If you are planning to work in the Czech Republic, you will need to have an employment card. What is an employment card? It is a single permit, which will allow you to stay in the territory of the Czech Republic for the purpose of employment on a long-term basis and to perform work in the job, for which the card was issued.​ This means that you will only have this one document to be able to stay and work in the Czech Republic (the employment card combines residence and work permit in one document).

What job can I apply for?

If you are thinking about applying for an employment card, you must first look into a central register of job vacancies and find yourself a job. You can find the register here: http://portal.mpsv.cz/sz/zahr_zam/zamka/vm. Vacancies that are included in this register are suitable for employment card applications.

Have you find a job that you like? Then contact the employer and submit an application for this job vacancy. After you successfully get through the hiring process and conclude an employment contract or have a letter of intent stipulating the parties’ commitment to conclude an employment contract, you can apply for the employment card. Please note that you may only submit your application for an employee card after you have one of the above mentioned documents that prove that you have got the job!

Where do I apply for an employment card and what is the process?

You must file the written application in person at your local embassy of the Czech Republic. Or if you are already staying in the territory of the Czech Republic on a visa for a stay of over 90 days or on a permit for long-term residence for some other purpose, you can file the application with an office of the Ministry of the Interior. The embassy will inform you within 2 months from the submission of your application as to whether your employee card application has been granted or not. If it has, you will receive a visa for residence over 90 days for the purpose of collecting your employee card and you can come to the Czech Republic.

Who does not need to apply for an employment card?

If you are citizen of the Member States of the EU/EEA and Switzerland or a family member of such citizen who applied for issuance of such a card you don´t need an employment card to be able to work in the Czech Republic.

What about highly qualified professionals?

Do you hold a university degree or have you completed higher specialized education? Then you should apply for a “blue card”. The blue card is a permit for long-term residence for employment purposes in the Czech Republic under special circumstances and it also combines a residence permit and a work permit in one document.

Do you have any further questions on employment card or blue card? Please do not hesitate to contact us.

Eliska Flidrova

flidrova@expatlegal.cz

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