EU Blue Card

What it means

The EU Blue Card is a residence and work permit for highly qualified nationals of non-EU countries. It combines residence and work authorisation in one document and is intended for people with a university degree or comparable professional experience who have an employment contract paying above a statutory threshold.

Compared with the usual route for employing foreign nationals, it offers advantages: a faster procedure, an easier change of employer after a certain time, better conditions for family members and, after a few years, the option to move to a job in another EU country.

The application is filed with the foreign police, and for some positions the labour office is also involved. The conditions, especially the minimum salary and qualification requirements, are adjusted regularly and must be checked as at the date of application.

How it works in practice

For the employer, the key is an employment contract that meets the Blue Card conditions, particularly salary and duration. The salary must actually be paid at the agreed level, because it is checked after the card is issued too.

Once the employee starts, they are registered with the Social Insurance Agency and a health insurer like any other employee. For tax, their residence is assessed, and if they arrive during the year they may be non-resident for part of it.

The employer has notification duties towards the authorities, for example when employment ends. For foreign staff we recommend keeping a calendar of document expiry dates so that nobody works without a valid permit.

What to watch out for

The most common mistake is agreeing a salary just above the threshold and later reducing it, for instance when hours change. Dropping below the threshold can mean losing the authorisation and employing someone without a permit, with heavy fines for the employer.

The second risk is starting work before the card is issued. Until a foreign national has a valid permit, they may not work, not even “on trial”. At an inspection this is illegal employment with serious consequences.