Working as a software engineer in Germany
Most software engineering roles in Germany come from product companies and engineering-led mid-size firms. The process usually runs CV, technical interview, then team interview.
At a glance
- Regulated
- No
- Official language requirement
- None — set by the employer
- Blue Card threshold (2026)
- €45,934.20 (shortage)
The values on this page were verified against official sources on 27 August 2026.
The IT route without a degree (§18g(2) AufenthG)
You can obtain a Blue Card without a university degree. This route is not widely known in Türkiye and covers a large number of people working in IT.
All of the conditions apply together
- The occupation must fall within ISCO group 133 or 25 — IT managers or IT professionals.
- At least three of the last seven years in professional IT experience, at a level comparable to a university degree.
- A salary of at least €45,934.20 gross a year for 2026.
- Federal Employment Agency approval is required.
- A recognition certificate is neither required nor possible. The official text states that these applicants "do not have to and cannot" submit one; the evidence is a CV, references and employment records.
- There is no German language requirement.
Degree recognition
Anerkennung is the process of having a foreign degree formally recognised in Germany, and it is mandatory only for regulated professions. For a Blue Card application it is enough to show that the degree is "comparable". These three are frequently confused:
- Comparability (anabin)
- The normal route for the Blue Card. Two separate checks are needed in the KMK anabin database: the university must be listed with H+ status (H+/− brings additional conditions, H− is not accepted), and the degree itself must be listed under that university. Most Turkish state universities are listed; foundation and newer universities vary — check rather than assume.
- Zeugnisbewertung (ZAB)
- The fallback route if the degree is not in anabin. It costs €208 (€104 for a second copy) and takes up to three months once the documents are complete. The most common cause of delay is starting this step too late.
- Anerkennung (actual recognition)
- Only for regulated professions: doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, vets and teachers. Neither anabin nor ZAB replaces it.
Language requirement
None — set by the employer — Residence law sets no specific German requirement for the Blue Card itself. German enters indirectly in two places: permanent residence (after twenty-seven months with A1, twenty-one months with B1) and, in regulated professions, the language requirement set by the licensing authority.
Blue Card (Blaue Karte EU)
The Blue Card is a work and residence permit for people with a university degree and a job offer above a set salary threshold. For 2026 the standard threshold is €50,700 and the threshold for shortage occupations and career starters is €45,934.20 gross a year.
Federal Employment Agency approval required. At the lower threshold the employment contract must run for at least six months. The Federal Employment Agency also carries out a comparability check: pay and working conditions may not be worse than those of a local employee.
Someone who graduated within the last three years qualifies for the lower threshold even if their profession is not on the shortage list.
Residence law sets no specific German requirement for the Blue Card itself. German enters indirectly in two places: permanent residence (after twenty-seven months with A1, twenty-one months with B1) and, in regulated professions, the language requirement set by the licensing authority.
How shortage occupations are defined
§18g(1) sentence 2 no. 1 AufenthG defines shortage occupations by reference to ISCO-08 groups: 132, 133, 134, 21, 221, 222, 225, 226, 23 and 25. Among these, 21 covers natural scientists, mathematicians, engineers and architects; 221 doctors; 222 academic nursing and midwifery; 23 teachers; and 25 IT professionals — software developers, systems analysts, web developers, database administrators, systems administrators and network specialists.
The application process
Kelyvaro scans listings in Germany for this profession, filters the ones that fit your profile and prepares an ATS-ready CV for each. You approve the application, and the mail goes out from your own email address.