Visa EU Blue Card
Before entering of Germany you have to apply for the Visa Blue Card from your current place of living.
Steps - How to get your Visa Blue Card?
- Relevant German Embassy
Please find a list of all German Embassys around the world here and pick the one of your current place of residence.
2. Appointment for your file
Please book an appointment at the German Embassy of your current place or residence.
Required documents:
- Visa application form (twice filled out and signed) only in the language version used by the German Embassy you are applying!
- Valid passport
- Academic CV
- If relevant other current residence titles
- 2 Biometric photos of yourself
- Proof of recognised foreign higher education degree or statment of comparability to a German one - if you did not aquire your degree in Germany.
- Concrete job offer/Presidential offer from TUM
- Declaration of TUM as your future employer (filled out from HR)
- A gross annual income of at least € 56,400.00 (as of 2022)
- Proof of health insurance, latest when the visa is issued
If you did not aquire your degree in Germany you can check if your graduation is recognissed in the data base Anabin. If your degree is not listed in Anabin you to apply for a statement of comparability at the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB).
A Statement of Comparability certifies that your degree is equivalent to a German university degree. Please find out how to apply for a statement of comparability here and find the checklist which documents you have to submit regarding the country of your academic graduation.
3. Visa appointment
To apply for the visa you have to submit your file personally at the German Embassy. Please bring the original documents with two photocopies of each as listed above and maybe more documents as required from your relevant German Embassy. Moreover have the actual visa fee of about 75€ ready to pay.
After your Visa EU Blue Card is issued you can enter Germany.
EU Blue Card
The EU Blue Card (Section 18b (2) AufenthG (German Residence Act)) is a temporary residence permit for foreign academics seeking qualified employment in Germany.
It is issued for a period of four years as a matter of principle. If the duration of the employment contract is shorter than four years, the EU Blue Card is issued for the duration of the employment contract, plus three months. It can be extended if the requirements are met. A permit from the competent immigration authority is required for any change of job within the first two years of employment. The conditions for granting the Blue Card will then be re-examined.
Conditions
You must meet the following pre-conditions in order to obtain an EU Blue Card:
- You are a graduate: If you did not acquire your degree in Germany, it must either be recognised or comparable to a German degree. You can check if your graduation is recognissed in the data base Anabin. If that is not the case you have to apply for a statement of comparability at the Central Office for Foreign Education / Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen (ZAB).
- You have an employment contract or a binding job offer.
- You have a minimum annual gross salary of 56.800 Euros. A reduced minimum annual gross salary of 44.304 Euros applies to employment in the occupational fields of mathematics, computer science, the natural sciences, engineering and human medicine (not including dentistry)
- The employment must match the qualification.
Your salary must meet the threshold regardless of your working time model. Part-time positions are not calculated on a pro rata basis. The income limits are valid for the year 2021 and are adjusted annually.
Benefits of the residence title
An EU Blue Card can be applied for in all EU Member States apart from Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Slight differences apply with regard to the conditions, such as the amount of the gross annual salary.
- There is a legal entitlement to an EU Blue Card if the conditions are met.
- Relaxation of the conditions for family reunification: Your family members enjoy less stringent conditions pertaining to family reunification. Spouses are entitled to issuance of a residence title without requiring a knowledge of German, for example, and are granted immediate and unlimited permission to take up employment.
- Faster acquisition of a settlement permit: Holders of an EU Blue Card will receive a settlement permit after 33 months in Germany if they have been in highly-qualified employment and paid contributions into a pension fund during this period, and are able to make themselves understood in German on a basic level. The qualification period is shortened to 21 months for persons with an adequate knowledge of German (level B1).
Change of Employer
The EU Blue Card is tied to your employer. You need the Foreigners Office's permission if you want to change to a new employer within the first two years of your stay.