EU Blue Card

The Blue Card is an EU residence permit aimed at highly educated workers. It originates from the EU Blue Card Directive 2021/1882. The Blue Card is similar to the Highly Skilled migrant scheme in many respects but has some distinctive differences.

Requirements

The EU Blue Card has two main requirements:

  • Income: To qualify for the permit, as of January 1, 2026, one must earn a salary of at least € 5942 gross per month, excluding 8% holiday pay. Unlike the highly skilled migrant scheme, which differentiates salary levels for individuals under and over 30, the Blue Card maintains a single salary requirement regardless of age.
  • Reduced Salary Criterion: The reduced salary criterion is €4357 gross per month for graduates who have completed higher education up to three years prior to the application.
  • Educational Level: Besides the minimum education requirement of at least a three-year bachelor’s degree, work experience is also considered proof of higher professional qualifications. Professional experience of at least five years is accepted as evidence of higher professional skills. This is another difference from the knowledge migrant scheme, which does not require an educational level. Diplomas must be evaluated by IDW.
  • An additional requirement is that the employment contract must be valid for at least six months.
  • A key difference from the knowledge migrant scheme is that the Blue Card does not require the employer to be a recognized sponsor.
  • The employer must show economic activity. This requirement stems from the concern that one can use a mailbox corporation for the purpose of enabling residency under this scheme. Generally, economic activity is accepted if it is shown that the employing company already has other persons on its payroll. But the IND will also accept other means of proof to show economic activity.
Residency Rights

The permit is issued for a minimum of six months and a maximum of four years. The Blue Card can be extended. Although the permit is directly derived from an EU directive, the Blue Card only allows one to live and work in the country that issued the Blue Card. For instance, if Belgium issued the Blue Card, the holder is only allowed to live and work in Belgium and not elsewhere in the EU. To live and work elsewhere, the Blue Card must be applied for again in that specific EU member state.

One of the advantages of the Blue Card is that the duration of stay in the first member state before availing long-term mobility has been reduced from eighteen months to twelve months. (Note that ‘long-term mobility’ means that the individual can transfer the accumulated period of residence to the new member state instead of having to start over.) This enables Blue Card holders to qualify more quickly for an EU long-term resident permit, even as they move to other EU member states.

If one has held a Blue Card in another EU member state for 12 months or longer, he/she is exempt from the so-called Mvv requirement. This condition generally means that an applicant must await the outcome of the application procedure from their country of origin or residence. The aforementioned exemption allows individuals to come directly to the Netherlands and await the outcome of the procedure there.

Furthermore, family members of Blue Card holders have unlimited access to the labor market. They can work for any employer without prior permission or specific requirements. Ironically, in this regard, they have more rights than their host, who is bound to a single employer.

EU Blue Card vs. Highly Skilled Migrant Scheme

Is the national highly skilled migrant scheme overshadowed by the Blue Card with this level playing field? Certainly not. There are still several differences with the Blue Card that in many cases make opting for the highly skilled migrant scheme more attractive:

  • Unlike the EU Blue Card, the highly skilled migrant scheme has a lower salary norm for persons under 30, namely €3,909 gross per month.
  • The reduced salary criterion for recent graduates is €2,801 gross per month compared to €4,265 for the Blue Card.
  • The highly skilled migrant scheme, unlike the Blue Card, does not have a formal requirement of higher professional skills. However, the requirement of salary market conformity does apply to the highly skilled migrant scheme, wherein the ‘professional skills’ of the candidate indeed play a role.

If you have questions about the EU Blue Card, feel free to contact us. You can call us at 020 223 2466 or send an email to info@arslanlitadvocaten.nl. We are happy to assist you!