EU Blue Card
Article 9
1. Where a third-country national fulfils the criteria set out in Article 5 and where no grounds for rejection pursuant to Article 7 apply, he or she shall be issued with an EU Blue Card. Where a Member State only issues residence permits on its territory and the third-country national fulfils all the admission conditions laid down in this Directive, the Member State concerned shall issue him or her with the requisite visa to obtain an EU Blue Card. 2. Member States shall set a standard period of validity for the EU Blue Card, which shall be at least 24 months. If the EU Blue Card holder’s work contract covers a shorter period, the EU Blue Card shall be valid for at least the duration of the work contract plus 3 months, but for no longer than the standard period referred to in the first sentence. However, if the period of validity of the EU Blue Card holder’s travel document is shorter than the period of validity of the EU Blue Card that would apply under the first or second sentence, the EU Blue Card shall be valid at least for the period of validity of the travel document. 3. The EU Blue Card shall be issued by the competent authorities of the Member State concerned using the uniform format laid down in Regulation (EC) No 1030/2002. In accordance with point (a)(12) of the Annex to that Regulation, Member States may indicate on the EU Blue Card the conditions for access to the labour market set out in Article 15(1) of this Directive. Member States shall enter the words ‘EU Blue Card’ in the space reserved for the ‘type of permit’ in the residence permit. Member States may provide additional information related to the employment relationship of the EU Blue Card holder in paper form or store such data in electronic form in accordance with Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1030/2002 and point (a)(16) of the Annex thereto. 4. Where a Member State issues an EU Blue Card to a third-country national to whom it has granted international protection, it shall enter the following remark in the EU Blue Card issued to that third-country national, under the heading ‘Remarks’: ‘International protection granted by [name of the Member State] on [date]’. Where that Member State withdraws the international protection enjoyed by the EU Blue Card holder, it shall, where appropriate, issue a new EU Blue Card not containing that remark. 5. Where an EU Blue Card is issued by a Member State to a third-country national who is a beneficiary of international protection in another Member State, the Member State issuing the EU Blue Card shall enter the following remark in the EU Blue Card issued to that third-country national, under the heading ‘Remarks’: ‘International protection granted by [name of the Member State] on [date]’. Before the Member State enters that remark, it shall notify the Member State that is to be mentioned in that remark that it intends to issue the EU Blue Card and request that Member State to confirm that the EU Blue Card holder is still a beneficiary of international protection. The Member State that is to be mentioned in the remark shall reply no later than 1 month after receiving the request for information. Where international protection has been withdrawn by a final decision, the Member State issuing the EU Blue Card shall not enter that remark. Where, in accordance with the relevant international instruments or national law, responsibility for the international protection of the EU Blue Card holder was transferred to the Member State after it issued an EU Blue Card in accordance with the first subparagraph, that Member State shall amend the remark accordingly within 3 months after the transfer. 6. Where an EU Blue Card is issued by a Member State on the basis of higher professional skills in occupations not listed in Annex I, the Member State issuing the EU Blue Card shall enter the following remark in that EU Blue Card, under the heading ‘Remarks’: ‘[Occupation not listed in Annex I]’. 7. During the period of its validity, the EU Blue Card shall entitle its holder to: (a) enter, re-enter and stay in the territory of the Member State issuing the EU Blue Card; and (b) enjoy the rights provided for in this Directive.