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WORKING IN GERMANY

What happens to your EU Blue Card if you lose your job in Germany?

Losing your job can be an unpleasant experience at the best of times. But if it’s tied to your residency title, things can get much more stressful. Here’s what EU Blue Card holders in Germany need to know.  

Published: 31 January 2023 16:40 CET
Updated: 1 May 2023 07:03 CEST
Two Blue Cards for foreign skilled workers are on a table at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees in Bavaria.
Two Blue Cards for foreign skilled workers are on a table at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees in Bavaria. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Daniel Karmann

What is the EU Blue Card?

The EU Blue Card is a temporary residence title that is available to university graduates from non-EU countries. It is generally issued for a period of four years, or, if the employment contract is for a period of fewer than four years, it is issued for the duration of the employment contract plus three months.

In Germany, the EU Blue Card has been the main residence title for qualified professionals from abroad since August 1st, 2012.

Who can get an EU Blue Card?

In order to get an EU Blue Card, foreigners moving to Germany need to have a university degree, an employment contract or a binding job offer for a position with a minimum annual gross salary of €58,400.

READ ALSO: How to get fast-track permanent residency rights in Germany

For jobs in the fields of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, engineering and human medicine (excluding dentistry), a reduced minimum annual gross salary of €45,552 applies in 2023 (salary limits are adjusted for each calendar year).

Will I lose my Blue Card if I change or lose my job?

You won’t automatically lose your Blue Card if you lose your job or decide to move to another company.

However, if you change jobs within the first two years of being employed in Germany, you will need to get approval from the local foreigners’ authority, who will check if the conditions for issuing a new Blue Card are met.

If you lose your job, you have a three-month period during which you can look for another qualified position. If you find a new job within this time, you will then have to get a new German Blue Card updated with your new employment details.

READ ALSO: ‘Traumatising’: Foreign residents share stories from German immigration offices

If you don’t manage to find a new job within the three-month time frame, you can apply for a residence title for a job search – an Aufenthaltserlaubnis zur Arbeitsplatzsuche – which can be issued for a maximum period of six months. Within this period, you will need to find a job that relates to your qualifications. 

How many Blue Card holders are there in Germany?

According to the figures from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, at the end of 2021, there were around 70,000 EU Blue Card holders registered as living in Germany.

Member comments

  1. For jobs in the fields of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, engineering…, a reduced minimum annual gross salary of €45,552 applies in 2023. We do this in the US too. We offer STEM workers from India low wages. Once they’ve gotten a green card, they can hop employers and they don’t have to put up with the abuse. Then they are offered a more appropriate wage ($80,000-$150,000) for their work. It takes 20 or more years to get a green card if you’re from India. Indentured servitude.

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For members

WORKING IN GERMANY

Five things to know about salaries in Germany

Finding a job is typically a top priority when planning a move to Germany. The country boasts the third largest economy in the world and a continuing need for skilled professionals. 

Published: 2 May 2024 12:26 CEST
Five things to know about salaries in Germany

If you are moving to Germany, you might soon start looking for a job in the country. However, like many other aspects of living abroad, there are several cultural differences and specificities when it comes to job hunting in Germany – especially when it comes to salaries.

Here are five things to know about salaries in Germany.

There is a minimum wage in Germany

Germany’s minimum wage of €12.41 per hour, pre-tax came into effect at the start of this year. This amounts to a monthly salary of €2,054 which ranks ninth in the world. The minimum wage will rise again in 2025 to €12.82 per hour before tax deductions.

There have been calls recently to hike the salary up higher to €14 per hour.

READ ALSO: Millions of workers in Germany ‘earning less than €14 per hour’

Find out salary expectations

Germany does not require companies to list salary ranges for listed positions. But that may be changing soon. The EU parliament passed a wage transparency law to require companies to publish annual reports detailing wage and wage discrepancy information. The rules, which are set to go into effect in 2027, are intended to help close the gender pay gap. 

In the meantime, employees can utilise online resources to find industry averages and expectations for different roles:

  • Gehalt.de offers users access to salary information on more than 800 professions
  • Online platform, Kununu provides compensation information and employer reviews to users in the DACH region  
  • Berlin residents can utilise REDSOFA’s salary survey for an overview of salary averages in the country’s capital city

As of April 2023 the average gross monthly salary was €4,323 according to Germany’s Federal Statistical Office.

Two-thirds of full time workers make less than this average monthly salary and one-third of workers earn more than this average monthly salary.

While wages after deductions may be less than similar roles in other countries, it is also important to take into consideration what other benefits come with a salary. Paid holiday leave, pension contributions, long notice periods and annual bonuses can help make up some of that difference. 

READ ALSO: How much do employees in Germany typically earn?

Check your payment schedule

Internationals can usually expect their salary once a month when working in Germany. Many German companies choose to pay employees either on the 1st or 15th of the month. It is also important to note that most employees can expect to receive their first pay check within 30 or 45 days of starting. 

For positions that offer yearly bonuses, these payments are included in a 13th pay check which are subject to income tax.  

A person works on a laptop.

A person works on a laptop. Image by Bartek Zakrzewski from Pixabay

How many hours do you work?

When looking for a job, don’t forget to check how many hours you can expect. Job descriptions will include expectations for time commitments. 

Mini-jobs, as expected from the name, are limited in hours and pay. Employees can expect up to €538 per month. Mini-jobs do not provide social security because they do not require social security contributions. Employees are also not automatically covered by health and nursing care insurance. 

Teilzeit, or part time jobs, are defined as any job where working hours are less than a full time position.

A common misconception is that part-time work requires working 20 hours or less a week. But an employee working five days a week for 30 hours, at a position that is typically 40 hours when full time can also be defined as a part time worker. 

READ ALSO: The rules in Germany around ‘mini’ and ‘midi jobs’

In fact, Germany has a term for workers who work between 28 and 36 hours a week. Vollzeitnahe Teilzeit, or nearly full time part time workers, can be a popular choice for some people, including parents. These positions can give employees more flexibility to balance work and family responsibilities. It is important to note that these workers are paid according to their time worked, so it will still amount to less than full time.

Depending on the work schedule, part time employees can earn the same amount of vacation as their full-time counterparts. That’s because holiday leave is calculated based on days worked, not hours. If a part time worker comes in five days a week, they will be eligible for at least 20 days of holiday. If that same part time worker comes in three days a week, they will be legally entitled to twelve days of vacation, even if they worked the same hours as the other employee. 

In most companies, weekly working hours between 35 and 40 hours are considered full-time employment or Vollzeitbeschäftigung. 

Watch out for the gross v. net difference

Before you sign the dotted line, it will be important to check how much of your gross salary you’ll be able to keep come pay day. Companies that include salary expectations in descriptions include gross salary (Bruttoeinkommen) – not the net income after taxes and deductions (Nettoeinkommen). The amount deducted will depend on how much you earn, the tax class you’re in and on other factors such as how much you’re paying for healthcare but it is usually around 40 percent. 

Salaried employees can find information on the deductions on their pay slip. Some to expect to see include:

  • Taxes are deducted directly from the gross pay. The amount is based on the tax bracket your salary falls within 
  • A percentage of your gross salary is also deducted for your pension / retirement contributions
  • Church taxes between eight and nine percent of your salary will also be due if you are affiliated with a religion
  • Unemployment insurance amounts to a 2.5 percent deduction from your gross salary. It is important to note that the insurance covers a salary up to €90,600 
  • Health insurance contribution rates are typically split between employers and employees. The rate depends on the provider. In 2024, the TK contribution rate to health insurance is 15.8 percent of the gross income

READ ALSO: What you need to know about your payslip in Germany 

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