All figures are gross, per month, unless the row says otherwise. Euro conversions use ECB reference rates for 3 September 2026 (PLN 4.3265, CZK 24.221, HUF 367.43) and the BNR rate for Romania (5.2536 RON). Bulgaria, Croatia and the Baltics are in the euro area, so no conversion applies.
01 — Thresholds
The 2026 threshold at a glance
If your gross salary clears the number in the row below, your employer can apply for an EU Blue Card in that country. If it does not, you need a different permit or a different offer. Figures are gross per month unless stated otherwise.
| Country | 2026 threshold | In EUR | Reduced rate | Basis | In force |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | PLN 13,355.34 | €3,087 | — | 1.5× average wage | 9 Feb 2026 |
| Czechia | CZK 73,823 (CZK 885,870 /yr) | €3,048 | — | 1.5× average wage | 1 May 2026 |
| Slovakia | ≈ €1,944 (see note) | €1,944 | ≈ €1,620 for recent graduates | 1.2× average wage | 1 Jan 2026 |
| Hungary | HUF 1,001,048 | €2,724 | HUF 800,838 for listed occupations | ~1.5× average wage | 1 Jan 2026 |
| Slovenia | ≈ €2,536 (see note) | €2,536 | — | 1.0× average wage | 2026 |
| Croatia | ≈ €3,024 (see note) | €3,024 | — | 1.5× average wage | 20 Feb 2026 |
| Lithuania | €3,617.10 | €3,617 | €2,893.68 for shortage occupations | 1.5× / 1.2× average wage | 12 May 2026 |
| Latvia | €2,723 | €2,723 | €2,178 for shortage occupations | 1.5× / 1.2× average wage | 1 Apr 2026 |
| Estonia | €3,138 | €3,138 | €2,594 for listed occupations incl. ICT | 1.5× / 1.24× average wage | 5 Mar 2026 |
| Bulgaria | ≈ €2,071 (see note) | €2,071 | — | 1.5× rolling 12-month average | recalculated per contract |
| Romania | RON 9,192 | €1,750 | — | 1.0× average wage | 30 Mar 2026 |
≈ marks an indicative calculation or approximation. Confirm the current figure with the relevant authority before filing.
Three rows carry an approximation sign, and it matters. Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia publish an actual number that you can point an employer at. Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia publish only the multiplier, and their migration authorities leave you to do the arithmetic against a national statistics figure. Bulgaria is different again: its threshold is a rolling twelve-month average recalculated at the moment your contract is signed, so there is no single annual number to publish. For those four, treat the euro figure here as an indication and have your employer confirm it with the authority before you sign anything.
02 — The spread
The cheapest and most expensive place to qualify
Romania asks for €1,750 a month. Lithuania asks for €3,617. That is a 2.1× spread across a region people often discuss as one labour market.
The spread exists because the recast Blue Card directive (EU 2021/1883) lets each country set its floor anywhere between 1.0× and 1.6× the national average wage. Romania and Slovenia sit at the bottom of that band. Poland, Czechia, Croatia and the Baltics sit near the top. Slovakia and Hungary are in between. This has a practical consequence that recruiters rarely spell out: a mid-level engineer who cannot qualify for a Blue Card in Vilnius can often qualify in Bucharest or Ljubljana on the same salary. If the goal is an EU residence document with mobility rights attached, the country is a variable, not a constant.
03 — Salary reality
What the threshold looks like against a developer salary
A threshold only tells you something once you put it next to what people actually get paid. Typical 2026 senior developer ranges in the region, gross per month:
Poland
floor €3,087 · typical senior €5,500–8,000
Comfortable for seniors; mid-levels on the low end will not clear it
Czechia
floor €3,048 · typical senior €3,800–4,930
Clears, but a mid-level offer can land under the line
Hungary
floor €2,724 · typical senior €3,300–4,500
Clears for most seniors, tight for mid-levels
Romania
floor €1,750 · typical senior €2,800–3,400 local, €4,000–6,000 at product companies
Clears easily at any seniority
Bulgaria
floor ≈€2,071 · typical senior €2,300–3,500
Clears for seniors; juniors and some mid-levels will not
Two things follow. First, in most of the region the Blue Card is a senior-and-above instrument in practice, whatever the law says. Second, in Czechia and Hungary the threshold rises faster than salaries in some years, which means a permit that was renewable last year can fail on the same salary this year. If you are on a Blue Card in either country, check the new number every spring before your renewal, not after.
04 — Timing
Why the number changes during the year
Each country recalculates against a statistical average wage and publishes that statistic on its own schedule. Czechia changes on 1 May, Poland when the previous year's average is published, Estonia on 5 March, Latvia on 1 April, Lithuania on 12 May, Croatia in February, and Romania when the state social insurance budget law takes effect.
05 — Definitions
What counts as salary
The threshold applies to the basic gross salary stated in the employment contract. Discretionary bonuses, equity, RSUs, relocation allowances, housing budgets, per diems, and B2B contractor rates generally do not count. The contract must run for at least six months.
If an offer is below the line, check whether the country has a reduced rate for listed occupations or recent graduates, use the national work permit route, negotiate the base salary up to the threshold, or compare another country where the same salary qualifies.
06 — Options
If your offer is below the line
Four routes, roughly in order of how often they work.
Use the reduced rate, if the country has one
Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Slovakia all publish a lower threshold for specified occupations or circumstances. Estonia's reduced rate of €2,594 covers ICT roles explicitly. Latvia's €2,178 and Lithuania's €2,893.68 apply to shortage-occupation lists that IT roles frequently appear on. Slovakia's reduced rate is narrower — it is for graduates who obtained a university degree within the last three years, paid at 1.0× rather than 1.2×. Ask your employer whether your job title maps to a listed occupation code; this is checked against a classification, not against your CV.
Take the national permit instead
Every country in the table has a domestic work permit with no Blue Card threshold: Poland's type A work permit, Czechia's Employee Card, Hungary's Hungarian Card, Slovakia's single permit. You lose EU mobility rights and, in some countries, credit toward permanent residence — Hungary's guest worker permit notably counts for nothing toward its National Residence Card. But you get to live and work there. We cover this trade-off in detail in Blue Card or National Work Permit: What to Ask Your Employer For.
Negotiate the base up to the line
This works more often than candidates assume, because the employer wants the faster permit too. Moving €200 from a bonus into base salary costs the company almost nothing and can be the difference between a Blue Card and a national permit. Bring the exact number and its source to the conversation.
Change the country
If you have offers in more than one place, the thresholds above are a legitimate input. A salary that fails in Lithuania clears comfortably in Romania, Slovenia or Slovakia.
07 — Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is the threshold gross or net?+
Gross, everywhere in the table. Compare it against the gross figure in your contract, not your take-home.
Does it apply at renewal?+
Yes. The threshold in force at renewal applies, with Hungary applying its new annual figure to all cards valid during the year.
Can contractors or freelancers get a Blue Card?+
No. It requires an employment contract of at least six months.
Where should I check the current number?+
Check the migration authority of the country in question and confirm it with the employer's legal team; aggregator pages and older EU portal entries can be out of date.
08 — Sources
Sources and verification
This page is a general starting point, not legal advice. Thresholds and immigration rules change; confirm the current requirement before signing an offer or filing an application.