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 — Reality check
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 in the middle of the year
Each country recalculates against a statistical average wage, and each one publishes that statistic on its own schedule. So the thresholds do not roll over neatly on 1 January.
05 — Definitions
What counts as salary, and what doesn't
The threshold applies to the basic gross salary stated in your employment contract. In practice, that excludes more than people expect:
Bonuses and variable pay
Generally do not count unless contractually guaranteed. A €4,000 base plus a discretionary €1,000 bonus is a €4,000 salary for these purposes.
Equity, RSUs and options
Do not count anywhere in the region.
Relocation, housing, per diems
Do not count. They are reimbursements, not salary.
B2B contractor rates
Do not count at all. The Blue Card requires an employment contract. If a company offers you a B2B arrangement in Poland or Czechia, that route is closed by definition — worth knowing before you accept a rate that looks higher on paper.
Contract length
Must run at least six months. The recast directive cut this from twelve, and every country in the table has implemented it.
06 — Options
If your offer is below the line
One correction worth making, because the wrong number is widely republished: under the recast directive, a Blue Card holder can move to a second EU member state for long-term work after twelve months in the first one. Several well-ranked pages still say eighteen, which is the pre-2021 rule.
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 — No degree
The experience route: no degree required
One correction worth making, because the wrong number is widely republished: under the recast directive, a Blue Card holder can move to a second EU member state for long-term work after twelve months in the first one. Several well-ranked pages still say eighteen, which is the pre-2021 rule.
That changes the strategy. Starting in a country with a low threshold and moving on after a year is a legitimate, legal path — and it is why Romania's €1,750 floor is more interesting than it first appears. Short business trips are separate and easier: 90 days in any 180 across the EU, no additional permit.
Job loss is also handled: you get three months to find new employment if you have held the card under two years, and six months after that. Losing your job does not immediately cost you your status.
08 — After the card
Mobility after 12 months, not 18
One correction worth making, because the wrong number is widely republished: under the recast directive, a Blue Card holder can move to a second EU member state for long-term work after twelve months in the first one. Several well-ranked pages still say eighteen, which is the pre-2021 rule.
That changes the strategy. Starting in a country with a low threshold and moving on after a year is a legitimate, legal path — and it is why Romania's €1,750 floor is more interesting than it first appears. Short business trips are separate and easier: 90 days in any 180 across the EU, no additional permit.
Job loss is also handled: you get three months to find new employment if you have held the card under two years, and six months after that. Losing your job does not immediately cost you your status.
09 — FAQ
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 the threshold apply when I renew, or only when I first apply?+
It applies at renewal too, at whatever level is in force then. Hungary goes further and applies the new annual figure to all cards valid during the year. Plan for the number to rise before your renewal.
My salary is in euros but the country uses local currency. Which rate applies?+
The authority converts using an official reference rate on the date of assessment, so a currency swing can move you across the line. If your salary is near the threshold and paid in a different currency, build in a margin.
Can contractors or freelancers get a Blue Card?+
No. It requires an employment contract of at least six months.
Does time on a Blue Card count toward permanent residence?+
Yes in every country here, and Blue Card years can be aggregated across member states in a way ordinary work permits cannot.
Where do I check the current number myself?+
The migration authority of the country in question — not the EU Immigration Portal. Older aggregator pages and EU portal entries can be out of date.
10 — Provenance
Sources and verification
Verified 3 September 2026. Primary sources per country.
This page is updated whenever a country republishes its threshold. Next scheduled reviews: January 2027 (Hungary, Slovakia), February 2027 (Poland, Croatia), March 2027 (Estonia, Romania), April 2027 (Latvia), May 2027 (Czechia, Lithuania).