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Non-EU expats: work and residence permits
Salaried-worker permit, EU Blue Card, family reunification: the administrative path of an international hire.
Before arriving: the temporary authorisation
Everything starts outside the country: a temporary residence authorisation from Immigration (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), usually driven by the employer after a labour-market test (ADEM checks no local candidate fits). Once approved: D visa, entry, arrival declaration, medical check, then the biometric residence permit.
The Blue Card, the qualified fast lane
For higher-education graduates earning roughly 1.2 to 1.5 times the average gross salary (threshold revised yearly, lowered for shortage occupations like IT), the EU Blue Card skips the market test, runs four years and eases EU mobility as well as immediate family reunification.
Family and the long term
Family reunification opens after at most twelve months of residence — immediately for Blue Card holders. After five years, EU long-term resident status secures the right to stay independently of the employer; it's also the naturalisation threshold. Non-EU cross-border workers follow a separate regime anchored to their country of residence.
