Czech Immigration – Hire an Immigration Lawyer, Work with an Immigration Adviser or Do It Yourself?

When dealing with Czech immigration, one of the first questions people ask is whether they need an immigration lawyer. The short answer is no — Czech immigration procedures do not go through courts, which means that hiring a lawyer is not mandatory by law.

Under Czech Act No. 326/1999 Sb. on the Residence of Foreign Nationals, applications for visas, residence permits, or citizenship are handled by administrative authorities (mainly the Czech Ministry of the Interior and Czech embassies abroad), not by courts. Because of this, you can represent yourself, or work with a an immigration adviser or a lawyer, depending on how complex your case is.

Let’s look at each option honestly — including their advantages, disadvantages, and when it actually makes sense to use them.

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1. Working with an Immigration Lawyer

When hiring a lawyer makes sense

Immigration lawyers in Czechia are licensed attorneys (advokát/advokátka) registered with the Czech Bar Association. While their help is not required for standard visa or residence applications, they can be invaluable in complex or high-risk cases.

Typical situations where hiring a lawyer is worth considering:

• Complicated legal overlaps – for example, when you’re relocating a company to Czechia and your case involves immigration law, corporate law, and international tax law.

• Appeals or administrative lawsuits – when your application was refused or your residence was cancelled and you want to appeal or file a complaint.

• Deportation or expulsion risk – if you are in proceedings that might lead to deportation, overstaying issues, or criminal matters.

A lawyer can also help if you want to challenge a Ministry decision in court. In those cases, legal representation is mandatory.

When a lawyer may be unnecessary

For standard situations — such as applying for a long-term visa, Employee Card, Blue Card, or family reunification — working with a lawyer is usually not required. Most lawyers focus on litigation, not on everyday document preparation or communication with Czech immigration offices.

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2. Working with an Immigration Adviser (Specialist)

For most foreigners, an experienced immigration adviser or agency is the best option. Advisers handle hundreds of routine applications every year, understand how immigration offices operate, and know where mistakes typically happen.

Advantages of working with an adviser

• They know both the law and the real-world practice.

• They can prepare your application, book appointments, accompany you to offices, and communicate in Czech on your behalf.

• They are usually more cost-effective than lawyers.

• A good adviser can recognize when legal help is needed and refer you to a trusted lawyer for appeals or complex matters.

How to recognize a good immigration adviser

Since immigration is not a licensed profession in Czechia, anyone can call themselves an “expert.” Before you hire someone, check:

• Are they a registered company, not just a freelancer using Gmail and a mobile phone?
  Being a freelancer does not necessarily mean they are not knowledgable, professional or experienced. it can influence their ability to handle all their cases when they get sick, want to go to vacation or just do not feel well. Working with a single person or a couple often results in slow replies, lower reachability and less flexibility in urgent situations.

  Every website must by Czech law include a legal information about the website owner (usually in “Contacts” or in the footer of the website) so you can easily check their info in the official business register. Do they not have this info on their website? Well, better look elsewhere. If you do not know whom you are dealing with, it will be very difficult to claim any compensations later on.

• How long have they been on the market?
  New Immigration Advisers pop up and close down in the Czech Republic very frequently. One of the most common stories is that someone went through the immigration process themselves, saw some room for improvement and decided to start a business in this field. Again, it does not necessarily meant they are bad, after all Jan and Daria started Move To Prague in 2012 in a similar way and have grown to a team of 15 people since then.

  You should though carefully watch how they communicate this to you. Do they act like they have been here forever and have dealt with millions of cases or they tell you openly they are new, they do not know much but that is why they charge that little? If you know this you can decide if it is more important for you to hire someone who knows the immigration inside out, but who charges adequately or if you are willing to take the risk of facing complications but save 1 or 2 thousand USD and use it for something else.

  You can always check the domain’s age using this free tool.

• How many successful cases have they handled?
  That is closely related to the previous point. If they approach this openly and tell you hey, we  have only handled 50 cases, but only 3 of them denied, you can make a decision if that is enough for you or if you prefer someone who have handled hundreds of similar cases as yours. If they are unclear about that like in yeah, we’ve had many clients, maybe it is time to search somewhere else.

  We have not gained our 22 000 people database in a year either so it is completely fine to start small, it is also good to be open about that though.

• What do their reviews (and social media) look like? (Google, Facebook, YouTube comments, etc.)
  Do they have reviews? Do they have social media? Do they post regularly or their last post is from 2018? All these things are good to consider since they can tell you a lot about the company and it’s operation.

• Do they provide clear pricing?
  Thousand people = thousand opinions. We strongly believe in clear pricing structure though. We want our clients to know how much they will pay in total for a particular service and when they do so, so there are no unpleasant surprised down the road. And our service descriptions and pricing reflects that.

An honest adviser should also tell you when something is beyond their scope — for example, legal appeals, deportation, or company restructuring — and recommend a lawyer instead.

📩 At Move To Prague, we handle most immigration cases entirely in-house and cooperate with trusted partner lawyers for rare legal matters.

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3. Doing It Yourself

Technically, you can submit any Czech visa or residence application on your own. The law allows it, and the Ministry of the Interior even states that applicants do not need representation.

Advantages

• No service fees.

• Full control over your documents and communication.

• It can work for simple cases — for example, student visas or extensions when you already live in Czechia and understand the process.

Disadvantages

In practice, Czech immigration procedures are complex and inconsistent. Embassy appointment systems, missing information, and language barriers make the process difficult even for well-prepared applicants.

Many people start alone and later come to advisers after:

• Missing a deadline or document,

• Submitting the wrong type of proof,

• Being denied due to a technicality,

• Or simply running out of time.

We’ve seen countless examples where people wanted to “save a few hundred euros,” but ended up losing months of time, money, and nerves, and later had to hire a professional anyway. It is generally easier and cheaper to prevent mistakes than to learn from them.

If you still prefer to apply on your own, at least book a professional consultation before submitting the application. Spending €150–€200 to review your documents is much cheaper than re-starting the entire process after a rejection.

💡 Tip: For first-time applicants, working with an adviser or a lawyer is strongly recommended. Extensions and renewals are usually easier to handle yourself once you understand the system.

📩 Move To Prague even offers an “Approved or Free” guarantee – if your application is refused due to our error, you don’t pay anything. So you risk absolutely nothing.

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4. Free Legal Help from NGOs

If you cannot afford paid assistance, several Czech non-governmental organizations (NGOs) provide free immigration and legal advice. They do a great job supporting vulnerable foreigners, especially victims of exploitation or those facing deportation.

Keep in mind that NGOs typically have limited staff and resources — you can’t expect the same full-service support as from a private company with multiple specialists. But if you’re in financial distress or a dangerous situation, they can be a lifeline.

Recommended NGOs

• Organization for Aid to Refugees (OPU) – https://www.opu.cz/en/

• Association for Integration and Migration (SIMI) – https://www.migrace.com/en/

• La Strada Czech Republic (help for exploited workers and trafficking victims) – https://www.strada.cz/en/

• Charita Česká republika – https://www.charita.cz/en/

You can also download the official brochure on the rights of foreign workers in Czechia (we’ll add the link once confirmed) — it explains what to do if your employer keeps your passport or doesn’t provide proper contracts.

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5. Which option should you choose?

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Final Thoughts

Czech immigration law allows you to represent yourself, but that doesn’t always mean it’s the smartest choice. The process can be long, confusing, and unforgiving if you make a mistake.

For most people, working with an experienced immigration adviser gives the best balance between cost, efficiency, and peace of mind. Lawyers are essential for complex or court-related cases, while NGOs are an excellent safety net for those who can’t afford paid support.

Since 2012, Move To Prague Relocation Services has successfully guided thousands of foreigners through every type of Czech visa and residence application — from freelancers and families to corporate relocations.

📩 Contact Move To Prague today to discuss your case, book a consultation, or let us handle your immigration process with our Approved or Free Guarantee.