Working in Germany: EU Blue Card and getting hired

The EU Blue Card is Germany's main skilled worker visa for non-EU nationals with a university degree. If your degree is recognised and your salary meets the threshold, it's faster and more flexible than other routes.

In 2024, the general threshold is approximately €45,300/year. For shortage occupations (including engineering, IT, healthcare, science), the threshold is lower — around €41,042/year.

Your degree must be officially recognised in Germany. For most candidates from countries in the ANABIN database at the highest recognition level (H+), this is straightforward.

Engineers often need qualifications checked through ANABIN (a database of recognised foreign universities) or ZAB (the German academic equivalency agency).

For regulated professions — medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, law, architecture — recognition is stricter and managed at state level. This can take 3–12 months. Start before you apply for jobs.

IT and tech roles can qualify based on proven professional experience even without a formal degree under recent rule changes — but the criteria are specific.

• Anmeldung: registering your address is required within two weeks of arrival and needed for almost everything else: bank accounts, tax numbers, health insurance. Do it first.
• Health insurance: German health insurance is mandatory and deducted at source. You'll be automatically enrolled in the public system unless your income is high enough to opt for private.
• Language: the Blue Card doesn't require German. But outside the largest companies and tech hubs, daily working life is often in German. Many employers offer language classes — ask.