What is it?
The Employee Card is the most common way to live and work in the Czech Republic. It’s a permit that lets you stay and work in a specific job for a specific employer.
Applying for an Employee Card
Usually, you need to apply for an Employee Card from outside the Czech Republic at a Czech embassy or consulate. This can be in your home country, or in a country where you’ve had a residence permit for at least 2 years. You can even apply in any country if you are exempt from the local jurisdiction of the embassy or consulate.
You can apply from inside the Czech Republic in some cases, most often if you’re already here on a visa for more than 90 days or a long-term residence permit for another reason.
To apply for an Employee Card application, you need to find a job that’s listed with the Labor Office as available to foreigners. Once the job is listed and you can apply, you can submit your Employee Card application.
What You Need to Apply
To apply for an Employee Card, you’ll need to complete an application form and pay an administrative fee (check with the embassy or consulate for the exact amount and how to pay).
You’ll also need to provide various documents, including your passport, proof of accommodation, a passport photo (45 x 35 mm), and a criminal record extract from your country of citizenship and any country where you’ve lived for more than 6 months in the last 3 years.
You will need to provide proof of your professional qualifications if required for the job, such as your education or other certificates. If you’re working through an agency, you’ll also need proof that you’ve been assigned to the company you’ll be working for.
Finally, you’ll need to show that you’ll be working for the chosen employer in a job listed with the Labor Office. This can be shown with an employment contract, an agreement on work activity, or a future contract. Your contract must show that you’ll be paid at least the minimum monthly wage, and you must work at least 15 hours per week.
How Long It Takes
It usually takes 60 days to process the application, or 90 days in more complex cases. Once approved, you’ll likely need to get an entry visa, come to the Czech Republic, and do a biometrics appointment. After that, you can start working on the date specified in the confirmation issued by the Ministry of Interior. To get your physical residence permit card, your employer will need to confirm that you’ve started working.
The Employee Card can be valid for up to 2 years. If your job contract is shorter, your card will be valid for that shorter period.
Changing Jobs
Your Employee Card is for a specific job with a specific employer. You can’t just work for anyone you want.
If you want to change jobs, you must let the authorities know at least 30 days before the change. Otherwise, they won’t process your request, and you cannot change jobs.
You need to report the change of your employer, job position, or if you start another job with the same or a different employer. Also, you can’t usually switch to working for a temporary work agency if you didn’t come to the Czech Republic as an agency worker.
You can only report changes after you’ve had your Employee Card for 6 months, with some exceptions.
Leaving Your Job
If you leave your job, you must report your new job to the authorities within 60 days of your last day.
It’s important to know that the report must actually reach the authorities within those 60 days. Sending it by mail on the 60th day isn’t enough. Also, the report must be correct. If it has mistakes, the authorities will not process it.
If you do not report your new job within 60 days or the report will include mistakes and you will miss the deadline, your Employee Card could be canceled. It might look valid on the card itself, but the authorities will have it marked as invalid in their system.
Dual vs. Non-Dual Employee Cards
The regular Employee Card lets you both live and work in the Czech Republic. That’s why it’s called “dual.”
A “non-dual” Employee Card is only for living in the Czech Republic. It’s for people who don’t need a work permit because they have free access to the labor market.
It’s important to know the difference because the rules are different. If you have free access to the labor market, you don’t need to register open job positions with the Labor Office, and you only need to report a job change after you start the new job, not before.
Unreliable Employer
Not all employers can hire foreigners. If an employer breaks the rules, they can be considered unreliable and lose the right to hire foreigners.
An unreliable employer is one who has debts to the tax office, customs office, for health insurance premiums, or to the Czech Social Security Administration. Also, an employer who was fined for illegal employment within 4 months before submitting your residence permit application, or an employer who isn’t really operating their business.
An unreliable employer is also one who has had problems reporting their employees to the Czech Social Security Administration or an insurance company in the past year, or who is going out of business.
Employers who want to hire foreigners must have a real office. If they have a “virtual” office but their actual offices are elsewhere, they need to register those offices with the Trade Licensing Office or find another solution. Otherwise, they could be considered unreliable.