The EU Blue Card
The EU-wide permit for graduates with a well-paid Austrian job offer — no points test, no quota, and rights that travel across the Union.
In short
- Requires a completed degree from a course of at least three years — or, for IT specialists, three years of comparable experience gained within the last seven.
- The salary rule: at least the average Austrian gross annual salary — EUR 55,678 for 2026, reset each year.
- No quota and no points test; a labour market test applies.
- Issued for 24 months — or, where the employment contract is shorter, for the contract term plus three months; no German required.
- Family members receive the Red-White-Red Card plus with full labour market access and no German test before entry.
- Blue Card periods in other EU member states can ease a later move to Austria — and can count towards long-term residence.
Who qualifies
The EU Blue Card is the Union-wide permit for highly qualified employment, issued in Austria alongside the national Red-White-Red Card. Three conditions carry the application: a qualification, a salary, and a job that matches both.
The qualification is normally a completed course of study of at least three years at a university or comparable tertiary institution. For IT specialists and IT managers, Austria accepts an alternative: at least three years of comparable professional experience acquired within the last seven years. The employment itself must correspond to the qualification — a physics PhD hired as an unrelated office manager will not do.
Unlike the Red-White-Red Card there is no points calculation and no quota. What remains is the labour market test: the Public Employment Service (AMS) confirms that no equally qualified jobseeker registered in Austria can fill the position. For specialised, well-paid roles this is seldom decisive, but it is part of the timeline.
The salary rule
The threshold is defined by reference to the economy, not fixed in the statute: the gross annual salary, including the customary special payments, must reach at least the average gross annual salary of full-time employees in Austria. For applications in 2026 that means EUR 55,678; the figure is recalculated every year, so an offer negotiated late in one year should be checked against the next year's threshold before the application is filed.
Two practical notes. Austrian salaries are customarily paid in fourteen instalments — twelve monthly salaries plus two special payments — so a EUR 55,678 annual package corresponds to roughly EUR 3,980 gross per instalment. And the test is applied to the gross annual salary fixed in the employment contract or binding job offer, so a package that only reaches the threshold through discretionary bonuses invites questions.
Blue Card or Red-White-Red Card?
Most candidates who qualify for one would qualify for the other, so the choice is tactical. The short version: the Red-White-Red key-worker route has a much lower salary bar; the Blue Card needs no points file and travels better across the EU.
| Criterion | EU Blue Card | Red-White-Red Card (key workers) |
|---|---|---|
| Degree required | Yes (three-year course), or three years' comparable IT experience | No — points can come from training, experience, language and age |
| Points test | None | 55 of 90 points |
| Salary threshold | ≥ EUR 55,678 gross per year (2026) | ≥ EUR 3,465 gross per month (2026) |
| German required | No | No |
| Quota | None | None |
| Labour market test | Yes | Yes |
| Validity | 24 months, or the contract term plus three months for shorter contracts | 24 months |
| Changing employer | After 12 months without a fresh labour market test | New application while the first card runs |
| EU mobility | Simplified onward move after 12 months in another member state | National permit only |
| Family | Red-White-Red Card plus, no German before entry | Red-White-Red Card plus; A1 German before entry for family members aged 14 and over |
Family and mobility across the Union
Family members — spouse, registered partner and children under 18 — receive the Red-White-Red Card plus, with immediate and unrestricted access to the Austrian labour market. Unlike the families of most Red-White-Red Card holders, they are exempt from proving German before entry — an advantage the Blue Card shares only with the very-highly-qualified and researcher routes — and no quota applies; the wider rules are set out under family reunification.
Mobility is the Blue Card's distinctive asset. A holder who has spent twelve months on a Blue Card in another EU member state — six, where that card directly followed a Blue Card from a further member state — may move to Austria for qualified employment under simplified conditions. The application may be made from within the country, but unless it was lodged abroad it must be filed within one month of entry; the authority then has 30 days to decide, and the applicant stays lawfully in Austria until it does. Within Austria, the card also loosens over time: after twelve months of employment the holder may change employers without a fresh labour market test. For internationally mobile professionals who may not stay in one country for good, this portability is often what tips the choice away from the national card.
The longer game
Five years of settled residence lead to the EU long-term residence permit; for Blue Card holders, periods spent on a Blue Card in other member states can count towards the five years under conditions, with the final stretch spent in Austria. Ten years — six in privileged cases — open the way to citizenship.
As with any employment-based move, the immigration file is the easy half. Starting work in Austria starts Austrian tax residence, and a relocating executive's stock options, deferred bonuses and investment portfolio deserve a look before the first working day — the reasons are set out under pre-immigration planning, and the sequencing under the relocation timeline. The immigration hub compares this card with every other route.
Questions on this page
What salary do I need for an EU Blue Card in Austria?
At least the average Austrian gross annual salary — EUR 55,678 for applications in 2026, including the customary 13th and 14th salaries. The figure is reset each year.
Do I need a university degree for the Blue Card?
Generally yes — a completed degree from a course of at least three years. IT specialists and managers can substitute three years of comparable professional experience gained within the last seven years.
Is there a quota or points test for the EU Blue Card?
No. The Blue Card has neither a quota nor a points calculation. A labour market test applies instead: the Public Employment Service checks that no equally qualified registered jobseeker is available for the role.
Can I move to Austria with a Blue Card from another EU country?
Yes. After twelve months holding an EU Blue Card in another member state — six if that card directly followed a Blue Card from a further member state — you can move to Austria for employment under simplified conditions. The application may be made from within the country, but unless it was lodged abroad it must be filed within one month of entry.
Considering a move to Austria?
Tell us where you stand — the country you are leaving, the shape of your family and your assets, and when you plan to move. We advise on the legal and tax consequences of relocating to Austria and coordinate with advisers in the country of departure.
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