Survival Kit VI. Visa and Integration after Arrival Visa

Visa

Visa is an authorization which allows a foreigner to enter and temporarily stay on the territory of the Czech Republic / Schengen Area under conditions specified within.

Visa is issued into a passport (travel document) of a foreigner in a form of a visa sticker. Every applicant, incl. a child, is issued an individual visa sticker. If the child does not have an own passport and is inscribed in the parent´s passport, two visa stickers are issued into the passport of the parent.

List of Schengen Area Members States

The Schengen Area consists of the following countries (as to 1. 11. 2020):

Austria
Belgium
Czech Republic
Denmark (excluding Greenland and the Faroe Islands)
Estonia
Finland
France (excluding overseas departments and collectivities)
Germany (excluding Heligoland)
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
The Netherlands (excluding Aruba, Curacao, St. Martin, Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius)
Norway (excluding Spitsbergen)
Poland
Portugal (including the Azores and Madeira)
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain (including Balearic Islands and Canary Islands)
Sweden
Switzerland

Types of Visa

Short-term Visa

is issued for a stay in the Czech Republic / Schengen Area for up to 90 days
is issued as:

Airport transit visa (letter “A“ visa)
- airport transit visa can be issued for one or two entries
Short-term visa for stay up to 90 days (letter “C“ visa) for the purpose of:
- tourism,
- visit (invitation),
- culture,
- sport,
- study,
- medical treatment,
- employment,
- seasonal employment,
- scientific research,
- business,
- official/political purpose,
- other.

Long-term Visa

Issued for a stay in the Czech Republic for over 90 days. Authorize the holder to travel and stay in other Schengen Area States on a short-term basis (up to 90 days within any 180 days). Issued as:

Visa for a stay over 90 days (letter “D” visa) for the purpose of:
- visit (invitation)
- entrepreneurship
- study, internship
- scientific research
- family
- sport
- culture
- medical treatment,
- seasonal employment,
- other.
Long-term visa for the purpose of collecting a long-term residence permit (letter “D” visa) for the purpose of
- employment – employee card, blue card, intra-corporate transferee card,
- family unification,
- study,
- scientific research,
- investment,
- stay of a resident of another EU Member State.
Long-term visa for the purpose of collecting a permanent residence permit (letter “D” visa)

Long-Term Residence Permit:

issued for a stay in the Czech Republic for over 90 days
authorize the holder to travel and stay in other Schengen Area States on a short-term basis (up to 90 days within any 180 days)
issued as:

Biometric card for a stay over 90 days (letter “D” permit) for the purpose of:

employment – employee card, blue card, intra-corporate transferee card,
family unification,
study,
scientific research,
investment,
stay of a resident of another EU Member State,
seeking employment or starting a business (special cases).

Employee Card

What is an employee card?

A new type of single permit, which authorises its holder 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. It replaces the visa for a stay of over 90 days for the purpose of employment, the permit for long-term residence for the purpose of employment and the Green Card, which will no longer be issued. Blue Cards will continue to be issued. An employee card is a plastic card with biometric features.

A foreign national who has an employee card is entitled:

to reside in the territory of the CR and, at the same time,
to work in the job for which the employee card was issued, or
to work in the job for which the Department for Asylum and Migration Policy of the Ministry of the Interior (in connection with changing employer, changing job, taking up employment with an additional employer or in an additional job).

For how long a period of time is an employee card issued?

For the duration of the employment but not for longer than 2 years, with the option of repeated extension of validity.

For whom is an employee card intended?

For foreign nationals from any country in the world. But not for

the citizens of the Member States of the EU/EEA and Switzerland and
their family members from among the citizens of other countries who are holders of a residence card of a family member of a citizen of the EU/EEA and Switzerland or who applied for issuance of such a card.

For what types of employment is the card intended?

For all types of employment regardless of the level of required professional qualifications. However, the job vacancy for which an application for an employee card can be filed must come from the Central register of job vacancies that can be filled by holders of employee cards.

Where can I apply for an employee card?

You must file the written application in person at your local embassy of the Czech Republic. 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.

When will I receive my employee card?

If you file an application for an employee card abroad and your application is granted, the embassy will issue a visa for a stay of over 90 days for the purpose of collecting an employee card for you. Before the visa is entered, you will be asked to submit a travel medical insurance certificate valid for the period from the date of entry into the territory of the Czech Republic to the date on which you are to acquire public medical insurance in the Czech Republic.

After your arrival to the Czech Republic, visit an office of the Ministry of the Interior for the purpose of providing the biometric data necessary for production of an employee card not later than within 3 working days. After acquisition of the biometric data, a certificate confirming compliance with the conditions for issue of an employee card will be issued to you.

Within the set deadline but no later than 60 days after the acquisition of your biometric data, you must appear in person at the office of the MoI CR for the purpose of collecting your employee card and for the purpose of verification of the unique link between you and the issued card.

Can I, as a holder of an employee card, change employers or change to a different job?

Yes, but you must file a written notification with such a change to the office of the Ministry of the Interior. Change must be notified at the latest 30 days before it happens. The Ministry will inform you and your employer about fulfillment of conditions of change notification.

Special Cases – Non-Dual Mode Employee Card

A foreign national who wishes to stay in the CR on a long-term basis for the purpose of employment with an employee card must apply with the relevant regional office of the Employment Agency of the CR for an employment permit issued by the Employment Agency of the CR can also apply for an employee card. In these cases, the right of free access to the labour market or the employment permit entitle the foreign national to perform a job and the employee card will serve merely as a long-term residence permit to him or her, i.e. it will operate in non-dual mode.

The right of free access to the labour market of the CR is held, for example, by a foreign national who:

acquired secondary or tertiary vocational education or tertiary vocational education at a conservatory or university education in the Czech Republic, or who
wishes to be employed in the Czech Republic as a pedagogice employee or an academic employee of a university or as a cleric of a church or a religious organisation registered in the Czech Republic, or who
has been posted to the Czech Republic by his/her foreign employer based in some other Member State of the EU/EEA or Switzerland as part of provision of services

A non-dual employee card can be issued for a foreign national for the duration of contractual employment according to the submitted documents (such as a contract of employment) but not for longer than 2 years, with the option of repeated extensit of its validity.

Employment Permit

A foreign national who wishes to reside in the CR on a long-term basis for the purpose of employment with an employee card must apply to the relevant regional branch office of the Employment Agency of the CR for an employment permit only if,

he or she has been posted by his or her foreign employer based outside the territory of the EU/EEA or Switzerland to perform work in the CR (to perform the tasks arising from a contract entered into between this employer and a Czech legal entity or natural person), or if
he or she is working as an intern in an employer-employee relationship with an employer in the CR, or if
a valid international agreement provides so in his or her case.

In these cases, a foreign national will apply for an employment permit for a job which is not included in the central register of job vacancies that can be filled with holders of employee cards.

An employee card may be issued to a foreign national for the period of validity of his/her employment permit. Extension of its validity is a condition for possible extension of validity of his or her employee card.

In case you are partner, member or statutory body of a business company or a cooperative and you perform tasks arising from the type of activity of this legal entity you will still need employment permit to perform this activity. However it is not possible to issue the employee card for the purpose of performance of these activities or even to prolong the validity of employee card. If you were issued employee card for this purpose in the past you can find yourself other job different from performance of activities in a range of the business activities of your company or cooperative and apply for the consent of the Ministry of Interior with the change of employer or job position. To get employee card or a consent of the Ministry of Interior with the change of job position for the performance of tasks arising from the business activity of the company or cooperative is possible only when you are not member of such cooperative, partner or member of statutory body of such company.

Where can I get more information on an employee card?

On the website of the Ministry of the Interior – https://www.mvcr.cz/mvcren/article/employee-card-682810.aspx,
Or on the information line of the Ministry of the Interior – phone: +420 974 832 421, +420 974 832 418 (Monday–Friday; 8:00–15:00), e-mail: pobyty@mvcr.cz

What is a blue card

An EU Blue Card is a residential status designed for a long-term stay involving the performance of a highly skilled job (§ 42i of the Act on the Residence of Foreign Nationals). An EU Blue Card entitles a foreign national to reside in the Czech Republic, perform a job for which the blue card was issued and change that job under the conditions specified.

The blue card is issued to workers with higher professional or university education who have an employment contract for at least one year, for the statutory weekly work hours, and who have an agreed upon gross monthly or annual salary amounting to at least a 1.5 multiple of the gross annual salary in the Czech Republic.

The blue card is valid for the term of employment set in the employment contract plus 3 months, but to a maximum of 2 years.

The blue card is issued for a specific job vacancy in the Czech Republic. Jobs available for blue cards are primarily those that have not been successfully filled by workers from the Czech Republic or the EU.

An application for an EU Blue Card is to be filed by a foreign national at a Czech embassy as well as, in selected cases, at a Ministry of the Interior office inside the Czech Republic, that is if you are already in the CR on a long-term visa or long-term residency permit, or are a holder of a Blue Card issued by another EU state and you apply within 1 month of entering the CR. You must file your application personally.

Notice:

Physicians, dentists, and pharmacists who have not acquired professional qualification in another EU member state and wish to practice their medical profession in the Czech Republic must successfully complete an approbation exam The same requirement also applies to the practice of a non-medical healthcare profession.

List of States Whose Citizens Are Required to Have Visa

Centre for Foreigners JMK
Mezírka 1 (4. patro), 602 00 Brno
+420 541 658 333
cizincijmk@jmk.cz
www.cizincijmk.cz
Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic
+420 974 832 421
+420 974 832 418
Monday–Friday: 8:00 a.m. – 15:00 a.m.
pobyty@mvcr.cz
www.mvcr.cz/cizinci