EU Blue Card

The EU Blue Card is a work and residence permit that allows highly qualified non-EU nationals to live and work in participating European Union member states. To qualify, applicants generally must hold a recognised higher education qualification, have a job offer meeting a salary threshold, and have a work contract of at least six months. A revised EU Blue Card Directive came into force in 2021, lowering salary thresholds and making it easier to move between EU member states. It is not available in Denmark and Ireland, which opted out of the scheme.