Changes in the Immigration Law - July 2019

The Act on Residence of Foreign Nationals in the Czech Republic was updated in July 2019 again. It brings a lot of changes of which will apply to all foreigners living in the Czech Republic. What has been changed? Read further to find out.

ADMINISTRATIVE FEES

The total amounts of administrative fees have not really changed, but the times at which they are paid often do. For example, when you were applying for a long-term residence permit in the Czech Republic, in the past, you paid 1,500 CZK when submitting the application and then 1,000 CZK when collecting the approved residence card. From July 31 on, the total amount will be paid upfront.

EMPLOYEE CARDS

Unfortunately, this is the type of residence where a lot of things have changed.

CHANGE OF EMPLOYER

+ There is no need to apply for an approval of the change of employer! From July 31 on, you only have to inform the MOI about the change (they can still deny it later on though – for example if you do not provide all the required documents).

– The information about the change of an employer must come to the MOI at least 30 days before it actually happens
– In general, you cannot change your employer earlier than 6 months after you received your first employee card (there are a few exceptions though)
– You can only start working in the new job after receiving a letter from the MOI confirming that you submitted all the required documents in the required form

RESIDENCE PERMIT – STUDY PURPOSE

Some studies in high schools, conservatories and some other types of schools will no longer be considered “studies” and applicants will not be able to get a student visa or residence permit. They will be able to get the “other” type visa.

CHANGE PURPOSE OF STAY TO STUDIES

From July 31 on, changing your purpose of stay to studies will be possible basically from all other types of visas or residence permits. For example, if you are residing here on the “Business Visa”, you can switch to a “Student Visa” anytime. This was not possible before.

VISA-FREE STAY

If you have a “student” residence permit from another EU country, you can stay in the Czech Republic for up to one year with no need to apply for a Czech visa or residence permit. Conditions can apply.

PROOF OF FUNDS

If you are renewing your student residence permit, you can either submit a bank letter showing that you have the required amount on your account as your proof of funds, or now you can also prove a sufficient monthly income (from employment, self-employment, etc.).

RESIDENCE PERMIT – SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

CHANGE PURPOSE OF STAY TO SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

From July 31 on, changing your purpose of stay to scientific research will be possible from all other types of visas or residence permits. For example, if you are residing here on the “Business Visa”, you can switch to a “Scientific Research Visa” anytime. This was not possible before.

VISA-FREE STAY

If you have a “scientific research” residence permit from another EU country, you can stay in the Czech Republic for up to one year with no need of applying for a Czech visa or residence permit. Conditions can apply.

“JOB SEARCH” RESIDENCE, “START OF BUSINESS” RESIDENCE

If you have just finished your studies in the Czech Republic or your scientific research in the Czech Republic (and you still have a valid visa/residence permit) you can apply for a new type of residence permit that will allow you to stay for up to 9 months to look for a job or to start your business.

SPECIAL WORK VISA

The Government of the Czech Republic can determine that special work visas will be issued. Those will only be valid for one year with no possibility to extend them so they will only apply in special cases.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

The address will no longer be printed on residence cards, which means that you still need to report the change of address, but you will not have to change the card.

VALIDITY OF A TEMPORARY RESIDENCE CERTIFICATE FOR EU CITIZENS

The validity of the Certificate of Temporary Residence of EU citizens will be limited to 10 years. People who received their residence certificate before January 1^st, 2010 will have to renew it before the end of 2019. People who got it after that date will renew ten years from when they got the certificate.

INTEGRATION COURSES

From January 1^st 2021, every foreigner holding a long-term residence permit or permanent residence permit will have to go through an “integration course”. We’ll bring more details about this part soon.

We hope this article gives you a good idea about the recent changes but if you have any questions or want to discuss your situation in more detail, please fill in the form on the right or use some other Contacts to get in touch with us.

On behalf of the whole team – Jan & Daria