How Long Can I Stay Outside Czechia? The Ins and Outs of Permanent Residency

#LifeInCzechia Do you own a permanent residence permit? Have you ever thought about staying outside Czechia for a period of time? People tend to ask us how long they can stay outside the country – and here are the answers! Watch out, the periods are different for living in the EU and in a third country. We’ll also answer the question of whether having a Czech permanent residence permit can help you obtain the same document elsewhere in the EU.

You can leave Czechia to live in the EU for 6 years if you have permanent residency.

You can leave Czechia to live in the EU for 6 years if you have permanent residency.

 

Leaving Czechia with permanent residency 

Many people ask us if and for how long they can live outside the Czech Republic as holders of permanent residency

The time limits differ based on if you want to live in another EU country or in a third (non-EU) country

The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) will cancel your permanent residency if you reside outside the Czech Republic (but within the EU) for OVER 6 YEARS. Therefore, if you live in – let’s say Germany – for 5.5 years, you’re still fine.

The limits are different for third countries, however. The MOI can revoke your permanent residency validity if you live in a non-EU country for a period that is LONGER THAN 12 MONTHS unless you can justify your leaving Czechia by presenting serious reasons.

These reasons can include pregnancy, childbirth, serious illness, studies, professional training or foreign work posting

You can find more information regarding this topic on the official website of the Ministry of the Interior or in § 77, c) and d) of the Act on the Residence of Foreign Nationals in the Czech Republicavailable HERE.

 

Note for former blue card holders

Did you come to Czechia on a blue card before you were eligible to apply for permanent residency? Here’s some extra good news for you regarding this matter!

If you were a holder of a blue card before obtaining a permanent residence permit, you can stay outside of the EU for up to 24 months.

 

 

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Getting permanent residency elsewhere?

Many foreigners living in Czechia with permanent residency seem to think that having this document can help them obtain permanent residency in another EU country.

Unfortunately, that is most likely incorrect.

The fact that you have a permanent residency in the Czech Republic likely doesn’t help in getting a permanent residency in another EU country as every country has its own rules. Also, as we explained above, you will lose your permanent residency in Czechia after 6 years.

That being said, each country may approach this issue differently, so if you’d like to move to another EU country, we recommend first contacting that country’s embassy in your country of citizenship and asking them. You never know! 

Alternatively, you can contact your target country’s embassy in Czechia to see if they might have some special insight into the issue.

 

Want to apply for a permanent residence permit?

When applying for a permanent residence permit, you need to prove that you’ve been continually living in the Czech Republic for at least 5 years. In this case, you shouldn’t leave Czechia for longer than 6 months or 310 days in summary or 12 months in case of serious reasons (such as illness). 

Want to know more? Find all the information regarding permanent residence permits in our previous article

We can help you apply for permanent residency HERE.

Photo source: Andrea Piacquadio, pexels
Article sources: MOI, Czech law

Tereza Walsbergerová

Hello! I'm Tereza and I'm a wordsmith and literature nerd from Brno. Although I was born and raised in the Czech Republic, I know all too well from my time living in Texas what it's like to be a "stranger in a strange land." I am excited to share all kinds of information with y'all!

22 thoughts on “How Long Can I Stay Outside Czechia? The Ins and Outs of Permanent Residency

  1. Hi Tereza,
    Thank you for all your information. I must admit, I am still confused on one point. I completely understand if you live outside CZ and EU for more than 6 years -your PR can be revoked. Clear on that. However, what has me baffled is can you travel outside the CZ for 3-4 months annually to a non-EU country for vacation are you still penalized? I hope that makes sense. Thank you.

    1. Hi Grenada, if you’d like to be clear on this topic, we’d be glad to offer you a paid consultation on your case. Feel free to send us a scan of your permit at info@foreigners.cz and we’ll look into the possible time away from CZ for your case.

      Best,
      Tereza

  2. Hi Tereza – my non-working wife has been here in CZ on a long term family reunification visa for over 5 years. If she applies for and gets permanent residency, what would be the annual cost she would have pay to cover the public healthcare?

    1. Hi Alex, the cost for public health care is 2336 CZK per month. However, there are few situations when she does not have to pay any cost- this applies if she is student under 26 years old, pensioner, or if she is currently registered with the Employment office (in which case they usually pay for her health care for 6 months).

  3. Hello Tereza,
    I’ve had PR in The Czech Republic since 2001. I am thinking of returning to my home country (Canada) next year to study for one year. My question is: how long before I leave must I report my intentions to MOI? Is there an official document I must fill out or will it be enough to nook an appointment with a representative and let them know? I went to their website but could find no information on this.

    Thank you,
    Ephraim

      1. Hello, Terezia,
        I’ve lived in CZ for 6.5 years, but during this period, I ve been abroad for 322 days. Am I qualified to apply for PR?
        Thank you!
        Tracy

  4. Pokud požádám o ukončení můj přechodného pobytu z důvodu rozvodu . Jak dlouho trvá vydání rozhodnutí o ukončení pobytu

  5. Hello Tereza,
    From 06.02.2018-06.02.2023
    I spent 135 day abroad

    I am 3rd party country citizen. And almost will be 6 year living in Czech Republic. I will apply for permanent residency on December and in that time it might be exceed 310 day ( but it will be not for 5 year but rather 5 year and 10 month ) this year I had situation which I stayed 60 days and will be 70 days as well abroad.

    It can be problem or they will be fine for first 5 year 135 day?

    Thanks in advance. Arzu.

    1. Hello, I’d recommend a consultation here, I’m not quite sure how you calculate that. The rule is: the period of absence of the foreigner from the territory during the period of residence referred to in (a) to (d), provided that the individual periods of absence have not exceeded 6 consecutive months and have not exceeded 310 days in the aggregate. You can find out more here: https://www.mvcr.cz/mvcren/article/third-country-nationals-permanent-residence.aspx?q=Y2hudW09Mg%3d%3d

      If you are interested in a consultation, please contact us at info@foreigners.cz

  6. Hello Tereza,

    Very useful info and v well put together.

    I wanted to check if Czech Permanent Residence is different for spouse of Czech partner comparing to Czech PR obtained via work visa/or by living 5years?
    And does Czech PR obtained on basis of Czech partner/spouse allows you to move to another EU nation? Or PR conversion?

    1. Hello, thank you for your question! There is no difference in the Permanent Residence whether you obtain it as a partner of a Czech or by living here 5 years and more. If you want to move to another country and live there long-term, you should apply for local residence permit based on the purpose you go there. PR is not convertible to another country. I would like to point out that you may lose your Czech PR if you stay out of the CZE continuously for more than 6 years or more than 1 year outside the EU.

  7. Hi Tereza,

    Thank you so much the infortmation. I have a question. I’m a 3rd country national (non-EU) but I’m a family member of a Czech citizen (my wife is Czech). I’ve been living in the Czech Republic for about 8 years and I even have my Permanent Residence Permit with the Long Term EU Resident title. My company wants to send me to the UK for a few years. In these years, is there a way I could keep my Czech permanent residence card? After how long I would lose my permit? If I lose it because of working outside of EU, how easy it would be for me to get it back when I return to the Czech Republic? It’s a bit of a tricky situation so I’d really appreciate your help. Thank you so much 🙏🏼

    1. Hello, thank you for your such important question. I hope this helps: The MOI revokes the validity of a permanent residence permit, if the foreign national has resided outside of the Czech Republic for longer than 6 years. So if you are on the territory of European countries for no longer than 6 years, you won’t lose the permanent residency.
      – The MOI revokes the validity of a permanent residence permit, if the foreign national has resided outside the territory of the EU countries for longer than 12 months, unless justified by serious reasons, in particular pregnancy and childbirth, serious illness, studies or professional training or a foreign work posting. So if you live more than 12 months in the countries which are not in the EU, you can lose the permanent residency in the Czech Republic.

  8. I already have permanent residence, i am planning to go to spain for 1 or 2 years and then come back. Can i apply for a national visa there just to be able to work there or i will lose my permanent residence here?

    1. Hi, you are not allowed to leave the country for more than 6 months.

  9. Ahoj! Když sem dostala permanent na 10 let , ale z tím ze bydlím s občanem CZ.muzu prodlouzit bez nej .a nejsme už spolu.dostanu na další 10 let nebo už ne dostanu nic.? Mužů taky pořádat o občanství ?

    1. Dobrý den,
      pokud jste získala povolení k trvalému pobytu na základě manželství s občanem České republiky a nyní jste rozvedená, vaše povolení k trvalému pobytu zůstává platné i po rozvodu. Platnost průkazu o povolení k trvalému pobytu je obvykle 10 let, po jejichž uplynutí je třeba požádat o prodloužení platnosti průkazu. Tento proces prodloužení není závislý na vašem bývalém manželovi a můžete o něj požádat samostatně.
      MINISTERSTVO VNITRA

      Co se týče žádosti o české státní občanství, jednou z podmínek je nepřetržitý trvalý pobyt na území České republiky po dobu alespoň 5 let. Pokud tuto podmínku splňujete a zároveň splňujete další požadavky, jako je trestní bezúhonnost, znalost českého jazyka, můžete o občanství požádat.
      MINISTERSTVO VNITRA

      Doporučuji kontaktovat příslušný úřad nebo využít služeb odborníka na imigrační právo na emailu info@foreigners, který vám poskytne podrobné informace a asistenci při podání žádosti.

      S pozdravem
      Kateřina Raspopčeva

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