How does EU Blue Card work in Austria, and who qualifies?

The EU Blue Card runs in parallel to the Red-White-Red Card and is aimed at highly qualified non-EU professionals who already have a binding Austrian job offer. To qualify you generally need completed university or tertiary studies of at least three years, or — for ICT professionals and managers — at least three years of comparable experience drawn from the last seven years. The job offer must last at least six months and match your education.

Salary is a hard requirement: for 2026 the threshold is a gross annual income of at least EUR 55,678, including special payments. A labour-market test also applies, meaning the AMS checks that no equally qualified jobseeker is already available for the role. The card application fee is EUR 218.

One of the Blue Card's strengths is where it leads. After 21 of 24 months in qualifying work, holders can move to a Red-White-Red Card plus, which gives unlimited labour-market access not tied to a single employer.

Because the salary threshold is revised each year, always confirm the current figure on the official Austrian portal before relying on it. ACME is an independent consultancy and can help you compare the Blue Card against the Red-White-Red Card to see which fits your salary and contract best.