How to Apply for the EU Blue Card at the Immigration Office in Berlin
When it comes to visas for Germany, the EU Blue Card is undoubtedly the cream of the crop. On this page, we lay out exactly how, when and where to apply for an EU Blue Card in Berlin, including taking a detailed look at who is eligible for a Blue Card, what the application requirements are and what documents you need to submit to the immigration office.
Who is this page for?
👨💼 The EU Blue Card is a work visa that is issued to highly qualified non-EU citizens and allows you to live and work in Germany.
🌍 This page is for citizens of Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States who can apply for the EU Blue Card at the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) in Berlin after entering Germany. In short, citizens of these countries are permitted to enter Germany for 90 days without a visa and apply for a EU Blue Card during this period.
🛑 All other nationalities must apply for the EU Blue Card at a German embassy or consulate before entering Germany. For instructions on how to apply for the EU Blue Card at a German consulate or embassy, see here. The only exception to this is if you are already resident in Germany on another visa such as the Job Seekers Visa, Working Holiday Visa or Work Visa and wish to switch on to an EU Blue Card.
❗ 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 Berlin immigration authorities.
Who can apply for the EU 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.
If your employment contract is permanent, the Blue Card will be issued for a 4-year period. If you have a shorter employment contract, the Blue Card will be issued for the length of the contract plus three months.
❗ 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 an EU Blue Card at the Immigration Office in Berlin
1️⃣ Move to Berlin. Enter Germany visa-free for up to 90 days, complete your address registration (Anmeldung) and find a suitable job to apply for the EU Blue Card.
2️⃣ 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).
3️⃣ Apply for the EU Blue Card online.
4️⃣ Attend an appointment for your EU Blue Card application at the immigration office in Berlin.
5️⃣ Receive your Blue Card in the mail.
1️⃣ Move to Berlin.
Enter Germany visa-free for up to 90 days, complete your address registration (Anmeldung) and find a suitable job to apply for the EU Blue Card.
After you arrive in Germany, you will have 90 days to complete two essential things before you are able to apply for the EU Blue Card at the immigration office in Berlin:
🏠 Officially register at an address in Berlin (Anmeldung)
To apply for a Blue Card at the immigration office in Berlin, you must first have registered at an address in Berlin. This process is known as Anmeldung. Without first registering at an address, your visa application will not be accepted by the immigration office.
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.
🧑💼 Find a suitable job
In addition to address registration, you also need a job before you can apply for the Blue Card in Berlin. To kick-start your job hunt, we have put together some free guides:
Once you have registered your address (Anmeldung) and landed a job in Berlin, you are ready to move on to step 2 and can start preparing for your EU Blue Card application at the immigration office in Berlin.
2️⃣ Having your university qualifications recognised in Germany
🎓 You must have a university-level qualification that is recognised in Germany to apply for the Blue Card for Germany. 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 have put together a comprehensive guide on how to search the Anabin database.
When applying for the Blue Card at the immigration office in Berlin, 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 classified as H+ and therefore recognised in Germany and that your degree type (e.g. Bachelor's in Engineering) is deemed equivalent to a German one.
❗Note: If your institution or degree type is not listed on Anabin or if your institution is classified at H+/-, you need to have your degree assessed via the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) prior to your Blue Card appointment in Berlin. 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 guide on how to apply for the Statement of Comparability.
In addition, here is some basic information on the Statement of Comparability process to get you started:
The cost for this evaluation is €200 and can take up to three months. However, if you supply an employment contract that meets the requirements for an EU Blue Card with your Statement of Comparability application, the assessment is usually completed within 2 weeks.
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.
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 Blue Card application at the immigration office in Berlin.
3️⃣ Apply for the EU Blue Card online
The first part of your EU Blue Card application is done online. You do not require an appointment at the immigration office in Berlin in order to apply.
You can access the online application portal here.
Complete your personal details in the online application form before uploading the requested application documents (listed below). The requested documents should be uploaded as PDFs.
Prior to submitting the Blue Card application online, you must pay the online application fee (€100) via Visa/Mastercard, PayPal or GiroPay.
Once you have completed the form, uploaded the relevant files and paid the fee, you will be able to submit the application. You will then receive a PDF confirmation of your application – save and print this as proof of your online submission.
Essential Documents for your EU Blue Card application
Listed below are the documents you will need to prepare in order to apply for the Blue Card in Berlin. Ensure you have the originals and copies of everything listed below.
✅ A valid passport
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.
✅ One current biometric passport photo
Guidelines recommend a 35mm x 45mm frontal shot with neutral facial expression and closed mouth, looking straight into the camera with a light background. You can obtain a biometric photo from the silver photo booths at the main train stations in Berlin. There are three photo booths located at Alexanderplatz train station.
Here is a useful map of all places you can obtain passport photos in Berlin.
✅ Address registration in Berlin (Anmeldung)
In order to apply for any form of visa in Berlin, you must first be officially registered at an address in Berlin, a process that is known as Anmeldung. See our Anmeldung page for details about how to register your address and receive your address registration certificate (Anmeldebestätigung or Meldebescheinigung).
The issue faced by many newcomers to Berlin is that there is currently a significant lack of apartments that offer address registration, which can lead to considerable delays in applying for a visa and ultimately starting work in Berlin.
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.
As failing to register your address can delay your application for a Blue Card in Berlin, we recommend that you book short-term accommodation in Berlin that allows address registration as soon as you know your move date.
✅ Employment contract
The original contract and a copy.
✅ University degree/qualification – original and copy
As stated in the official documentation, 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 our guides on:
Along with your graduation certificate/diploma, you must upload either a screenshot from Anabin or a ZAB Statement of Comparability.
✅ A German translation of your university degree certificate
As well as an original copy of your degree certificate, the immigration office also request a German translation of this certificate. With regards to getting your certificate translated prior to your appointment, check out lingoking, a reliable and competitively priced translation service.
✅ Confirmation of German health insurance (Mitgliedsbescheinigung)
When starting work in Berlin, it is mandatory that you take out German health insurance. Proof that you have German health insurance is also one of the set requirements for applying for a Blue Card in Berlin.
For this, our favourite German health insurance provider is:
Importantly, TK is approved by the Berlin immigration office in 100% of EU Blue Card applications. On top of this, TK is one of the most expat-friendly insurance providers in Berlin and offers great customer support, suitable healthcare coverage and useful services (such as medical appointment booking). They can get you registered and provide the necessary documentation for your 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 Berlin:
For more extensive details about why you need mandatory German health insurance, see our free health insurance guide.
Note: If you are a regular employee in Germany and earn over €69,300 per year, you are also eligible for the German Private Health Insurance System. To find out why this might be a better option for you than public health insurance, see our guide on private health insurance in Germany.
✅ Rental agreement + proof of rental payment
The immigration office also require you to show a rental agreement (which details the living space) as well as a bank statement showing payment of your monthly rent.
✅ Completed "Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis" form (Job description form)
To be completed and signed by your employer. You can download the form here.
✅ Occupation practice permits (if necessary)
In Germany, certain professions (doctors, accountants, etc.) need specific qualifications and permits to work in Germany. You can find out the specific requirements for your profession here.
As mentioned, once you have uploaded and submitted these files via the Berlin immigration office’s online application portal, you will be shown a PDF as proof of your submission.
4️⃣ Attend an appointment for your EU Blue Card application at the immigration office in Berlin.
Once you have submitted your Blue Card application online, your documents will be processed, after which you will be invited via email to an appointment at the Berlin immigration office. It can take a number of weeks between submitting your application online and being invited for an appointment at the immigration office in Berlin.
🧭 Your appointment confirmation will include the time, date and location of your appointment at the immigration office in Berlin. EU Blue Card applications are processed at the following immigration office:
Here is a picture of the immigration office at Keplerstraße 2. When arriving at the immigration, go down the short driveway and then the entrance will be on your left. There will also be a security guard to point you in the right direction:
📄 After arriving at the Berlin immigration office, go to the waiting room indicated on your appointment confirmation and wait for your waiting number (Vorgangsnummer) to be displayed on the screen.
When your number is displayed, it will be accompanied by a room number, which is where your Blue Card appointment will take place.
You should bring the following to your EU Blue Card appointment at the immigration office in Berlin:
✅ The appointment confirmation
You will need to show this in order to gain entry to the Berlin immigration office.
✅ Proof of your online submission
When you completed your online application (step 3 above), you will have received a PDF document as proof of your submission – bring this to your appointment.
✅ Original copies of all your application documents
We also recommend bringing hard copies of all your application documents (listed above), including a recent biometric passport photo.
🗣️ Although the appointment is fairly straightforward, you may wish to have a German speaker with you. For this, we recommend getting in touch with Go Easy Berlin who can offer translation services at your appointment – if contacting Go Easy Berlin, mention that Nomaden Berlin referred you for a 5% discount on their rates.
5️⃣ Receive your EU Blue Card in the mail.
Approximately 6 weeks after your appointment at the immigration office in Berlin, you will receive your EU Blue Card in the mail at your registered address. The EU Blue Card is a credit-card sized plastic card.
Occasionally, applicants are invited back to the immigration office to collect their EU Blue Card in person. If this is the case, you will receive a letter or email specifying the date, time and processing room that you must go to collect your card.
🎉 Once received, you are fully set and have successfully completed the EU Blue Card application process!
For tips on other aspects of living in Germany, you may also be interested in our other free guides and resources, which include information on:
👍 Documents required to start a job in Berlin