Germany Work Visa: Requirements & Application

This guide compares every Germany work visa route in 2026, with the salary thresholds, documents, fees and steps to apply.

What changed for German work visas in 2025 and 2026

The headline change is a higher salary bar: every EU Blue Card application submitted from 1 January 2026 must meet the new thresholds of €50,700 (standard) or €45,934.20 (shortage occupations and new entrants). Germany revises these figures every year, and the 2026 rise is roughly 5% on the 2025 levels.

Threshold	2025	2026
EU Blue Card, standard (gross per year)	€48,300	€50,700
EU Blue Card, shortage occupations and new entrants	€43,759.80	€45,934.20
EU Blue Card, standard (approx. gross per month)	€4,025	€4,225
Experience-based route (Section 19c(2))	See note	€45,630
First-time applicants aged 45 or over	See note	€55,770

Note: we have only confirmed the 2026 figures for the experience-based and over-45 thresholds from official guidance. Check the 2025 figures with the authority if you are comparing an older offer. To see what a gross salary means in take-home pay, read our guide to taxes for expats living in Germany.

Four other changes matter for anyone planning a move this year:

• New employer duty from 1 January 2026. Employers who hire a non-EU national living abroad must tell that person, in writing and no later than the first working day, about the free “Faire Integration” counselling service on employment and social law. The duty is set out in Section 45c of the Residence Act and can be met by email or another text form. The law does not currently attach a specific fine to a breach.
• The Work-and-Stay Agency is coming, but is not live as a full service. On 5 November 2025 the Federal Cabinet approved key points for a “Work-and-Stay-Agentur”, a joint digital platform run by the Federal Employment Agency and the Federal Foreign Office through which applicants would upload documents only once. Cabinet approved an outline, not a finished law, and as at autumn 2026 no launch date had been announced. Treat any claim that the agency has already replaced the embassy process with caution.
• Online visa applications are now standard in many countries. The Federal Foreign Office’s Consular Services Portal accepts national visa applications online where it has been rolled out; elsewhere the older VIDEX form still applies.
• The three-year “turbo” citizenship route has gone. The Bundestag abolished it in October 2025, so the fastest standard route to naturalisation is now five years of residence. This does not affect your work visa, but it changes long-term planning.

Which Germany work visa do you need?

Most professionals will fit one of three employment routes, and the right one depends on your salary, your qualification and whether your profession is regulated. There is no single document officially called a “work visa”; you enter on a national (category D) visa for a specific purpose and then receive a residence permit in Germany.

Route	Legal basis	Qualification needed	Minimum salary (2026)	Federal Employment Agency approval	Settlement permit possible after
EU Blue Card	Section 18g Residence Act	Recognised or comparable degree (or EQF level 6 tertiary qualification, 3+ years)	€50,700, or €45,934.20 in shortage jobs / for new entrants	Only for the lower threshold	21 months (German B1) or 27 months (German A1)
Qualified professional permit	Sections 18a / 18b	Recognised vocational or academic qualification	No fixed minimum, except €55,770 for first-time applicants aged 45+	Usually yes	Usually 3 years, conditions apply
Experience-based route	Section 19c(2) with Section 6 Employment Ordinance	Vocational (2+ years’ training) or degree recognised in the issuing country	€45,630, or pay under a collective agreement	Yes	5 years
Opportunity Card (job search)	Section 20a	Points-based	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not a work route on its own

If you do not yet have a job offer, the Opportunity Card lets you come to Germany to look for work. We cover it in a separate guide: Germany Opportunity Card: Requirements & Application.

EU Blue Card requirements

You qualify for an EU Blue Card if you hold a recognised or comparable degree and have a German job offer of at least six months paying €50,700 or more a year (2026). It is the fastest route to permanent residence and usually the best option for graduates who meet the salary bar.

Core requirements:

• Qualification: a German degree, a foreign degree comparable to one, or a tertiary qualification of at least three years at ISCED 2011 / EQF level 6 (for example, a master craftsman qualification).
• Job offer: a concrete contract with a German employer, lasting at least six months, in a role that matches your qualification.
• Licence to practise: required for regulated professions (for example, doctors and pharmacists), and it must be granted or promised when you apply.
• Salary: €50,700 gross a year as standard, or €45,934.20 if one of the exceptions below applies.

The lower threshold of €45,934.20 applies to three groups, and each needs Federal Employment Agency approval:

Group	Condition
Shortage occupations	Includes ICT service managers, academic STEM professionals, doctors, dentists, vets, pharmacists, nurses and midwives with academic training, teachers and educators, and certain managers in manufacturing, construction and professional services
New entrants	Your last degree was awarded less than three years ago (any profession)
IT specialists without a degree	At least three years of university-level IT experience within the last seven years

Duration and job changes. The Blue Card is issued for the length of the contract plus six months (according to the official Make it in Germany guidance), up to a maximum of four years. If you change employer in the first year, you must notify the foreigners authority, which checks that you still meet the conditions.

Residence permit for qualified professionals

If your salary is below the Blue Card threshold, you can still work in Germany with a residence permit for qualified professionals, provided your qualification is recognised in Germany. This route covers both university graduates (Section 18b) and people with recognised vocational training (Section 18a).

• Your job must be a skilled position. Auxiliary tasks do not qualify.
• The role does not need to match your qualification, unless the profession is regulated.
• The Federal Employment Agency normally checks that your pay and conditions match those of comparable domestic employees.
• First-time applicants aged 45 or over must earn at least €55,770 gross a year (2026) or prove adequate pension provision.
• Recognition of a foreign qualification (the equivalence assessment) generally takes three to four months, so start early.
• Permits are issued for up to four years, or the contract length plus six months if shorter.

The experience-based route (no recognition needed)

Since the Skilled Immigration Act reforms, you can work in a non-regulated profession without formal German recognition, provided you have two years of relevant experience and earn at least €45,630 a year (2026). This route suits experienced professionals whose qualifications are hard to get recognised in Germany.

Requirements:

• A vocational qualification requiring at least two years of training, or a degree, that is recognised by the state where you obtained it. A German Chamber of Commerce Abroad (AHK) qualification also counts. Experienced IT professionals do not need formal proof.
• At least two years of qualified experience within the last five years, related to the German job.
• A job offer in a non-regulated profession.
• A salary of €45,630 gross a year, or pay under a collective agreement that binds your employer.
• The same €55,770 rule for first-time applicants aged 45 and over.
• Federal Employment Agency approval.

A settlement permit is possible after five years, which is slower than the Blue Card.

Documents you will usually need

Expect to provide a passport, signed contract, proof of qualifications and health insurance, plus route-specific documents. Each German mission publishes its own checklist, so always use the list for the embassy or consulate responsible for where you live. For certified translations of your certificates, see our guide to Certified Translation Services in Germany.

Document	Blue Card	Qualified professional	Experience-based
Valid passport and completed application	Yes	Yes	Yes
Signed employment contract or binding offer	Yes	Yes	Yes
Declaration of Employment (employer form)	Usually	Yes	Yes
Degree certificate and recognition / comparability proof	Yes	Yes (full recognition)	Proof of state recognition abroad
Evidence of two years’ experience	No (unless IT without degree)	No	Yes
Licence to practise (regulated professions)	If applicable	If applicable	Not eligible
Proof of health insurance from day one	Yes	Yes	Yes
CV and passport photographs	Yes	Yes	Yes

How to apply: step by step

The standard process is: secure a job offer, prepare documents, apply for a national visa at the German mission, enter Germany, then convert the visa into a residence permit at the local foreigners authority.

1. Get a concrete job offer. All three employment routes require one.
2. Check recognition. If your route requires a recognised qualification, start the equivalence assessment early.
3. Gather documents using your mission’s checklist (see the table above).
4. Apply for a national (category D) visa at the German embassy or consulate responsible for your country of residence. Use the Consular Services Portal where it is available, or the VIDEX form and an appointment where it is not.
5. Arrange health insurance. You need cover from your first day, and proof is checked when you collect the visa. See our guide to Health Insurance for Expats in Germany.
6. Travel to Germany and register your address at the local registration office.
7. Apply for your residence permit (Blue Card or other permit) at the foreigners authority before the visa expires. Check the validity dates printed on your entry visa.
8. Collect your electronic residence permit card.

Fees and processing times

The national visa costs €75, and the residence permit itself usually costs €100 when first issued. Fees are set in the Residence Ordinance and can change, so confirm them with the issuing authority.

Fee item	Amount
National (category D) visa	€75
First issue of residence permit or EU Blue Card	€100
Extension of residence permit or Blue Card (more than three months)	€93
Change of purpose of residence	€98
Accelerated skilled worker procedure (paid by employer)	€411
Settlement permit (general)	€113
Settlement permit for highly qualified persons	€147

Processing times vary widely by country, and there is no single official figure. Decisions can take several weeks, and longer when other agencies, such as the Federal Employment Agency, must approve. Appointment waiting times in high-demand countries can be considerably longer. Always check the current wait at your own mission rather than relying on a headline figure.

The accelerated skilled worker procedure

If you need to start quickly, your employer can use the accelerated skilled worker procedure (Section 81a Residence Act), which costs €411 and secures an embassy appointment within about three weeks.

• The employer applies in Germany on your behalf, using a power of attorney.
• The employer signs an agreement with the foreigners authority, which handles recognition and Federal Employment Agency approval within statutory deadlines.
• Once everything is in order, the authority issues a pre-approval (Vorabzustimmung).
• You then get an embassy appointment, normally within three weeks, and a decision is generally made within three weeks of a complete application.
• The €75 visa fee and any recognition fees are payable on top.
• Your spouse and minor children can usually be included if they apply at the same time; confirm this with the foreigners authority.

UK, US and other visa-free nationals

Citizens of the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea can enter Germany without a visa and apply for a work residence permit after arrival, but they cannot start work until the permit authorises it. Moving from Britain? Our Moving to Germany from the UK: Complete Checklist covers the full sequence.

• Register your address within two weeks of moving in.
• Apply to the local foreigners authority within 90 days of arrival, and book early, as appointments can be scarce in large cities.
• If you want to start work on day one, apply for a visa before you travel instead.
• UK residents who apply for a visa before travelling do so through the TLScontact visa application centres in London, Manchester or Edinburgh for certain visa categories, or directly with the responsible German mission; check which applies to you.

After arrival: from visa to settlement permit

Your residence permit can usually be extended while you remain employed, and each route leads to a settlement permit (permanent residence) on a different timetable. For visa lawyers, relocation agents and other services, browse the ExpatListing Germany directory.

Route	Settlement permit after	Key condition
EU Blue Card	21 months	German at level B1
EU Blue Card	27 months	German at level A1
Qualified professional permit	Usually 3 years	Further conditions apply
Experience-based route	5 years	Section 9 Residence Act conditions

Naturalisation now requires five years of residence, following the abolition of the three-year route in October 2025.

Frequently asked questions