Welcome
Visa for a Blue Card (EU) for IT specialists
Skilled workers with an academic education apply for a Blue Card (EU) visa to take up employment in Germany - simply online via the international portal or on site at the relevant diplomatic mission abroad.
General Information
Prerequisite for a Blue Card (EU)
To apply for the Blue Card (EU) for IT professionals in Germany you will need
- To have a formally recognised academic or tertiary-level qualification in IT or at least 3 years of work experience on an academic level in the IT sector during the previous 7 years (in this case consent of the Federal Employment Agency is required)
- a contract of employment/job offer (at least six months) in Germany that requires you to have the above-mentioned IT skills
- a minimum annual gross salary of EUR 43.759,80,-/ EUR 3.646,65 monthly. In these cases, the consent of the Federal Employment Agency is required (unless salary threshold stands at a minimum of €48,300).
Should you not meet the minimum wage, you are eligible to apply for a ‘normal’ employment visa for IT-specialist but not an EU Blue Card
Online Application for the Blue Card Visa via Consular Services Portal
You can easily apply for your Blue Card Visa online via the Consular Services Portal of the Federal Foreign Office. You need to compile the necessary document personally followed by a pre-check of your application You can check the status of your application online at any time. Please refrain from any status enquires, as these will not be answered.
This is how the online application works:
Step 1: Complete your application form online and upload all and correct documents.
Step 2: Submit your application. Your details and documents will be pre-checked once for completeness. You will receive feedback online. If your application is complete, you will receive a link to book your appointment.
Step 3: Use the link you receive to book an appointment online at your diplomatic mission abroad. You may only apply for your appointment once your documents have been pre-checked.
Step 4: Attend your appointment on site at the Embassy. During this appointment, you need to provide the checklist (see below), a biometric passport photo, originals of your documents (certificates), your identity will be checked and your biometric data (fingerprints) recorded.
Step 5: Track your application status online.
Please Note: Applications for Blue Card Visa can no longer be handed in directly at the Embassy. Do not book an appointment separately.
Required Documents
Section 18g of the Residence Act (AufenthG)
To apply, you will need the following original documents to present at your appointment at the Embassy. Please pay attention that all Tanzanian documents issued by an authority of the state needs to be legalised.
Please sort the individual sets in the order listed below.
Information Sheet
In your application form (VIDEX) you enter all the information about your entry and your stay in Germany. You must complete this form and print it out once, sign and date it.
If you are a minor, your legal representatives must sign the application and declare their consent.
A recent biometric photo (3.5 x 4.5 cm with a light background)
Information on biometric photos can be found here
Your passport must be signed and valid for at least one year from the date your visa is issued.
Please note that the document must still have at least two blank pages (if the decision is positive, your visa will be affixed here later).
Do you not have Tanzanian citizenship?
If you are not a Tanzanian citizen, please provide us with your Tanzanian residence permit.
Proof of your residence in Tanzania can be, for example, a copy of your electricity bill, water bill or gas bill.or a rent contract.
For non- Tanzanian nationals: Tanzanian residence permit
Please sign the attached declaration and bring the original to your appointment
Please have this form completed by your future employer. The information on the job description must indicate the planned activity! It is also helpful to additionally include the work contract.
Form: download here
This document can be, for example, the degree certificate of your degree program. A certificate confirming you have completed tertiary education.
If you obtained your degree at a university outside Germany, the degree and the university must be recognized.
Therefore, in a first step you need to receive an official Certificate of Comparability:
Please proceed via the Recognition Portal
Further information can be found in the section “Recognition of the university degree ” and “Recognition of the university”.
Please note that a legalisation is required to use Tanzanian documents. This confirms to the domestic authorities that the document was actually issued by an official Tanzanian authority.
Further information on legalisations.
For university degrees: For a pre-checkyou can use the anabin database to check whether your university degree is recognized in Germany. The anabin assessment of your university degree must be “Equivalent” or “Equivalent”. Print out the search result in the database and bring print out with you.
Should it seem as if you are eligible, please proceed to the website of the Service Centre for Professional Recognition in order to obtain and provide the ‘Statement of Comparability’ Are you unable to meet this requirement? Please contact the German authority responsible for the recognition of foreign qualifications: KMK
Please proceed to the website of the Service Centre for Professional Recognition in order to obtain and provide the ‘Certificate of Comparability. It is important that the letter of recognition states clearly that your training is assigned to level 6 of the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED).
If this note is missing, you must withdraw the application and instead apply for a work visa with a Vocational training visa instead.
Submit evidence confirming that you have gained at least 3 years of professional experience in the IT sector in the last 7 years. Examples of such evidence can be confirmations from your former employers.
Submit documents that are not issued in German or English with a translation into German or English.
The translator must be recognized in Germany or the country in which you are submitting the application. A list of translators
List of translators
translators can be found here.
Please sign the attached declaration and bring the original to your appointment
Persons with statutory health insurance cover are adequately insured from the first day of work. Please provide proof of your statutory insurance cover.
If you arrive before the statutory health insurance cover begins, you must take out appropriate supplementary insurance.
If a long or permanent stay is planned, some travel health insurance policies may exclude insurance cover in their terms and conditions. This restriction may also apply to an “incoming” insurance policy, so please ensure that your supplementary insurance policy provides adequate cover. Further information here.
These documents are also optional:
This document is only required for practicing a profession regulated in Germany, e.g. in the fields of medicine and law. You will receive this document from the relevant recognition body in Germany. Please visit the information portal ”Recognition in Germany“ to find out whether your profession is regulated.
Employers in Germany can apply for an accelerated skilled worker procedure before applying for a visa. If you have this document, please submit it.
You can find more information here.
Employers in Germany can apply for pre-approval from the ZAV (International Placement Services) before applying for a visa in Germany. If you have this document, please submit it.
Further information can be found here.
If you have reached the age of 45 and do not have a minimum annual gross salary of EUR 53.130,- (2025), you must provide proof of adequate pension provision.
You can submit various types of assets as proof of additional pension provision. These include statutory, state-regulated pension insurance policies, entitlements already acquired from private pension or life insurance policies, real estate and other assets.
In certain cases, additional documents may be required. You will be notified of this directly via the international portal as part of the preliminary check of the online application.
Processing time:
Due to the regular need for approval from the authorities in Germany, you should generally allow eight to twelve weeks for your visa application to be processed (calculated from the time you submit the complete application documents to the diplomatic mission abroad).
Please do not request a status update – these will not be answered but ignored.
Fees
Appointments
After the above mentioned pre-check you will receive a link to book your appointment. It is not possible to make an appointment by telephone or in person.