body: I'm from non-EU country and I'm getting a new permanent job in the Germany right now. The contract has the next paragraph:
  
  
  
  > 
  > **§ 18 Post-Contractual Non-Competition/Contractual Penalty**
  > 
  > 
  > (1) For a period of 3 months after termination, the Employee is
  >  prohibited from acting in an independent, dependent or other manner
  >  for a company that is in direct or indirect competition with the
  >  Employer or is affiliated with a competing company. in the same way,
  >  the Employer is prohibited from establishing, acquiring or directly or
  >  indirectly participating in such a company for the duration of this
  >  prohibition.
  > 
  > 
  > (2) For the duration of the prohibition, the Employer shall pay
  >  compensation equal to half of the last contractual remuneration
  >  received by the Employee for each year of the prohibition.
  > 
  > 
  > (3) Any other income shall be set-off against the compensation in
  >  accordance with §74c HGB (German Commercial Code). The Employee has to
  >  inform without being asked whether and to what extent he receives
  >  other income. The information must be substantiated.
  > 
  > 
  > (4) The post-contractual non-competition clause does not enter into
  >  force if the employment relationship has lasted less than one year or
  >  if the Employee have reached the regular age limit of the statutory
  >  pension insurance when leaving the company.
  > 
  > 
  > (5) Apart from that, the provisions of §§ 74 ff. HGB (German
  >  Commercial Code) shall apply.
  > 
  > 
  > (6) In the event of a breach of the post-contractual non-competition
  >  obligation, the Employee shall pay a contractual penalty amounting to
  >  one gross monthly salary. If the infringement consists of a capital
  >  participation in a competing company of the entering into a continuing
  >  obligation, the contractual penalty shall be triggered anew for each
  >  month in which the capital participation of the continuing obligation
  >  exists (continuing infringement). Multiple acts of infringement shall
  >  trigger separate contractual penalties, if necessary several times
  >  within one month. If, on the other hand, individual acts of
  >  infringement take place within a continuing penalty for the continuing
  >  infringement, they are included in the contractual penalty for the
  >  continuing infringement. If several contractual penalties are
  >  triggered, the total amount of the contractual penalties to be paid is
  >  limited to six times the gross monthly salary.
  > 
  > 
  > (7) Further claims for damages and other legal claims of the Employer
  >  remain unaffected.
  > 
  > 
  > 
  
  
  Due to very vague phrase `direct or indirect competition`, I can assume the worst: that a lot of other companies in the industry could be considered as a competitors. So in the case of changing the position, there is a high chance I will need to stay 3 months unemployed. 3 months gross salary fee is not an option
  
  
  I will get a Blue Card with this contract. EU Blue Card allows to search for a new job for 3 months (with notifying the authorities about quitting the current one). My question is, does the EU Blue Card allow to deliberately have a 3 month period between working contracts?
  
  
  I'm considering the next scenario:
  
  
  1. Work at company A and have a Blue Card.
  2. Search for a job in another company B while working in company A.
  3. Sign the contract with company B, in which my employment begins at chosen quitting date + 3 month.
  4. Quit company A at chosen quitting date with signed new contract in my hands.
  5. Go to the migration office and notify them, that I quit Company A and I already have new contract with Company B.
  
  
  Does the Blue Card regulation allows to do that? 
  
  
  
title: Does the EU Blue Card allow to deliberately have 3 months of unemployment between jobs?