Visas and residence permits in Czechia, route by route

Which permit you need depends on your citizenship and why you're coming. This page maps the routes; it isn't legal advice, and the last section says when to get some.

Do EU citizens need a visa or a permit?

No. Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland live and work here without one. They report their address if they stay longer than 30 days, and can get permanent residence after five years.¹ Register your address covers the rest. A family member who isn't an EU citizen applies for temporary residence within three months of arriving.¹ British citizens keep these rights only if they lived here by 31 December 2020.²

Which route fits if you're not an EU citizen?

The one that matches why you're coming: each visa or permit is for a single purpose. For a short stay, usually up to 90 days in any 180, you come visa-free or on a Schengen visa, depending on your passport.³ For longer, these are the main routes.

• A long-term visa can't be for a job, except seasonal work. A business visa needs proof that you're in the trade or company register (getting a trade licence).⁵
• The employee card needs a job on the register of vacancies open to it, at least at the minimum wage, and limits changing employer in the first six months.⁶
• The Blue Card needs a highly qualified job paying at least one and a half times the average gross wage.⁷
• On a business visa, you switch to a long-term residence permit here if you'll stay longer than a year.⁸

How do you apply?

In person: the law requires you to apply yourself, and an embassy may ask you to book an appointment first.⁹

1. Gather the documents: your passport, proof of the purpose, proof of funds, proof of accommodation, a photo and, for a visa, a criminal record extract. Apart from your passport, civil records and photo, none may be older than 180 days, and documents in other languages need an official Czech translation.¹⁰
2. Pay the fee: 2,500 Kč for a long-term visa (5,000 Kč for business, free for children under 6) or for a residence permit (1,000 Kč under 15).¹¹
3. If you applied at an embassy, enter on the visa to collect your permit and go to the Ministry of the Interior within 30 days for fingerprints and a photo.¹²

A signed lease works as proof of accommodation; a letter from the owner needs an officially verified signature.¹³ The proof of accommodation page prepares that letter, and paperwork fills in other official forms.

How do you keep your permit?

Extend it in time, report changes and take the integration course. An extension goes to the Ministry of the Interior, in person, by post, by data box or by signed e-mail, and costs 2,500 Kč.¹⁴¹¹

Most long-term permit holders, students among the exceptions, must take the adaptation and integration course (adaptačně-integrační kurz) within a year, or risk a fine of up to 10,000 Kč.¹⁵

What are temporary protection and the special long-term residence?

Temporary protection (dočasná ochrana), for people who fled the war in Ukraine, currently runs to 31 March 2027; this year's extension closed on 30 September 2026.¹⁶ The notice of changes for temporary protection covers a move or a new passport.

The special long-term residence permit (zvláštní dlouhodobý pobyt) is a five-year permit for people with two years of temporary protection who meet its conditions, among them two years of public health insurance without debts and a set level of income. The first round took expressions of interest in April 2026 and registers people from October to December 2026, for 2,500 Kč a card. There's no legal claim to it, and later rounds come only if announced.¹⁷

When can you get permanent residence?

After five years' continuous stay, with study counting half and absences of no more than six months in a row or 310 days in all.¹⁸ You need proof of income and accommodation, and a pass in the Czech exam at level A2 unless you're exempt, for example under 15 or over 60.¹⁸¹⁹ You apply to the ministry from here; the fee is 2,500 Kč, and the decision is due within 60 days.¹¹⁴

If you drive on a licence from outside the EU, Driving licence says when permanent residence means exchanging it.

When should you ask a lawyer?

Ask an immigration lawyer, or a non-profit adviser for foreigners, when an application is refused, a permit is being cancelled, a deadline has passed, or you want to change purpose or employer. A refusal comes with a deadline to challenge it, so get advice the day it arrives.

Sources

1. Foreigners Act (Act 326/1999 Coll.), §1(3), §87a, §87b(2) and §87g. ↩ ↩²

2. Foreigners Act (Act 326/1999 Coll.), §1(4); Ministry of the Interior, "Registration certificate", ipc.gov.cz. ↩

3. Ministry of the Interior, "Visa-free stays", ipc.gov.cz. ↩

4. Foreigners Act (Act 326/1999 Coll.), §169t. ↩ ↩²

5. Foreigners Act (Act 326/1999 Coll.), §17b, §30(1) and (3), and §31(2). ↩

6. Foreigners Act (Act 326/1999 Coll.), §42g. ↩

7. Foreigners Act (Act 326/1999 Coll.), §42i and §42j(1); Ministry of the Interior, "Blue Card", ipc.gov.cz. ↩

8. Foreigners Act (Act 326/1999 Coll.), §42(1). ↩

9. Foreigners Act (Act 326/1999 Coll.), §169d(1) and §169f. ↩

10. Foreigners Act (Act 326/1999 Coll.), §31(1) and §55(1); Administrative Procedure Code (Act 500/2004 Coll.), §16(2). ↩

11. Administrative Fees Act (Act 634/2004 Coll.), tariff items 116 and 144A. ↩ ↩² ↩³

12. Foreigners Act (Act 326/1999 Coll.), §30(4) and §44(1) and (3). ↩

13. Foreigners Act (Act 326/1999 Coll.), §31(5) and §71(2); Ministry of the Interior, "Proof of accommodation", ipc.gov.cz. ↩

14. Foreigners Act (Act 326/1999 Coll.), §47(1) and (4), and §60(2); Public Administration Portal, "Application to extend long-term residence", portal.gov.cz. ↩ ↩²

15. Foreigners Act (Act 326/1999 Coll.), §155b(2) and (3), and §156(5)(b). ↩

16. Ministry of the Interior, "Dočasná ochrana", ipc.gov.cz. ↩

17. Lex Ukrajina (Act 65/2022 Coll.), §7o to §7t; Ministry of the Interior, "Zvláštní dlouhodobý pobyt", ipc.gov.cz. ↩

18. Foreigners Act (Act 326/1999 Coll.), §68, §69(5), §70(2)(h) and (5), and §71. ↩ ↩²

19. Government Decree 31/2016 Coll., §2(1). ↩

20. Foreigners Act (Act 326/1999 Coll.), §180j; Public Health Insurance Act (Act 48/1997 Coll.), §2(1)(b). ↩

21. Ministry of the Interior, "Sněmovna schválila nový zákon o pobytu cizinců", 11 September 2026, mv.gov.cz; Chamber of Deputies, print 144, psp.cz. ↩