With an EU Blue Card you can apply for a settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) after 21 months if you hold B1 German, or after 27 months with A1. Skilled workers on other permits wait 3 years and need B1. This guide shows the timelines, which certificate to take, and how to plan the exam around your work.
Skilled workers can apply for permanent residence after 3 years with B1 German; Blue Card holders after 21 months with B1, or 27 months with A1.
Source: gesetze-im-internet.de ·
Your Blue Card or work permit is a temporary residence permit. It is tied to a period of time, and you have to renew it. The settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) is Germany's permanent residence permit. It has no end date, and you no longer depend on renewing a permit that is linked to one job. For most people who move to Germany for work, it is the most important step between the first visa and German citizenship.
The permit is unlimited in time, so you stop planning your life around the expiry date of a residence card.
Your right to stay no longer rests on the conditions of one specific work permit, which makes a change of job or employer easier to plan.
Your German level is one of the conditions, and on a Blue Card it also decides how early you can apply: B1 opens the door six months sooner than A1.
How soon you can apply depends on your residence permit and on the German level you can prove with a certificate. The table compares the three routes with the path to citizenship.
| Your situation | German level | Earliest application |
|---|---|---|
| EU Blue Card holder | B1 | Settlement permit after 21 months |
| EU Blue Card holder | A1 | Settlement permit after 27 months |
| Skilled worker (Fachkraft) on another work permit | B1 | Settlement permit after 3 years |
| Anyone who wants German citizenship (Einbürgerung) | B1 plus the citizenship test | After 5 years of legal residence |
Language is not the only condition. The immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) also checks your employment and other requirements, so ask your local office for its current checklist before you apply.
Many engineers, IT specialists and other graduates come to Germany on the EU Blue Card (Blaue Karte EU). You do not need a German certificate to get the Blue Card or the skilled-worker visa. German becomes important later, when you want to stay for good.
In 2026 your job offer must pay at least €50,700 gross a year for the standard Blue Card.
The lower threshold applies to shortage occupations, to people new to their profession and to IT specialists without a degree.
After 12 months as a Blue Card holder you can move to another EU country under the Blue Card mobility rules.
Because the visa itself asks for no German, many Blue Card holders only start learning once they have arrived. That is fine, but plan early: the difference between A1 and B1 is six months of waiting for your settlement permit.
The immigration office wants an exam certificate, not a letter that you attended a course. The two exams most people take are the Goethe-Zertifikat B1 and telc Deutsch B1. Both test reading, listening, writing and speaking, but they are organised differently.
If you work full time, the modular Goethe exam has one clear advantage: when a single module goes badly, you book and repeat only that module. Exam fees are set locally by each exam centre and differ from country to country, so check the price list of the centre near you.
If you want to apply at 21 months, your B1 certificate has to be ready by then. Working backwards from that date keeps the goal realistic next to a full-time job.
Take a full mock exam with the real timing before you book. It shows which skill costs you the most points, so you spend your limited study time where it counts.
Book a Goethe or telc B1 date that leaves room for a retake before your target month. Then ask your immigration office which other documents it needs for the settlement permit.
Looking further ahead: German citizenship (Einbürgerung) needs 5 years of legal residence, B1 German, the citizenship test (Einbürgerungstest) and the ability to support yourself. No German level shortens those 5 years, not B2 and not C1. Since 27 June 2024 Germany also allows dual citizenship. The good news is that the B1 certificate you pass for your settlement permit already covers the language rule for citizenship.
With B1 German you can apply for the settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) after 21 months on the Blue Card. With A1 German the waiting time is 27 months. Other conditions also apply, so check the checklist of your local immigration office.
No. The EU Blue Card and the skilled-worker visa do not require a German certificate. German only becomes a condition when you apply for the settlement permit, and on a Blue Card your level decides whether you can apply after 21 or 27 months.
Skilled workers (Fachkräfte) on other work permits can apply for the settlement permit after 3 years, and they need B1 German.
The immigration office wants an exam certificate, not a course attendance letter. The Goethe-Zertifikat B1 and telc Deutsch B1 are the two exams most people take. If you are unsure about another certificate, ask your immigration office before you book.
Both prove B1. Goethe B1 is modular: each of the four modules is passed with 60 out of 100 points, and you can repeat a single module. telc B1 is one exam worth 300 points, and you need 60 percent in the written part and 60 percent in the oral part.
Fees are set locally by each exam centre and differ from country to country, so check the price list of your nearest Goethe-Institut or telc centre. For Goethe B1, a single module costs less than the full exam.
No. German citizenship needs 5 years of legal residence, B1 German, the citizenship test (Einbürgerungstest) and the ability to support yourself. No language level shortens the 5 years. A higher level can help at work, but it does not change the timeline.