Moving to Czech Republic

Open to third-country citizens for any kind of employment, whatever education or qualification it requires; it cannot be issued to a member of a legal entity's governing body for work within that entity's scope of business. Unless the applicant has free access to the labour market, the application must give the identification number of the job vacancy, and a job registered in the Central Database of Job Vacancies can be started only after the Ministry of the Interior confirms compliance. The employer must not be an unreliable employer. Valid for a maximum of 2 years, and extendable repeatedly for the term of the work contract, up to 2 years at a time. A change of employer or work position, or a further position, must be reported to the Ministry of the Interior; a holder without free access to the labour market whose employment ends has 90 days to report a new employment or apply for a permit for another purpose, or the card expires. Fee CZK 2,500 (about EUR 102) when applying inside Czechia, or a CZK 5,000 consular fee at an embassy. The time limit for a decision is 60 days, or 90 days in especially complicated cases or where the Ministry of the Interior asks the Labour Office for a binding opinion. The Ministry's page does not say when permanent residence can be applied for, so the 5-year figure is not confirmed there; Czech citizenship then requires at least 5 years of permanent residence (Citizenship Act, Section 14(1)(a)).

Requires a completed higher vocational or university education of at least 3 years, or, in cases the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs defines, higher professional skills confirmed by the employer, for a position that requires those qualifications. The work contract or pre-employment contract must set the weekly working hours stipulated by law and a gross monthly or annual salary of at least 1.5 times the average gross annual salary; the Ministry of the Interior's document list asks for a contract of at least 6 months, while its eligibility answer says at least one year. Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs Communication No. 44/2026 Coll. sets that average at CZK 590,580 for 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2027, so the floor is CZK 885,870 a year (CZK 73,822.50 a month, about EUR 2,950), and that figure applies until 30 April 2027. A Blue Card is valid 3 months longer than the work contract, up to 3 years. The holder must notify the Ministry of the Interior of the end of the employment and of any change of employer or job classification, each within three working days; the card itself is not reissued. Fee CZK 2,500 (about EUR 102) when applying in Czechia, or a CZK 5,000 consular fee when applying from abroad. The Ministry of the Interior's time limit for a decision is 90 days on a first application (30 days, or 60 in particularly complex cases, for a holder of another EU member state's Blue Card) and 60 days on an extension. A Blue Card holder's spouse or child can apply to join them without the more than 15 months' prior residence in Czechia that a holder of an ordinary long-term or permanent residence permit needs. Permanent residence can be applied for after 5 years of residence with a Blue Card in any EU member state.

Not a separate permit: a government programme run by the Ministry of Industry and Trade for employers who want to hire highly qualified workers from third countries. Employees included in it can submit their visa application at a Czech embassy, their closest family members get the same opportunity, and the administrative procedures are simplified; there is no legal entitlement to be admitted. It covers intra-corporate transferees in managerial and specialist positions and new hires in jobs in CZ-ISCO main classes 1 to 3, in manufacturing, services or the public sector. The employer must have operated in Czechia for at least 2 years, have no tax arrears or arrears to the public health insurance fund, and have employed at least 3 people for at least 3 consecutive months in the 2 years before applying; it submits an application form, statutory declarations (one of them on the guaranteed salary) and certificates from the Tax Office and the Czech Social Security Administration. Inclusion is valid for 1 year. The programme applies to employees from all third countries, citizens of Ukraine only under its specific conditions; for selected countries a government regulation sets a quota on employee card and business visa applications. Applications for medical workers go to the Ministry of Health. The programme text was last amended with effect from 1 June 2026. The residence and citizenship years shown are those of the Employee Card and are not stated on this page.

For carrying out business activities, a licensed trade or self-employment, or acting as a statutory body or a member of one in a trading company in Czechia. The applicant must hold a long-term visa for the purpose of doing business, or hold a long-term residence permit for any purpose and have resided continuously in Czechia for more than 5 years; the 5-year condition does not apply to a holder of a permit for seeking employment or starting a business, or to a family-reunification permit holder after 3 years of residence or on reaching 18. The business visa is a separate application the Ministry's page does not describe. The permit is issued for a maximum of 2 years and can be extended repeatedly, each time for up to 2 years, while the purpose stays the same. The applicant must show accommodation, funds for the stay (their total monthly income and that of the persons assessed with them), registration in the relevant register such as the Trade Licensing Register or the Commercial Register, no outstanding debts and comprehensive medical insurance; a medical report and a criminal-record document from other states of residence may be requested. The Ministry does not publish a single CZK income floor for this permit. Fee CZK 2,500 (about EUR 102); the time limit for a decision is 60 days; applications are made in person at a Ministry of the Interior office.

A holder of a long-term residence permit for the purpose of studies who has completed a university-accredited study programme, or a holder of a long-term residence permit for scientific research who has completed that research, can apply for a long-term residence permit for the purpose of seeking employment or starting a business. It is valid for up to 9 months and CANNOT be extended. A graduate of a university-accredited programme who holds it has free access to the labour market, and any holder can apply for a residence permit for doing business without the usual 5 years' prior residence. It cannot be applied for from abroad: the application is made in person at a Ministry of the Interior office before the current permit expires, with a travel document, proof of accommodation, proof of funds, comprehensive medical insurance, a photograph and proof of the completed studies or research. Fee CZK 2,500 (about EUR 102); 60-day time limit for a decision. The Ministry's page states no route to permanent residence from this permit, so the permanent-residence and citizenship fields are left empty.

For a third-country citizen's family member who wants to live with them in Czechia for more than a year. The law's list: a spouse (including a same-sex partner), a minor child or stepchild, an adopted or fostered minor child, an adult child who is financially dependent because they cannot care for themselves for medical reasons, a lone parent over 65, or a lone parent of any age who cannot care for themselves for medical reasons. For a spouse or a child, the sponsor must meet one of the law's conditions: a long-term or permanent residence permit and more than 15 months' residence in Czechia, with both spouses at least 20 years old; an Employee Card and more than 6 months' residence; a Blue Card, an intra-company transfer card or a long-term residence permit for investment; a scientific-research permit or an application for one; or at least an application for a permit to seek employment or start a business. Family members of a person granted asylum follow separate rules. The applicant shows accommodation, funds for the stay, comprehensive medical insurance and proof of the family relationship, and, applying from abroad, a criminal-record document from their state of citizenship (not required under 15). The permit lasts as long as the sponsor's, but at least 1 year (2 years if the sponsor has permanent residence), and allows work without a further permit. Fee CZK 2,500 (CZK 1,000 under 15) in Czechia, or a CZK 2,500 consular fee abroad. From abroad the time limit for a decision is up to 270 days, or 90 days for the family of a Blue Card holder; in Czechia it is normally 60 days. Changing to a permit for another purpose is possible only after 3 years, on reaching 18, or under other statutory exceptions. The Ministry's page does not say when permanent residence can be applied for, so the 5-year figure is not confirmed there.