We have previously written an extensive article about the Blue Card in Czech Republic but since there have been many changes in the Blue Card matters since the change in the Czech immigration law in July 2023, we decided to write another one. The article below sums up the new rules, requirements and updates related to Czech Republic’s Blue Card. Read on!
What is a Blue Card for Czech Republic?
Let’s start this article with explaining what the Blue Card actually means in the Czech Republic. A Blue Card is technically a long-term residence permit card (biometric ID with your photo, fingerprints and signature) which allows a non-EU citizen to stay in the Czech Republic for up to three years and to work on one specified position. The Blue Card can be (repeatedly) extended, always for up to 3 years at a time.
What are the requirements for a Blue Card in Czech Republic?
There are two main requirements for a non-EU citizen to get the Czech Blue Card. The first one is the gross salary level which must be at least 1,5 of Czech national average. This amount is always specified by a law valid generally valid from May 1 of one year till April 30 of next year. For 2024/2025 the number is 780 138 CZK a year or 65 012 CZK a month.
The second requirement is that the applicant’s level of education must be at least Bachelor’s degree.
What are the advantages of the Blue Card?
The Blue Card is generally one of the best types of residence permit you can get in the Czech Republic. We are listing the main advantages below:
- validity can be up to three years – other visas or residence permits are generally issued for one or two years tops,
- no quotas apply to Blue Cards – there is another type of employment related residence permit available in the Czech Republic, so called employee card, the problem with that is that there are quotas on how many people can yearly apply for the employee card at different Czech Embassies. Once the quota is reached, you can not apply anymore that year. No quota for Blue Cards.
- better options for family members – if the main applicant applies for a Blue Card, their family members can directly apply for a Family Reunification Residence Permit which allows them to work in the Czech Republic basically from day one,
- generally faster approval – of course, this depends on many factors but we have had Blue Card of our clients approved in 3-4 weeks which is amazing compared to other visa or residence permit types,
- easier relocation to other EU countries – if you have a Blue Card in the Czech Republic, there are usually better options for you to move to other EU countries,
- easier relocation from other EU countries – similarly, if you have a Blue Card in some other EU country, there might be way better rules for you to move to the Czech Republic (read more below).
How to apply for a Blue Card?
There are generally three ways to apply for the Czech Blue Card, depending on your situation.
1. Applying for a Blue Card when holding a long-term visa or long-term residence permit in the Czech Republic
This is the easiest scenario. If you already hold a long-term visa or long-term residence permit in the Czech Republic, you can switch to a Blue Card anytime. You just need to collect all the required documents and submit them to the MOI based on where you live. Of course, the previous sentence makes it sounds very easy, which is not entirely true (since there are many rules you should keep in mind) but generally, it is way easier than applying for a Blue Card through a Czech Embassy (see below).
If you have any questions about the process, fill in the form below and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours. The article continues below the form.
2. Applying for a Blue Card when holding a Blue Card in some other EU country
This is the second best scenario when applying for a Czech Blue Card. There have been many changes in the Czech immigration law since July 2023 which have made this option even more appealing and easier.
The main thing is that you can submit your application for a Czech Blue Card directly at the MOI in the Czech Republic within the first 30 days you move here. This might not sound like a bit advantage but it can save you weeks or months compared to option number 3 where you apply through a Czech Embassy.
Another great advantage is that if you have lived in some other EU country under the Blue Card for long enough, you might not need submit some (otherwise required) documents such as the proof of your education and your criminal checks.
Last but not least, when you submit your application, you can get a Czech bridging visa which allows you to legally stay in the Czech Republic.
3. Applying for a Blue Card through a Czech Embassy
This is the most complicated way of applying for a Blue Card. On the other hand, compared to other visa or residence permit options in the Czech Republic, applying for a Blue Card is still relatively straightforward. The main problem in many Embassies is to get an appointment scheduled since different Embassies have different capacity and different scheduling systems.
If you submit your Czech Blue Card application through a Czech Embassy, you have to wait until the application is approved, then collect a special 60 days visa and come to the Czech Republic to finish the process.
What documents are needed for Czech Blue Card application?
As mentioned above, the exact structure of documents might vary based on your situation but the official list of documents needed for the Blue Card application looks as follows:
- application form/s,
- passport,
- 2 passport sized photos,
- proof of accommodation,
- vacancy number,
- employment contract,
- proof of your education,
- criminal check/s,
- admin fee for the Embassy.
All the documents must generally be originals (not scans, simple copies etc.), they can not be older than 180 days, documents issued outside of the Czech Republic must be apostilled/superlegalized and all documents must be in Czech or officially translated into Czech.
How long does it take to get a Blue Card in the Czech Republic?
How long the whole process of obtaining a Czech Blue Card takes depends on many factors such as your nationality, the place where you apply (i.e. in CZE or through an Embassy), the season, your employer, mood of the decision maker and much more. By the law though, the MOI has up to 90 days to make the decision. The shortest we have had with our clients was about 2-3 weeks, longest is basically unlimited depending on what additional documents the MOI might request from you (i.e. a nostrification of your Bachelor’s degree).
Do you have have any questions in regards to the Blue Card for Czech Republic? Fill in the form above or below, we’ll get back to you within 24 hours and will be happy to guide you through everything 🙂
Yours, Move To Prague relocation experts
