Employee Card in Czechia: A Step-by-Step Guide

First of all, what exactly is an Employee Card? One might say that it is a Czech work visa for more than 3 months. However, that would not be entirely accurate. In reality, it is a "long-term residence permit for the purpose of employment",and in practice, we distinguish between two types:

• Employee Card: the standard and most common type of residence permit for employment in the Czech Republic

• EU Blue Card: a long-term residence permit for employment that requires high qualification

Today, we will focus only on the Employee Card.

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1) Reporting a Vacant Job Position

This process cannot be completed without a (future) Czech employer. First of all, the employer must publish the job position intended for a foreign employee in the Central Register of Vacant Positions maintained by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Normally, a so-called labour market test should take place, lasting 30 days, during which the position cannot be filled by a foreign national. Currently, however, the labour market test has been temporarily suspended, which speeds up the Employee cardprocess of listing the position in the register.

2) Securing an Appointment at a Czech Embassy Abroad

Waiting times for appointments to submit an Employee Card application at Czech embassies abroad are often long. In some cases, applicants are selected by lottery, and in others, applications may only be submitted within special government-approved programs. Additionally, quotas apply to many countries, meaning that the number of Employee Card applications is limited.

For this reason, it is advisable to verify the available submission options at the very beginning of the process by contacting the embassy, not only after you have gathered all the required documents. There is a real possibility that you may not even be able to submit your application.

3) Employment Contract or Future Employment Agreement

Again, cooperation with the employer is essential. The employer must provide the foreign national with an employment contract that complies with Czech legislation.

4) Vacant Position, Employment Contract… What Comes Next?

To obtain an Employee Card, the following documents must be submitted to the relevant Czech embassy:

• A valid travel document: valid for at least one year on the date of application submission. However, we always recommend renewing your passport entirely to avoid dealing with renewal procedures later in the Czech Republic.
• Two passport-size photographs: standard EU format (35 mm x 45 mm)
• Employee Card application form
• Proof of education: typically a university diploma or secondary school certificate. The education must correspond to the qualification requirements specified for the position published by the employer in the Central Register of Vacant Positions on the Ministry’s portal.
• Proof of accommodation: a lease agreement or confirmation signed by the accommodation provider stating that accommodation has been arranged for you. Yes, that’s correct, you must already have confirmed accommodation before arriving in the Czech Republic.
• Criminal record extract from the country of origin
• Criminal record extract from any country where the Employee Card applicant resided for a total of at least 6 months during the last 3 years

5) Verification and Translation of Documents

It is necessary to verify whether the public documents submitted to the embassy (such as proof of education or criminal record extracts) must be apostilled or superlegalized. ‍In some cases, this is not required.

If your documents are in a foreign language, which they very likely are, they must be officially translated into Czech by a certified court translator listed by the Czech Ministry of Justice.

6) Submission at a Czech Embassy Abroad

Are all the documents prepared, legalized, and translated into Czech? Excellent. It is time to submit the application.

In some cases, the embassy may conduct a very detailed interview in order to properly verify the foreign national’s intention to work in the Czech Republic.

7) Submitted! And Now… You Wait.

The standard processing period for a decision is up to 60 days, and in some cases up to 90 days. Due to the workload of the authorities, it may take even longer.

If the authorities fail to decide within the statutory deadline, it is possible to file a request for expedited proceedings.

8) Approved!

The Czech embassy will contact you and inform you about the options for collecting the so-called entry visa.

IMPORTANT: In order to collect the visa, you must provide proof of insurance. At this stage, you still do not yet have the Employee Card. The entry visa merely allows you to travel to the Czech Republic.

9) Administrative Formalities After Arrival

After arriving in the Czech Republic, you must report your place of residence to the Foreign Police within 3 working days (“registration”) and visit the Ministry of the Interior within 30 working days to provide biometric data.

In some cases, both the registration and biometric data collection are carried out directly at the Ministry of the Interior during a single appointment.

10) Done!

After providing biometric data, only a few more weeks remain before you can collect your residence permit card = your Employee Card.

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