EU Blue Card in Berlin: Requirements, Application and Tech Jobs (2026)

Who qualifies for the EU Blue Card

The EU Blue Card (Blaue Karte EU) is issued under § 18g of the German Residence Act (AufenthG). Three requirements apply regardless of which German city you work in:

1. A job offer: a signed employment contract or concrete job offer from a German employer for a position lasting at least 6 months (§ 18g(3) AufenthG).
2. A salary above the statutory threshold: €45,934.20 gross per year for shortage occupations (all ICT and software roles under ISCO-08 groups 133 and 25), or €50,700 for all other professions. These are the 2026 figures published by the Federal Ministry of the Interior on 18 December 2025 under § 18g(7) AufenthG.
3. A recognised qualification:a foreign university degree comparable to at least a German bachelor’s (ISCED 2011 level 6), verified via the anabin database. IT professionals without a formal degree may qualify under § 18g(2) with at least 3 years of relevant IT experience in the last 7 years.

Where to apply in Berlin: the Landesamt für Einwanderung

Once you have entered Germany on a national visa (applied for at a German mission in your home country), you register your residence at the local Bürgeramt. After registration, you apply for the Blue Card residence permit at:

The LEA also handles all subsequent steps: extension of the Blue Card before expiry, and the eventual settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) application after 21 or 27 months.

Berlin’s LEA is one of the most heavily loaded immigration offices in Germany. Appointment availability fluctuates. If your employer is willing to initiate the § 81a Vorabzustimmung fast-track procedure before you leave your home country, the Ausländerbehörde involvement happens in Germany ahead of your visa application, and total processing time reduces to approximately 4–6 weeks. The fast-track costs €411, paid by the employer to the Ausländerbehörde. Most large Berlin tech companies handle this routinely.

Document checklist

Identity

• Valid passport (at least 6 months validity beyond your intended stay)
• Biometric passport photo (35 × 45 mm, white background)
• Completed national visa application form (Antrag auf Erteilung eines nationalen Visums)

Job offer

• Signed employment contract or concrete job offer from your Berlin employer
• Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis form, completed and signed by the employer — this is a separate form; the employment contract alone is not sufficient
• The position must be for at least 6 months and must meet the salary threshold

Degree and academic documents

• Original degree certificate
• Official transcripts or mark sheets from all semesters
• Notarized translation into German or English if the originals are in another language
• If your university is rated H+/- in anabin, or your specific degree programme is not listed: a ZAB Statement of Comparability (Zeugnisbewertung). Processing takes approximately 2 weeks when a German work contract is attached.

Financial and employment documents

• Last 3 months of payslips from your current employer
• Last 3–6 months of bank statements
• No blocked account (Sperrkonto) required — the Blue Card salary is sufficient

Worked example: Aarav, software engineer from Pune to Berlin

Aarav holds a B.Tech in Computer Science from Pune University (rated H+ in anabin). He has 5 years of experience as a backend engineer at a Pune-based fintech company. He has been offered a senior backend engineer role at a Berlin-based fintech scale-up for €68,000 gross per year.

His salary of €68,000 exceeds the shortage occupation threshold of €45,934.20. His degree is from an H+ university and the programme is listed as “entspricht” in anabin. His role falls under ISCO-08 group 2512 (software developer). He qualifies for the EU Blue Card under § 18g(1) AufenthG.

Aarav applies at the German Consulate General Mumbai (his place of residence). His employer initiates the § 81a Vorabzustimmung at the LEA Berlin in parallel. Total processing time: approximately 5 weeks. After arrival, Aarav registers at his Berlin Bürgeramt and collects the Blue Card sticker at the LEA appointment already scheduled by his employer’s HR team.

Common mistakes

1. Relying only on the employment contract. The LEA and the consulate both require the Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis form, which is a separate document from the employment contract. Many first-time applicants miss this.
2. Not checking anabin before the appointment. If your university is H+/- and your specific degree programme is not listed in the anabin comments field, you will need a ZAB Zeugnisbewertung. Obtaining this after the appointment request delays the process by 2–4 weeks. Check anabin before booking.
3. Missing mark sheets. For degrees from India and several other countries, semester-by-semester mark sheets are required in addition to the final degree certificate. A missing mark sheet for even one semester causes a return request.
4. Booking an LEA appointment too late. Berlin appointment slots fill quickly. As soon as your national visa is issued, book your LEA appointment. You can also work on your national visa while waiting for the Blue Card sticker appointment.
5. Using outdated salary figures. The 2026 thresholds are €45,934.20 (shortage) and €50,700 (general). Offers referencing 2024 or 2025 figures may be below the current legal minimum. Confirm the figure with your employer before signing.

Tech jobs in Berlin

Berlin has more than 3,000 tech and digital companies, including Zalando, Delivery Hero, HelloFresh, AUTO1 Group, N26, SumUp, and Wunderflats, alongside a large number of Series A and B startups. Roles in software engineering, data engineering, DevOps, and product management are consistently available across the sector.

Most of these roles qualify for the shortage occupation threshold of €45,934.20, though senior and lead positions typically offer significantly more. Entry-level roles at €45,000–€55,000 are common; senior engineer roles in Berlin commonly reach €70,000–€90,000 depending on the company stage and specialisation.

When you need a lawyer

Most straightforward Berlin Blue Card applications do not require a lawyer. Consider one if:

• Your university is H+/- and your specific degree is unlisted in anabin
• You are applying via the IT exception (§ 18g(2)) without a formal degree
• Your profession is regulated (medicine, pharmacy, architecture)
• You are 45 or older: there is an additional pension provision requirement if salary is below €55,770
• Your employer needs help initiating the § 81a Vorabzustimmung at the LEA

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• § 18g AufenthG: EU Blue Card, Bundesministerium der Justiz
• § 18c AufenthG: Settlement permit (post-March 2024 reform)
• EU Blue Card, Make it in Germany, Federal Government portal
• EU Blue Card, BAMF
• anabin database, KMK Central Office for Foreign Education
• LEA Berlin appointment booking, Berlin.de

We are not a law firm. This page provides general information only, not legal advice. Always verify current requirements with the relevant German authority before applying.