Can I Move to Germany as a Software Engineer? Blue Card, Fees and Settlement for 2026

Blue Card salary thresholds for 2026

The Foreign Office table lists €50,700 a year as the 2026 minimum salary for a standard EU Blue Card and €45,934.20 for the shortage occupations and other cases named in § 18g. Section 18g(1) names ISCO-08 occupation group 25 among the groups covered by the lower threshold, which needs the consent of the Federal Employment Agency, and the ILO classification titles group 25 Information and Communications Technology Professionals, including 251 Software and Applications Developers and Analysts. The minimum is announced for each calendar year, so check the year you apply.

Auswärtiges Amt: Mindestgehalt (in Euro) - Arbeitsmigration 2026 Gesetze im Internet: § 18g AufenthG (Blaue Karte EU) International Labour Organization: ISCO-08, Volume 1 (structure and definitions)

IT specialists without a degree

With the Federal Employment Agency's consent, § 18g(2) allows a Blue Card without a degree in groups 133 or 25, among other conditions, for someone with at least three years of experience from the last seven years, skills comparable in level to a degree, and a salary of at least 45.3 percent of the annual contribution ceiling. Section 6(1) of the Employment Ordinance lets the agency consent to qualified employment after two years of experience gained in the last five years, at 45 percent of the ceiling, and its qualification requirement does not apply in ICT occupations. The Foreign Office table lists €45,630 for that 45 percent level. On this § 6 route, if the employment starts after the age of 45, § 1(2) of the Employment Ordinance requires a salary of at least 55 percent of the ceiling for the first consent unless adequate retirement provision is shown, although this can be waived in the public interest, in particular when the salary is only slightly lower or the age limit only slightly exceeded; the Foreign Office table lists €55,770 for that level. The federal recognition portal says IT specialists need no professional recognition. For a Blue Card based on a degree, § 18(3) AufenthG requires a German degree, a recognised foreign degree or a foreign degree comparable to a German one.

Gesetze im Internet: § 18g AufenthG (Blaue Karte EU) Gesetze im Internet: § 6 BeschV (Beschäftigung bei ausgeprägter berufspraktischer Erfahrung) Gesetze im Internet: § 1 BeschV (Anwendungsbereich der Verordnung) Auswärtiges Amt: Mindestgehalt (in Euro) - Arbeitsmigration 2026 Recognition in Germany (BIBB, federal government portal): Immigration Gesetze im Internet: § 18 AufenthG (Grundsatz der Fachkräfteeinwanderung)

Visa and residence-permit fees

The Federal Foreign Office lists EUR 75 as the fee for a national visa for longer stays. The fee for issuing a residence permit or an EU Blue Card in Germany is a separate charge, set at 100 euros in § 45 of the Residence Ordinance (AufenthV). The Foreign Office adds that the rules provide for visa fee reductions or waivers in certain cases; fees can change, so confirm the amount with the authority handling your application.

Federal Foreign Office: Visa fees - how much will applying for a visa cost? Gesetze im Internet: § 45 AufenthV (Gebühren für die Aufenthaltserlaubnis, die Blaue Karte EU)

Settlement permit timelines

A Blue Card holder can receive a settlement permit after at least 27 months of Blue Card employment with pension contributions and simple German (level A1), shortened to 21 months with sufficient German (ausreichende Kenntnisse), which § 2 AufenthG defines as level B1. On the skilled-worker route, § 18c(1) requires three years holding a permit under §§ 18a, 18b, 18d or 18g, 36 months of contributions or proof of comparable provision, and B1 German. Other conditions apply, including those of § 9(2), and the lists given here are not complete.

Gesetze im Internet: § 18c AufenthG (Niederlassungserlaubnis für Fachkräfte) Gesetze im Internet: § 2 AufenthG (Begriffsbestimmungen, language levels)

Naturalisation

Section 10(1) of the Nationality Act allows naturalisation on application after five years of lawful habitual residence in Germany once identity and nationality are established and further conditions are met. These include a residence status of the kinds the statute lists, among them a Blue Card, supporting yourself without certain social benefits, sufficient German, and knowledge of the legal and social order. Under § 10(4) the language condition is met by a level B1 language test. Exceptions and further conditions exist.

Gesetze im Internet: § 10 StAG (Anspruchseinbürgerung)

Spouses of Blue Card holders

BAMF states that spouses of EU Blue Card holders are entitled to a residence title without needing knowledge of German, for example, and are granted immediate and unlimited permission to take up employment. Section 30(1) of the Residence Act lists holding a Blue Card as a ground for a spouse's residence permit and waives the simple-German condition where the sponsor holds one, but both spouses must as a rule be at least 18 (§ 30(2) allows an exception to avoid particular hardship) and the other conditions still apply.

BAMF (Federal Office for Migration and Refugees): The EU Blue Card Gesetze im Internet: § 30 AufenthG (Ehegattennachzug)

What this article does not establish

It gives no salary ranges, processing times, employer names or city comparisons, and no statement on whether German is needed for daily life or on EU mobility of the Blue Card, because none could be supported by an official source. Ask the competent embassy or immigration office for current processing times and check the rules for the year you apply.