Jobspin

The Czech Republic ranked among the most favorable countries for relocation among foreigners around the world in Expat Insider’s 2016 opinion poll. It’s not a surprise. Firstly, there are a lot of multinational companies seeking people with language skills and international experience; secondly, living standard is good; and finally, it’s a beautiful country. You have made a decision to find a job in the Czech Republic, but wait! Before you start packing, here are some things you need to know about relocation to the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic has been a part of European Union since 2004. As in any other European Union country, the visa procedure differs for EU-citizens and non-EU citizens. Talking about EU passport holders, they don’t need any permission to start working here. They just apply to any open position and wait for a call back. However, for people from non-EU country the process of getting a work permit might take up to several months and requires plenty of paperwork.

We asked Petra, a relocation expert from PraguExpats to describe the process of applying for a work permit for non-EU residents in the Czech Republic. What is the process if you are from a non-EU country and you haven’t graduated at a Czech high school, college, or university?

You have to find a company which is willing to hire you at the first place. Such company has to be registered in the national registry as an entity that employs foreigners. Next, the company has to validate a job position in the local Labor Office; generally, it goes on-line within 2 weeks. After 30 days when the job has been posted on the Labor Office’s job board, the position is officially numbered and a foreign employee can apply for a so-called Dual Employee Card. The process of issuing the card takes about 2 months. The logic here is to offer any job vacancy to the unemployed Czech nationals first.

You have to apply for the Employee Card at the embassy outside of the Czech Republic with:

1) A passport.

2) Two photos of EU size (3.5 x 4.5).

3) The application form with the official number of the vacant position.

4) The employment contract or the contract about the future cooperation.

5) The accommodation confirmation signed by the owner of the property at the notary.

6) Legally verified proof of your education.

7) Criminal history background check from your home country and from the country where you lived longer than 6 months in last 3 years.

For those who have finished their education in the Czech Republic, there is no need to apply specifically to a job position that is open “for foreigners” – meaning a job position that is published 30 days on Labor Office job board with an assigned number for the Employee Card application form. You simply apply for any vacant position and wait about 2 months to get a so called Non-dual Employee Card.

This is almost all you need to know about relocation to the Czech Republic. Yes, it is time consuming, but it’s worth to do it. At the end, Petra would like to give you a piece of advice:

“I would highly recommend everyone to think thoroughly, what your intention is to do in the Czech Republic. The process might be a bit longer and frustrating. It is always good at least to ask someone who has already some experience with the process. Most of the information you can find on the web page of Ministry of Foreign Affairs – www.mzv.cz or in most of the cases the visa agencies offer the email consultation for free!”

Thanks to Petra for the time and explanation of the work permit procedure.

Get in touch with Petra and PraguExpats!

Official website is pexpats.com.

Article prepared by Kamila Shodieva and Michaela Pastourmatzi

Business & Job Market, Relocation to the Czech Republic