Temporary vs. Permanent Residence in the Czech Republic

What is the difference between temporary residence and permanent residence – is one of the most asked questions we get from our clients. Do you have to obtain health insurance? Can you buy a property or take a mortgage? In this article, we have arranged all the information regarding this topic, so you can have a clear view of it. So, let’s sort it out together!

 

Temporary residence

According to Czech law, a foreign national may reside in the Czech Republic without a visa, if they are citizens of the EU. This means that they can stay in the country without any special permission only on the basis of a travel document or an identity card. In this case, the only requirement for EU nationals who want to reside in the Czech Republic for more than 3 months is to notify the Foreign police of the place of residence. This procedure has to be done within 30 days from the date of entry to the Czech Republic.

An EU citizen can apply for residence permits, which is useful for practical reasons where there is need to provide an official confirmation of residence in the Czech Republic, for example, for the purpose of social benefits, or in employment. It is possible to get a residence permit for a specific purpose (employment, entrepreneurship, scientific research, family unification, or studies), or without stating any purpose. In case the EU national applies for this document for a special purpose, they have to provide it with a document confirming the purpose of their stay.

 

With a residence permit you:

  • have a free entry to the labour market (no need of an Employee Card or a Blue card)
  • can travel in the Schengen Area for non-profit nature only with your travel document or identity card
  • don’t have to own health insurance
  • can register your car to obtain a Czech registration number
  • can apply for a loan or mortgage at the bank
  • conclude a contract with some of the mobile operators or Internet providers
  • obtain driving licence

 

Permanent residence

After 5 years of continuous residence in the Czech Republic, every third-country national can apply for a Permanent Residence Card. However, the term is different for a person who is a family member of an EU citizen or had a long-term visa with a study purpose.  By obtaining permanent residence, an individual gets mostly the same rights and responsibilities as a citizen of the Czech Republic, but there are some exceptions. For instance, they don’t have the right to vote or work in the Czech Armed Forces.

 

With permanent residence you:

  • can apply for a loan or mortgage at the bank
  • have a free entry to the labour market
  • start your own business
  • receive social support in hard-life situations and pension upon reaching the retirement age from the Czech government

 

However, as soon as you get permanent residence, you become insured in the Czech health insurance system and are responsible for the payment of insurance premiums. This health insurance must be reimbursed regardless of whether you have a valid contract with health insurance or not. For the employees, the payment of the premiums becomes the responsibility of their employer.

 

We would like to mention that in terms of Brexit, the UK nationals can also apply for permanent residence. You can find more information regarding Brexit and the recommendations from the MOI in this article.

 

Do you still have any questions regarding visa and permits? Don’t hesitate to contact us and use our consultation service.

Yelyzaveta Romanova

Dear readers, my name is Lisa. As a foreign student, I would like to share with you some useful information about living abroad, give some tips on how to enjoy your stay in a foreign country and feel like at home. Enjoy your reading!

26 thoughts on “Temporary vs. Permanent Residence in the Czech Republic

  1. Hello Yelyzaveta,

    Very nice article, I would like to ask you a question.

    As a third country national, after you got the Permanent residence (after 5 years) , if you want to live in another EU country like move to Germany to work , you can do it or you will lost your PR ? Also, since you have PR in Czech Republic, it helps you to get the PR in another EU country or even let you live there ?

    Thank you very much.

    1. Hello,

      Thank you for you comment! For any information, please contact info@foreigners.cz. Our colleagues will get back to you as soon as possible. Have a nice day!

  2. Is it possible to apply for permanent residence after 3years of stable job and able to speak basic French?

    1. Hello Janet,

      Thank you for your comment! You can apply for permanent residence only after 5 years of living in the Czech Republic. For any further questions, please write at info@foreigners.cz and my colleagues will get back to you as soon as possible.

      Kind regards,
      Karina.

  3. Hello I saw your blogs I am very to hear all comments very clearly I want to ask you I have permanent residence in Czech Republic and my wife is Czech so how could I apply for Czech passport ? If there is any chance please let me help

  4. Question:1
    I will be applying for Permanent Residence for Czech soon, and my wife is on Dependent (Family VISA) and we are from India (Non EU Citizen). Does that mean, if I apply for PR and appear for Czech Exam, my wife will also have to appear for PR exam and she can claim her PR as well?

    Question 2
    Once I have PR from Czech, and I get an offer in Germany / Austria for work, will I still be able to keep my Czech PR side by side or I have to surrender my Czech PR.

    Question 3
    What are the basic rules to maintain the PR for Czech?

    1. Hello Vatsal,

      Thank you for your questions! If you didn’t find any information in the article, please write at info@foreigners.cz and my colleagues will get back to you as soon as possible.

      Kind regards,
      Karina.

  5. Hello. Good morning everybody.
    If i have permanent resident of czech republic. I can or not work in another european country?
    Thank you for your understand.

    1. Hello Josh,

      thank you for your question! If you’re going to stay in the Czech Republic for more than one month and if you’re an EU citizen, you can apply for this type of visa. If you have some more questions on this topic, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@foreigners.cz.

      Best regards,
      Karyna.

  6. Hi, Karina.
    I sent you a detailed letter via email to clarify all the questions I have for my relocation to the Czech Republics. I’d appreciate very much if you could help me to get all the answers.
    Thanks.

    Dmitry.

    1. Hello Dmitry,

      unfortunately, Karina doesn’t work with us anymore. However, since we are happy to help everyone who needs it, you can send an email with your question to info@foreigners.cz. Please, include also the name of the city you’d like to relocate to 🙂

      Kind regards,

      Anna

  7. Sorry for my bad English. I m from No EU country my future husband too. My husband has pobyt on 2 years. We are planning to get married in the Czech Republic.We would ask for family reunification, but not through a visa. We want through a residence permit. My question is about proof of finance. Are only my husband’s salaries being looked at or do we have to have a certain amount of money in the account?

  8. Hi Anna

    I’m curious about the differences in rights for Czech citizens versus permanent residence. My partner is a non-EU permanent resident in Czechia. I am an EU citizen, living in the UK. Due to Covid, we have been unable to meet. According to the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Czech citizens may apply to have their foreign national partner visit Czechia (https://www.mzv.cz/jnp/en/information_for_aliens/news/unmarried_couples_new_regulations.html). However, it is unclear whether this right extends to permanent residents as well. Would you have any more insight into this?

    Thanks
    Andrew

  9. Hi Yelyzaveta

    I’m curious about the differences in rights for Czech citizens versus permanent residence. My partner is a non-EU permanent resident in Czechia. I am an EU citizen, living in the UK. Due to Covid, we have been unable to meet. According to the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Czech citizens may apply to have their foreign national partner visit Czechia (https://www.mzv.cz/jnp/en/information_for_aliens/news/unmarried_couples_new_regulations.html). However, it is unclear whether this right extends to permanent residents as well. Would you have any more insight into this?

    Thanks
    Andrew

  10. Hello, nice blog!
    I’m from Venezuela and me and my family will apply for the PR this year.
    One question, my son was born in Czech but his nationality is Venezuelan, after get the PR, will he be able to apply for his Czech passport?
    Regards,
    Orlando

    1. Hi Orlando,

      Thank you for your comment! For me personally, this question is, unfortunately, very difficult to answer. You can, however, get in touch with our immigration consultants by sending an email to info@foreigners.cz or schedule a consultation.

      Kind regards,

      Anna

    1. Hi Sharif!
      If you are a non-EU citizen already staying in one EU country, you may be able to go to another EU country, but it depends on a lot of things. If you stay in another EU country to up to 90 days, you should be fine, but if you want to move there and work there for longer periods of time, you will need a long-stay visa or a residence permit for that specific country.

      Check out this website for details: https://ec.europa.eu/immigration/general-information/already-eu_en

      Best of luck,
      Tereza

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