Residence permit as a foreign employee and an EU Blue Card
General information
Free employment mobility for EU citizens
Citizens of EU member states, the EEA (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) and Switzerland fundamentally do not need a residence permit and are able to take up employment.
Residence and work permits for third-country nationals
Employees from countries that are not members of the European Union usually need a residence permit with the respective work permit in order to take up employment in Germany.
If an employee is not already living in Germany with a residence permit, issue of the residence permit is usually preceded by the entry to Germany on a corresponding visa which should be applied for from the relevant German diplomatic mission in the country of origin.
Nationals from Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand and the USA can apply for the residence and work permit (without prior visa procedure) and before taking up employment, directly in Germany.
Foreign applicants
For foreign applicants, the portal of the federal government for skilled workers from abroad gives a brief overview of the employment possibilities in Germany.
Agreement of the Federal Employment Agency
The employment of foreign workers usually requires the agreement of the Federal Employment Agency in advance. As an employer you can get confirmation from the Federal Employment Agency in the context of the pre-consent procedure about the possible employment of a special applicant and thereby significantly accelerate the application procedure.
Legal basis
§§ 18 and the following Residence Act
Documents/ forms to be submitted
You can submit this application completely online. If you are not able to use the online application, please use the "Residence permit application/Application for renewal of a temporary residence permit" (PDF 227 KB) and submit the documents by mail.
- Work contract/job description with details of gross salary
- filled-in Declaration of employment relationship (PDF 1 MB)
- Valid passport (copy)
- Entry visa for employment, if available (copy)
- Certificate/official record of your vocational training course or higher education qualification including individual grade overview (copy)
- Proof of the recognition or equivalence of your vocational training and/or higher education qualification (copy)
The proof is only necessary for foreign vocational training and higher education qualification courses. If you have a foreign vocational training qualification in a regulated profession, a recognition of the vocational qualification is compulsory. You can find out if it is necessary to obtain recognition of your vocational qualifications on the website www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de.
If you are in possession of a foreign higher education qualification, this must be recognised or comparable to a German higher education qualification. You can find out the comparability of your foreign higher education qualification with the help of the internet database "anabin". Please use the research instructions for this. If your higher education qualification is not listed in the "anabin" database, you need to apply for a qualification assessment from the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB). - Proof of ability to secure living costs - wage/pay slips for the last three months where available (copy)
- Proof from the health insurance company about current health insurance coverage
- in the case of statutory health insurance: informal letter from the health insurance company
- in the case of private health insurance: Certificate of insurance (see below)
- Current (sub-)rental contract (copy)
Deadlines/ processing time
After the documents have been submitted in full, the processing is usually complete within four weeks. Deviations from this are possible in individual cases.
Process and procedure
Please submit your application and related documents via online application. You will be invited to collect your biometric data after a decision has been made on your application. After the decision about your application, you will be invited to have your biometric data recorded.
Costs and fees
93 euros to 113 euros
Payment possibilities:
- Paying by cash
- Paying by EC card
Paying by credit card is possible.
Special requirements
Employees with foreign vocational training
Before applying for the residence permit, you need to apply to have the equivalence of the foreign vocational training course with a German vocational training established by the relevant authority. You can find further information at www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de.
Employees with foreign vocational training
Third-country nationals who have completed a qualified vocational training course in Germany can apply for a residence permit to carry out the qualified employment that their qualification entitles them to.
Employees with academic qualifications (higher education qualification)
Third-country nationals who have a higher education qualification in Germany can apply for a residence permit to carry out the qualified employment that their qualification entitles them to. The employment in question must be qualified employment which you are entitled to carry out through your qualifications. This means that the employment must require the usual skills, knowledge and abilities that are obtained during a study course or a qualified vocational training course and that stand in professional context to the qualification obtained. If you have a foreign higher education qualification, this must be recognised or comparable to a German higher education qualification. Weitere Informationen hierzu finden Sie unter https://anabin.kmk.org/anabin.html.
EU Blue Card
The EU Blue Card is issued to foreign employees to take up a highly qualified employment if a legally determined minimum salary is earned from this employment. The minimum salary limits for each calendar year (for regular and understaffed professions) are published by the Federal Ministry of the Interior by the 31st of December of the previous year respectively in the Federal Gazette.
You can apply for the EU Blue Card if the contractually agreed gross salary fulfils the respective minimum salary level and the activity requires an academic degree.
Mobility guarantee of the EU Blue Card
After possessing an EU Blue Card for 18 months, holders of the EU Blue Card have the right to move to another member state of the European Union with their families and apply for an EU Blue Card for an eligible employment in a second member state.