Losing your job in the Czech Republic can be stressful, especially for foreign nationals navigating unfamiliar systems. While our previous article explained how to maintain health insurance coverage after job loss, this article expands — detailing essential steps, available benefits, and legal requirements to help you through the transition.

Immediate Steps to Take

1. Notify the relevant authorities – inform your health insurance provider and the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy of the Ministry of the Interior. And holders of a Blue Card must inform the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy of the Ministry of the Interior about employment termination within 3 days. Holders of an Employee Card report termination only when submitting a request/notification for a change of employer, once they have a new job.
2. Obtain documentation – ask your former employer for confirmation of your employment termination and any relevant Social Security records.

Register as a Job Seeker at the Labour Office

Registering as a job-seeker ensures you remain in the public health insurance system and may entitle you to unemployment benefits, depending on your insurance history. 

Holders of a permanent residence permit remain in the public health insurance system regardless, but if they do not register with the Labour Office, they must pay health insurance as persons without taxable income (OBZP).

Who can register? Eligible groups include holders of Employee Cards, Blue Cards, long-term residence permits for research, and permanent residents.

Registration can be completed online via the JENDA portal, using Bank ID or NIA ID. Please note that the portal is available in Czech only. Alternatively, you can also complete the registration in person at a local branch of the Labour Office.

Residence Permit and Employee Card Rules

Employee cardholders must notify the Ministry of the Interior within 60 days of losing their job about new employment or apply for a new residence permit for another purpose. Failure to do so will result in the expiry of the card.

Note: This 60-day deadline applies only to holders of a so-called dual Employee Card. For non-dual Employee Cards, no such deadline applies.

Depending on your situation, you may be able to switch to a research or business permit — or continue looking for work under specific provisions.

Practical tip for filling forms

If you’d like a better understanding of what to write in the official Czech forms, Brno Expat Centre provides unofficial English‑language templates for both: registering at the Labour Office, and applying for unemployment benefits.

These are available via this link and are especially useful as a line‑by‑line translation of the Czech originals. However, do note that only the Czech versions of the forms are legally valid! These should be used solely as a guide to help you complete the official documents correctly.

Zdroj fotografie: Canva

Zdroj textu: brnoexpatcentre.eu , brnoexpatcentre.eu, ostravaexpat.eu