If you already have the necessary information about what a Blue Card is and to whom it can be issued, and you have definitely decided that Germany is the country where you would like to live and work, then there is only one thing left to do: start the application process.
But here the question arises: where should I start?
Relocating to Germany on the Blue Card: the first steps
The first thing to understand is that it is not the Blue Card that entitles you to work, but the employment contract with your employer that allows you to get it. So a rough plan of what you should do is as follows:- Conclude an employment contract with a German employer, under which the amount of your annual salary will be at least €52,000 (€40,000 for particularly in-demand specialists). A job offer is also suitable for an interview, but under the same financial terms.
- Submit the documents to your country’s embassy and obtain a National visa – Type D, which will allow you to leave and start working in Germany. The process is not as simple as it sounds: gather your documentation package, have it translated into German, have it certified, and make two copies of each. Then carefully station them in three folders – one with the originals and two with copies – according to the list. It will take care and some effort.
- Before you leave, you need to find temporary accommodation and register at that address. You will need the owner’s consent to register, so make sure this is agreed to when you sign the contract.
- When you are already in Germany, you will need to register this residential address, for which you will have to make an appointment at the local equivalent of the district office. This can be done online some time before you arrive, even if you do not know your address at the time. You can make an appointment for one or two months in advance. You must be present at the registration in person.
- Get a tax number. It will be mailed to you at the address you register. Without a tax number, you will not be able to open a bank account and therefore you will not be able to get your wages paid.
- Make an appointment at the Foreigners’ Office (Ausländerbehörde) to apply for the Blue Card. The registration is only made electronically, two to three months in advance.
Blue Card: preparing the necessary documents
We would advise you not to stand idly by waiting for your interview date and collect your documents, but if you have come to this step, you have already collected all the necessary package. You submitted it when you were getting your national visa. This is such a strange bureaucratic feature of German law. We remind you that it is necessary to have:- a valid passport;
- a biometric photo;
- the original and a copy of the education certificate;
- the original and a copy of the work contract or a job offer;
- application for a residence permit;
- occupational license (on request);
- health insurance;
- a special application form completed by the employer (on request).