The threshold is recalculated every year against the pension contribution ceiling, and the shortage-occupation rate sits well below the standard one. What the 2026 figures change for recruitment of non-EU specialists.
- EU Blue Card and skilled worker visa
- Termination procedures
- What is the difference between a GmbH and an AG?
For companies entering the German market, jurisdiction is decided early: municipal trade tax multipliers differ materially between cities such as Munich, Frankfurt and Berlin, and that choice interacts with payroll cost, permit processing and registered office requirements from incorporation onward.
What a foreign hire has to satisfy in Germany. Every figure below is published on the Germany country page.
| Germany | |
|---|---|
| EU Blue Card threshold | €50,700/year standard · €45,934.20/year shortage occupations (2026) |
| Employer social security | ~21% of gross salary — pension, health, long-term care, unemployment, accident insurance |
What makes it complex in Germany
- EU Blue Card and skilled worker visa — processing, with salary thresholds reset annually.
- Termination procedures — governed by the Protection Against Dismissal Act, with notice periods tied to tenure.
What is the difference between a GmbH and an AG?
A GmbH requires a minimum share capital of €25,000 and suits most operating subsidiaries. An AG requires €50,000 and a more complex governance structure, including a supervisory board, typically used for larger or capital-market-facing entities.
EU Blue Card and skilled worker visa is one of the points HTLC Network handles for clients operating in Germany, within a single engagement that covers every other country they operate in — executed locally, governed centrally.
In Germany the scope is: EU Blue Card and skilled worker visa applications, salary threshold compliance, and coordination for internationally mobile employees.
See Workforce Mobility in Germany for the full scope, or the Germany country page for the statutory framework across every service.
Figures as published on the HTLC Network country pages, reviewed September 2026 and collected from public sources. They are not a substitute for advice on a specific case and should be verified before being relied on.