Citizens of third countries, who are specialists with a profession in demand in the EU and have high qualifications, can obtain an “EU Blue Card” (“Blaue Karte EU”). This permit grants both the right to reside and the right to work for a specific employer or as a self-employed person (subject to compliance with established requirements).
Issuance of the “EU Blue Card” was introduced to fill the shortage of personnel and make European countries more attractive for highly qualified specialists, who in turn emigrated from Europe to the USA, Canada or Australia.
The “EU Blue Card” unlike the “Red-White-Red Card” (“Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte”) for particularly highly qualified workers (Besonders Hochqualifizierte) requires an appropriate level of the applicant’s annual salary. At the same time, obtaining such a permit does not involve a scoring system and the obligation to confirm the level of German language proficiency, and provides the opportunity to work as a self-employed person in certain cases.
Applicants for the EU Blue Card must meet certain conditions:
- graduate from a higher education institution with a minimum of 3 years of study;
- receive a binding offer of employment in Austria (for a period of at least 6 months) that corresponds to their professional training;
- receive an annual salary for work that must exceed the average annual gross salary of full-time employees in Austria (as of 2023, the gross annual salary is EUR 45,595);
- the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS) is unable to provide the company with equivalent qualified employees who are registered with the AMS as job seekers.
The relevant documents must be provided to confirm the above data (exception: for the position of a key employee in the field of IT technologies, it is sufficient to confirm at least 3 years of relevant professional experience comparable to a higher education of at least 3 years, which was obtained within the last 7 years before applying for an EU Blue Card).
Other required documents:
- valid ID/passport;
- birth certificate;
- photo taken no more than six months ago (size: 45×35 mm);
- proof of health insurance covering all risks (compulsory insurance or appropriate insurance policy);
- certificate of no criminal record;
- proof of kinship (if necessary);
- type D visa for entry to Austria (if required).
Along with the application, you must also submit an employer’s declaration. This is a confirmation from the company with accurate information about the future place of work.
All submitted documents must be translated into German and apostilled. The application can be submitted by the future employee or his/her potential employer.
For third-country nationals who have previously held or currently hold a valid EU Blue Card in another EU member state, the conditions for obtaining this permit in Austria are somewhat simplified.
As a rule, the EU Blue Card is issued for 2 years. In case the employment contract provides for a shorter duration of employment, this permit is issued for a period of 3 months longer than the duration of the employment contract. The card can be extended for 3 years at once, and later, a permanent residence permit can be obtained.
If the holder of the EU Blue Card has worked for at least 21 out of 24 months, he/she is entitled to receive the “Red-White-Red Card Plus” (“Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus”), which gives unlimited access to the labor market in Austria.
You can always contact the VigoLex team. Our lawyers are ready to answer your questions and help you with obtaining the EU Blue Card.