EU Blue Card Salary Thresholds Across Central & Eastern Europe: All 11 Countries, 2026

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.

Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, and Bulgaria publish rules that require an approximation or calculation against a national statistics figure. Treat those four figures as indicative and have the employer confirm them with the relevant authority before signing.

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 recast Blue Card directive (EU 2021/1883) lets each country set its floor between 1.0× and 1.6× the national average wage. A mid-level engineer who cannot qualify in Vilnius can often qualify in Bucharest or Ljubljana on the same salary.

Typical 2026 senior developer ranges show the practical difference: Poland €5,500–8,000 against a €3,087 floor; Czechia €3,800–4,930 against €3,048; Hungary €3,300–4,500 against €2,724; Romania €2,800–3,400 locally or €4,000–6,000 at product companies against €1,750; Bulgaria €2,300–3,500 against approximately €2,071.

In most of the region the Blue Card is a senior-and-above instrument in practice. In Czechia and Hungary, check the new threshold every spring before renewal rather than assuming last year's salary still clears it.

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.

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.

The recast directive introduced an alternative to a university degree for ICT and managerial roles: three years of relevant professional experience gained within the last seven years. Romania, Lithuania, and Slovakia explicitly recognise this route for relevant IT roles.

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. Job loss generally allows three months to find new employment if the card has been held for under two years, and six months after that.

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.