Despite all of the events in the world, the Blue Card is available to citizens of all non-EU countries. Moreover, Europe makes it more and more profitable for both the employee and employer, which speaks of an increase in interest in foreign employees.

At the end of 2021, the Council of the European Union published a document with changes to the Blue Card, which significantly simplified the acquisition process^[2]:

1. Reduced the minimum term of an employment contract/job offer from 12 to 6 months.
2. Expanded and updated the list of scarce professions — these specialists will be subject to fewer requirements than representatives of simply demanded professions. The list will be constantly reviewed and supplemented.
3. Expanded acceptable qualifications — instead of higher education, you can demonstrate the presence of professional experience. Now, 3 years of experience is enough for scarce professions, and 5 years for demanded ones.
4. Reduced wage requirements. Specialists with scarce professions do not need to earn above the average wage in the market — they need to receive at least 80% of the minimum wage established in the country.
5. Abolished the need to obtain a work permit in another EU state if the period of employment is less than 90 days.
6. Reduced the time to change jobs — now, you can find a new job in another EU state after 12, not 18 months.
7. Increased the number of circumstances under which you can apply for self-employment.
8. Simplified reunification with family — a residence permit is issued together with the Blue Card holder, and spouses are immediately issued a work permit.
9. Prohibited extension refusals in case of unemployment under certain conditions.
10. Facilitated the application process for those who are already in the EU and want to change from one type of residence permit to another (for example, students).

All countries issuing Blue Cards must make and implement these changes by November 2023.