The EU Blue Card is a special residence title for foreign academics and people with comparable qualifications who want to take up qualified employment in Germany.

You need to have a German degree or a foreign degree that is comparable to a German degree. If you don’t have a traditional university degree, you must demonstrate that you have a tertiary-level qualification that took at least three years to complete in order to obtain an EU Blue Card.

In general, Israeli nationals do not require a visa to enter Germany. They can apply for the necessary residence and work permit from the Foreigners Authority upon arrival in Germany.

For an application at the German Embassy in Tel Aviv you need first to make an appointment online

Please use this information sheet as a checklist to make sure you are prepared well.

On your appointment please submit:

- One completed and signed application form, filled out in German/English You can download the national visa application form from our internet page!

- A valid passport (original with one copy)

- One biometric passport photo

- Curriculum vitae of professional career, accompanied by the university certificates, diplomas, etc. you have obtained (originals with one copy)

- University Diplomas, certificates etc. you have obtained (if they are not in English or German, please provide a professional translation into English or German, one copy)

- Evidence of your current employment (if applicable; one copy)

- A concrete job offer (Declaration of the Employment Relationship / „Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis“ and working contract) including details of gross annual salary, working hours and job title. The job must match your qualification (degree)

- The job in Germany must enable you to earn a gross annual salary of at least 45.300,--€ (as per 2024)

- If you are employed in a bottleneck profession you can also obtain an EU Blue Card with a lower gross annual salary of at least 41.041,80 € (as per 2024) if the Federal Employment Agency (BA) has approved your application. The same applies, if you obtained your last degree or equivalent qualification less than three years ago.

- If you want to work as an IT professional or IT manager without a formal qualification you may under certain circumstances obtain an EU Blue Card (requirements: concrete job offer as an IT professional in Germany, gross annual salary of at least 41.041,80,--€ (as per 2024), work experience in IT sector for at least three of the past seven years, professionals experience at university level)

- Travel health insurance which covers the time between entry to the country and the start of employment. Proof of the above must be presented at the latest before the visa is issued to the applicant.

- Visa fee is 75 Euro to be paid in Shekel in cash or by credit card (debit cards can not be accepted!)

In order to check whether your foreign university degree is recognized or comparable to a German degree please consult the ANABIN database (only in German). Please attach a printout of the results of your enquiry.
(For doctors a license to practice medicine in Germany serves as confirmation of the equivalence of their foreign university degree.) For more information regarding the equivalence and recognition of foreign degrees and a list of bottleneck professions please use the following link: https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/de/visum-aufenthalt/arten/blaue-karte-eu

Opportunities of the Blue Card

Your spouse can receive a residence permit which allows for employment or self-employed activity without requiring knowledge of the German language.

The EU Blue Card is valid for a maximum period of four years. It is possible to extend the validity of this residence title in Germany if certain conditions are met.