The German Blue Card: How to Apply at Your Local German Embassy or Consulate
This page details how, where and when to apply for a German Blue Card at your local German embassy or consulate. It covers the application and document requirements as well as information for booking and attending Blue Card appointments at your local German mission.
❗ Note: We endeavour to keep our visa information up to date. However, before applying, we recommend always cross-referencing our information with the official application information from the German embassy or consulate where you will be applying for the visa.
The German Blue Card is a work permit that is issued to highly-qualified non-EU citizens and allows you to live and work in Germany.
Note: To apply for the German Blue Card, you first need a suitable job offer from a company based in Germany. If you are yet to secure a job in Germany, check out our free job hunting resources below.
✔️ How to find a job in Berlin
✔️ How to find an English-speaking job in Berlin
✔️ Top 300+ business and startup employers in Berlin
✔️ Best board job boards in Germany
✔️ Our job board of English-speaking opportunities in Berlin
Who is this page for?
👨💼 We have divided the information regarding the German Blue Card into two pages – this page details how to apply for a German Blue Card at a German consulate or embassy before you enter Germany.
🌍 If you are from Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, the United States, or the United Kingdom, you can also apply for a Working Visa after entering Germany. Citizens from these countries are permitted to enter Germany for a 90-day period without requiring a visa and can then apply for the German Blue Card directly at an immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) in Germany. We have provided full instructions on how to do this in our guide on applying for the German Blue Card at the immigration office in Berlin.
🛑 Citizens from all other countries must first apply for a temporary work permit at a German embassy/consulate before entering Germany and can then upgrade to a full German Blue Card once in Germany.
Who can apply for a German Blue Card?
You can apply for a Blue Card for Germany if you:
✔️ hold a university degree that is recognised in Germany.
and
✔️ have secured qualified employment that pays a minimum gross salary of €45,300 per annum.
or
✔️ have secured qualified employment that pays a minimum gross salary of €41,041.80 per annum and you completed your university qualification less than 3 years ago.
or
✔️ have secured qualified employment that pays a minimum gross salary of €41,041.80 per annum and you work in a shortage occupation.
Here are some of the professions that are currently considered shortage occupations in Germany:
Scientists in natural science disciplines
Mathematicians
Architects
Interior, urban and traffic planners
Designers
Engineers
Scientific engineers
Physicians
Dentists
Vets
Pharmacists
Nurses
Those with academic qualifications in information and communications technology.
For a full list of shortage occupations, see here.
❗ Note: IT specialists and IT managers can apply for the Blue Card even if they do not have a university degree if they can prove that they have acquired a minimum of 3 years of relevant professional experience in the last 7 years.
How to apply for the German Blue Card at your local German embassy/consulate
1️⃣ Check if your degree is listed on Anabin and, if not, apply for it to be assessed by the Central Office for Foreign Education Affairs (ZAB)
2️⃣ Apply for a temporary work permit at your local German embassy or consulate
3️⃣ Move to Germany. Register at an address (Anmeldung) and start work on temporary work permit
4️⃣ Upgrade temporary work permit to a full German Blue Card at an immigration office in Germany
1️⃣ Having your university qualifications recognised in Germany
🎓 You must have a university-level qualification that is recognised in Germany to apply for the German Blue Card. To prove that your qualification is recognised in Germany, you have two options:
Find your qualification on the Anabin database
Apply for a Statement of Comparability from the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB).
We have laid out the two options below.
Finding your qualification on the Anabin database
The Anabin database lists foreign degrees and higher education qualifications in relation to German diplomas and degrees. To help you find if your institution, degree type or specific degree is recognised on Anabin, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide on how to search the Anabin database.
When applying for the German Blue Card at a German embassy or consulate (step 2 below), you should submit your original degree certificate together with screenshots from the Anabin database which show that your university institution (e.g. University of Melbourne) is recognised in Germany and that your degree type (e.g. Bachelor’s of Engineering) is equivalent to a German one.
❗ Note: If your university institution is not listed on Anabin or is classified as ‘H+/-’, or if your degree type is not listed, you need to have your degree assessed via the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) prior to your German Blue Card appointment at the German embassy or consulate. For instructions on how to do this, see the Statement of Comparability section below.
Applying for a Statement of Comparability
The Statement of Comparability is a document issued by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) that describes your foreign higher education qualification. It is a comparative assessment which specifies the German qualification that your foreign qualification is comparable to.
To help you with the process, we have put together a full guide on how to apply for the Statement of Comparability.
In addition, here is some useful information regarding the Statement of Comparability process to get you started:
The cost for this evaluation is €200 and can take up to three months.
The documentation requirements for your Statement of Comparability application depend on which country you are from. Please find the requirements for your country here. Note that certain documents need to be translated and certified so make sure you read the documentation requirements for your country carefully. Incomplete applications will not be accepted by ZAB.
Once you have gathered all the relevant documentation, complete ZAB’s online application form.
When you hit 'send' at the bottom of the online application form, a hard copy will be generated, which you are required to sign and send by post to the address given on the application form along with all your documentation.
Following the receipt of your application, ZAB will send you an email regarding payment for the assessment. Processing of your application will only begin once the payment has been received. Here is a summary of the payment procedure from ZAB:
Once the assessment is completed by ZAB, a long and a short version of the Statement of Comparability is issued. The short version should be included in your German Working Visa application at the German embassy or consulate.
2️⃣ Apply for temporary work permit at your local German embassy or consulate
The application requirements for the German Blue Card vary slightly depending on the embassy/consulate where you will be applying. Therefore, we always recommend that you check the specific application requirements at your local embassy/consulate prior to applying.
What does your new German employer need to do?
From the employer’s side of things, the German Blue Card process is extremely simple. Your new employer just needs to carry out two steps:
✅ Issue you a work contract which details your role, how many hours you will be working and your gross salary.
✅ Provide a completed declaration of employment form (Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis)
What do you need to do?
📅 Once you have been offered a job and been issued a work contract, the first task is to book an appointment for a national/long-term visa at your local German embassy or consulate. You can find your local embassy or consulate here.
Once on the relevant Germany embassy/consulate website, navigate to the section for national visas (often called ‘Long-term visas’ or ‘Visas for more than 90-day stays’).
Here you will be able to access the embassy/consulate appointment booking platform where you can schedule a national visa appointment.
Once you have your visa appointment scheduled, it is time to start preparing your German Blue Card application. Read on for details about the documents you will need to submit in your application…
Essential Documents for your German Blue Card application
Listed below are the documents you will need to prepare in order to apply for the German Blue Card at a Germany embassy/consulate overseas. Ensure you submit the original documents and two copies of everything listed below.
✅ A valid passport and two photocopies of the passport data page
Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months longer than the intended stay, have at least 2 free pages, and not be older than 10 years old.
✅ Two current biometric passport photos
Guidelines recommend a 35mm x 45mm frontal shot with neutral facial expression and closed mouth, looking straight into the camera with a light background.
✅ Two completed visa application forms (Antrag auf Erteilung eines nationalen Visums)
You can download a blank copy of the form here.
✅ Employment contract
You should provide both the original contract and a copy. The contract must include details of your gross salary.
✅ Declaration of employment form (Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis)
This should be completed and signed by your employer.
✅ University degree/qualification certificate
This must be a "qualification from a German Hochschule, an accredited foreign university or university college qualification, or a foreign university or university college qualification comparable to a German Hochschule qualification".
To find out if your qualification is recognised in Germany, follow the instructions in step 1 above for searching the Anabin database or applying to ZAB for a Statement of Comparability.
Along with your graduation certificate/diploma, you must bring either a screenshot from Anabin or a ZAB Statement of Comparability.
✅ Confirmation of German health insurance (Mitgliedsbescheinigung)
Once you have received an employment contract, you are eligible to sign up for German public health insurance.
For this, our favourite German health insurance provider is:
TK meets all the requirements for your German Blue Card application and is one of the most expat-friendly insurance providers in Germany offering great customer support and suitable healthcare coverage. They can get you registered and provide the necessary documentation for your German Blue Card application via email within 48 hours of signing up. To sign up for TK right away, follow this link. For further details of why TK insurance is a good choice, see here.
We always like to suggest alternatives, so we also recommend checking out the health insurance offerings from two other leading public health insurance providers in Germany:
However, your German public health insurance policy (TK) will only start on your first day of work (start date in your contract). If you are arriving in Germany prior to your employment start date, you must also take out a travel insurance policy that covers you between the date you arrive in Germany and the date you start working. For travel insurance, we like World Nomads.
✅ Proof of accommodation
This is not requested by all embassies or consulates but some request that you provide confirmation of booked accommodation in Germany.
✅ CV
Your CV should include details of your qualifications, certificates, diplomas, experience, etc. It can be beneficial to provide your CV in German. Check out lingoking for a fast and affordable translation service.
Processing of your visa application at your local German embassy/consulate
📄 After submitting your application documents at your appointment at the German embassy/consulate, your application will take one of two routes depending on your situation:
Approval granted by the German embassy/consulate
If your annual gross income is over €45,300, you do not need approval from the German Federal Employment Agency to be approved for a temporary work permit for Germany and the embassy/consulate has the authority to approve your application themselves.
In this scenario, the embassy/consulate will process your application in line with their standard processing procedures and you will likely receive approval within two weeks of your appointment.
Approval needed from the German Federal Employment Agency
If your salary is below €41,041.80 and you graduated within the last 3 years or are applying in a shortage occupation, then the embassy/consulate will send your German Blue Card application to the German Federal Employment Agency for assessment. The Federal Employment Agency will take at least 4 weeks to grant approval. Once approved, the embassy/consulate will process your application in line with their standard processing procedures.
If the Federal Employment Agency deem that you are not eligible for a German Blue Card, the embassy/consulate will contact you and provide the reason for being declined. This will be communicated via post or email.
As approval is not guaranteed, do not book flights until your application has been approved.
🎉 If successful with your German Blue Card application, the German embassy/consulate will actually only issue you with a 90-day (sometimes 180-day) temporary work permit for Germany. This allows you to move to Germany and start working, but you still need to upgrade your temporary work permit to a full German Blue Card after your arrival in Germany.
For instructions on how to upgrade to a full German Blue Card once in Germany, see steps 3 and 4 below.
3️⃣ Move to Germany. Register at an address (Anmeldung) and start work on a temporary work permit
As mentioned above, if your application is approved at the German embassy/consulate, this will be a 90/180-day temporary work permit that entitles you to move to Germany and to start working.
During this 90/180-day period, it is essential that you complete the following step in order to stay longer-term in Germany:
🏠 Complete your Anmeldung
To upgrade your temporary work permit to a full German Blue Card at an immigration office in Germany, you must first have officially registered at an address in Germany, a process that is known as Anmeldung. Without an Anmeldung certificate, you will not be able to upgrade to a full German Blue Card (see step 4 below).
If you need to quickly register at an address in Berlin, then you may be interested in booking a furnished apartment with Smartments. Smartments provide well-located, studio accommodation and offer Anmeldung so long as you book for at least 14 nights. By opting for Smartments, you can get registered within days of arriving in Berlin.
Once you have completed your Anmeldung, you are ready to move on to step 4 and upgrade your temporary 90/180-day work permit to a full German Blue Card at an immigration office in Germany.
4️⃣ Upgrade temporary work permit to full German Blue Card at immigration office in Germany
As we are Berlin-based, we have laid out the process for upgrading to a full German Blue Card at the immigration office in Berlin. If you are working elsewhere in Germany, then we recommend getting in touch with your local immigration office for further info. However, the application requirements are likely to be similar to in Berlin so the recommendations below will hopefully still prove helpful.
Scheduling a German Blue Card appointment at the immigration office in Berlin
📅 Once you arrive in Berlin on a temporary work permit, you then have 90/180 days in which to register at an address (step 3 above) and apply for your full German Blue Card at the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) in Berlin. To apply for the German Blue Card, you will first need to schedule an appointment at the immigration office in Berlin.
Follow the link to book a Blue Card appointment on the immigration office's online booking platform.
Once on the booking platform, click on the ‘Book Appointment’ button to start the process.
Select the visa you wish to apply for. You will then be shown a calendar with available appointments:
Available appointments show up in blue. Select an available appointment from the calendar and enter your personal details in the appointment booking form to complete the booking.
If there are no appointments currently available, you will be shown the following message:
If you are shown this message, you need to wait for the next batch of appointments to be released by the immigration office. Visa appointments are released sporadically throughout the week so we recommend checking the appointment booking platform multiple times a day from around 7 a.m.
Once you have managed to schedule an appointment, you will be emailed a booking confirmation that will detail the time, date and location of your German Blue Card appointment.
For more detailed instructions, see our guide on how and when to book a Blue Card appointment at the immigration office in Berlin.
Can I just turn up at the Berlin immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) for a same-day appointment?
🛑 Unfortunately not. For a German Blue Card application in Berlin, you must have an appointment in order to be able to submit your application documents. If you do not have an appointment, you will be turned away at the immigration office.
Where to apply for the German Blue Card in Berlin
🧭 Once you have scheduled an appointment, you will receive an appointment confirmation in your inbox laying out when and where to apply for the German Blue Card. In all cases, German Blue Card applications are processed at the following immigration office: Keplerstraße 2, 10589 Berlin
We have included a picture of the immigration office below. When you arrive at the address for your appointment, just go down the short driveway and the entrance will be on your left. There will be a security guard present to point you in the right direction to the visa waiting rooms.
Essential Documents for upgrading your temporary work permit to a full German Blue Card at the immigration office in Berlin
✅ A valid passport
✅ One current biometric passport photo
✅ Address registration certificate (Anmeldebestätigung or Meldebescheinigung)
In order to upgrade your temporary work permit to a German Blue Card in Berlin, you must first be officially registered at an address in Berlin, a process that is known as Anmeldung. Without Anmeldung, you can’t upgrade your visa so it’s important to get this important administrative step out of the way as soon as possible after arriving in Berlin.
If you are struggling to find accommodation that allows address registration, then you may be interested in booking a furnished apartment with Smartments. Smartments provide well-located, studio accommodation and offer Anmeldung so long as you book for at least 14 nights. By opting for Smartments, you can get registered within days of arriving in Berlin.
✅ Completed 'Application for Issuance of a Residence Permit' form (Antrag auf Erteilung eines Aufenthaltstitels)
You can download the form here
✅ Employment contract
The original contract and a copy.
✅ University degree/qualification
Along with your graduation certificate/diploma, you must bring either a screenshot from Anabin or a ZAB Statement of Comparability. For details of how to obtain these documents, see step 1 above.
✅ Confirmation of German public health insurance (Mitgliedsbescheinigung)
If you opted to sign up for German public health insurance when applying for your German Blue Card overseas (as described in step 2 above), then you can use the same health insurance confirmation document at your German Blue Card appointment in Berlin.
If you are yet to sign up for German public health insurance, we suggest you sign up for the following policy prior to your visa appointment:
TK meets all the legal requirements for your German Blue Card application and is the most expat-friendly insurance provider in Germany offering great customer support and extensive healthcare coverage. TK can get you signed up and provide the necessary documentation for your German Blue Card application via email within 48 hours of signing up.
✅ Confirmation of employment (Arbeitgeberbescheinigung)
This is a confirmation of employment that can be provided by your employer. It must not be more than 14 days old.
Processing of the German Blue Card at the immigration office in Berlin
🏛️ When arriving at the immigration office at Keplerstraße 2, 10589 Berlin, bring a copy of your visa appointment confirmation to show the security guard. Once in the building, go to the waiting room specified on the appointment confirmation.
Your appointment confirmation will also include your Waiting Number:
When your Waiting Number is displayed on the screen, it will be accompanied by a room number, which is where your German Blue Card will be processed. All you are required to do is go to your designated room and hand over all of the documents listed above to the immigration office staff member, who will process your application.
As the German Blue Card takes 6 weeks to process, remember to request another temporary work permit in your immigration office appointment if you do not have sufficient time left on your original work permit that you received after being approved overseas (step 2 above).
The new temporary work permit will be issued on the spot and will allow you to continue working while your German Blue Card is processing. The cost for the temporary work permit is €56 and the German Blue Card costs an additional €100.
Once your German Blue Card is ready to be collected, you will be notified and will need to return to the immigration office to have the Blue Card issued.
🎉 Congratulations! If you have reached this stage, you have now successfully completed the process for applying for a German Blue Card.
If you have questions specific to upgrading to a full German Blue Card in Berlin, you can also message the relevant department at the immigration office. For the German Blue Card, you can contact the immigration office via their contact form.