Are you a highly skilled professional looking to live and work in the Czech Republic? If so, the EU Blue Card may be your best option. It is one of the strongest residence permits available for non-EU citizens. Compared to the standard Employee Card, the Blue Card gives you more flexibility, stronger rights, and easier mobility across the EU.
In this guide, we will explain everything you need to know about the Blue Card in Czechia: who can apply, what the requirements are, how the process works, and what pitfalls to avoid.
⚠️ Important: This is an overview only. Czech immigration rules are complex, and every application is different. If you want to make sure your Blue Card is approved without delays, it’s best to get professional help. That’s what we do at Move To Prague.
What is the EU Blue Card?
The EU Blue Card is a special type of a long-term residence permit for non-EU citizens with higher qualifications. It was created by the European Union to attract skilled workers from abroad and make it easier for them to work in EU member states.
Czech Republic’s version of the EU Blue Card can be issued for up to 3 years and it is renewable. It allows you to work for one employer at one specific position.
Compared to other types of residence permits in the Czech Republic, the Blue Card offers a higher prestige and higher immigration status. It also brings it’s holder some benefits which we describe below.
Benefits of the Blue Card
Compared to the Employee Card (or any other type of residence permit for that matter), the Blue Card offers several important advantages:
- longer validity, easier path to permanent residency – the maximum validity of the Blue Card is 3 years which is more than for most other types of visas or residence permits in the Czech Republic. It means that you do not have to go through the renewal process so often + you potentially only need one extension to qualify for the permanent residence permit.
- bringing family is easier – family members of Blue Card applicants can apply directly for the Family Reunification Residence Permit instead of the standard Family Reunification Visa. That for example means longer validity for family members (potentially 3 years in stead of one year) and also their ability to work basically from day 1.
- moving to other EU countries is easier – every EU country has slightly (or significantly) different immigration rules. The Blue Card is basically the same in all the countries though with additional benefits compared to other residence permit types. It means that moving to other EU countries might be easier for you. Same goes also the opposite direction (moving from other EU countries to Czechia).
- no quotas – if you are from certain countries (all of Africa, most of Asia), applying for a standard employee card might be almost impossible for you due to the (often very low) quotas at Czech Embassies. There are no quotas for Blue Card applicants. That means that regardless of your nationality, you always have a chance to get the Blue Card.
- longer unemployment allowed – we understand that if you moved to the Czech Republic for work, you do not really want to be unemployed for too long. If that happens for some reason though, you can be unemployed for 3 or 6 months (depends on your situation) and still keep the Blue Card. That gives you a bit more flexibility and peace of mind. For comparison, you can only be unemployed for 60 days under the standard employee card.
For many professionals, the Blue Card is not just a residence permit – it is a long-term plan for living in Europe.
Who can apply for a Blue Card in Czech Republic?
Since the Blue Card provide all the above mentioned benefits, it on the other hand limits who can apply for it. Not everyone qualifies. To be eligible for a Blue Card in Czechia, you generally need to meet these three conditions:
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Higher education – applicants generally must have at least a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent higher qualification). In some cases, your diploma might require an official recognition in the Czech Republic (nostrification).
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Salary threshold – the job must pay at least 1.5 times the average gross monthly/annual salary in the Czech Republic (see more below).
- Job offer – you must have an employment contract with a Czech company for a position considered “highly skilled”. This means that even if you have a Bachelor’s degree and the employer offers you 1.5 of Czech average salary for a position of a “cleaning lady”, that will not work for the Blue Card since a “cleaning lady” is not considered highly skilled job. Although this example might be a bit extreme, similar situations happen in real life so you should alway make sure the job is really classified as highly skilled in the Czech Republic.
If you don’t meet these criteria, the standard Employee Card may be a better fit.
Blue Card salary threshold explained
The minimum salary for Blue Card applicants is defined as 1.5 of Czech national average salary for that particular year. It is usually defined for a period from May 1 to April 30 next year. For May 2025 – April 2026 is the Czech average salary defined as 46 165 CZK a month which means the minimum salary required for the Blue Card is 1.5 x 46 165 = 69 248 CZK a month.
This changes in the salary threshold are one of the most common reasons why applications are refused or get unnecessarily complicated. It’s not enough if your salary is “close” – even being 1 CZK under the threshold is grounds for refusal. Your employment contract must clearly show the correct amount and it must stay high enough even after the increase in May.
This is especially crucial for applications submitted in the beginning of a year. If you for example submit your application in February with a salary of 70 000 CZK (which meets the current year’s requirements) but your decision is not made before May, then your application can be denied based on 70 000 CZK not being enough in May anymore.
Czech Blue Card Required documents
Below, you will find a basic set of documents required for the Blue Card application in the Czech Republic. Please mind the exact list might vary depending on couple factors such as your nationality, your specific story or situation (i.e. if you have lived outside of the country of your origin) or your job offer.
We strongly recommend using help of an experienced immigration adviser for your first application. You might be able to do renewals on your own but the first application hides so many potential complications (see below) that it is not advisable to try applying on your own. Get in touch with us for further details.
Generally, these documents are required for a Blue Card in the Czech Republic:
- application form,
- valid passport,
- 2 passport sized photos,
- proof of accommodation in the Czech Republic,
- vacancy number for a Blue Card position,
- local employment contract,
- proof of your education and or experience,
- criminal check/s.
Additional documents such as a health insurance or a medical check might be required.
All required documents must be originals (not scans, no copies, no electronic signatures etc.) and must be in Czech or officially translated into Czech. Non-Czech documents might also require apostille or superlegalization first.
⚠️ The most common mistake is missing translations, apostilles, or incorrect accommodation proof or employment contract. These details can delay your case by weeks or months.
Blue Card – Application Process – Step by Step
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Job search – find a position with a Czech employer that meets the Blue Card requirements. You can use this official database of the Czech Labor Office or any other sources.
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Documents preparation – collect, legalize and translate all required documents following the rules above (originals, apostilles, validity etc.)
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Application submission – submit your Blue Card application at a Czech embassy in the country of your origin or in some other country if you qualify for that), or at the Ministry of Interior if you already legally reside in Czechia. Mind that different Embassies use different booking methods and you should always follow the guidelines of the particular Embassy where you are willing to apply.
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Wait for decision – the official processing time of a Blue Card is 90 days, but in real life it can take shorter or longer depending on many factors such as the Embassy where you apply (the further from CZE, the longer it takes), the season (Aug-Oct is the highest season where everything takes longer), the decision maker dealing with your application (they are people so they can get sick, go for vacation etc. and your application may get unattended for some time) and how well the application was prepared (get in touch with us if ou want to make sure your application will be prepared correctly, we have 100% approval rate for Blue Card applications).
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Biometrics appointment – once approved, you have to come to the appropriate branch of the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic to give your fingerprints, photo and to digitalize your signature. If you applied for the Blue Card in the Czech Republic, you can book the appointment directly. If you applied through a Czech Embassy abroad, additional steps such as getting a private health insurance and collecting a special 60 days visa from the Czech Embassy might be required.
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Card collection – usually about 2-4 weeks after you did the biometrics, you receive your physical Blue Card, usually valid for 3 years and renewable.
Common pitfalls and mistakes when applying for a Czech EU Blue Card
We have been working in the immigration field since 2012 and we have had 100% of Blue Card applications approved. And although a Blue Card is one of the most likely applications to get approved, we’ve seen some applications fail for avoidable reasons:
Employers or applicants trying to navigate through the process on their own without previous experience with Czech Blue Card
It usually happens the way that you find a job in the Czech Republic, your employer really wants you and despite not having gone through the process before, you try to navigate through everything on your own. If the employer has done employee cards before or has general experience with Czech immigration processes, it might work out. If they do not have the experience, it is easy to make even a small mistake that can delayed the process by months or potentially get your application denied.
If you and/or your employer do not have experience with Czech Blue Card applications, we recommend using a professional help for at least the first application to make sure everything goes smoothly and you gain at least basic experience for potential future cases.
Salary not meeting the Czech Blue Card requirements
This often happens due to having old information and/or not being aware of how the minimum salary announcements work for the Blue Card. See above for more details about the Blue Card salary requirement, it’s calculation and announcements. One thing to mention here is that even 1 CZK below the Blue Card limit is below the Blue Card limit which means the salary does not meet the legal requirements.
Missing apostilles/superlegalizations or incorrect translations
All documents that you are gonna use for your Czech Blue Card application must be originals (no scans, no copies), foreign documents must be apostilled or superlegalized (depending on the country of origin of the documents) and then translated into Czech language by a Czech court approved translator.
Sometimes people use a translator they find in their country of origin but that rarely works. The translation must be an official translation done by a Czech court approved translator, it must include special stamps and ribbons and follow specific procedure for verification.
We have seen “Czech” translation done outside of CZE which did not even sound Czech in some sentences.
Unrealistic timelines
If there is one thing everyone should understand about Czech Republic’s immigration processes that is that they are not really efficient. One example out of many – say you get your diploma apostilled, then you have to mail it (physically) to the Czech Republic to get it officially translated into Czech. Then the diploma is mailed back to you along with the rest of the documents you needed from CZE as well (employment contract, proof of accommodation). Then you submit the diploma to a Czech Embassy only for them to physically mail it back to the Czech Republic for the decision process. So before someone even looks at your application, someone the documents have traveled couple times between the country of your origin and the Czech Republic.
We usually advise to count with 1-2 months of the preparation phase, then 2-3 months for the decision and then another 1-2 months to get the Blue Card process finished after approval. This means you should count with at least 3 (if everything went 100% smooth in all steps of the process) to 6 months of a process.
Nostrification related issues
Depending on the country of your origin (or more specifically country of your education) and on the job you got offered, a nostrification (recognition) of your diploma in the Czech Republic might be required for your Blue Card. If the nostrification of your diploma is requested by the Ministry of the Interior, it can delay your process by months. Issues with the nostrification can in most cases be prevented by changing the approach or adjusting parts of the process accordingly.
We can not emphasize this enough – if you (or your employer) have not been through the Blue Card process before, always hire someone experienced to help with your first application. Yes, there is some cost involved, it is usually way lower than the cost of you having your application denied after months and months of dealing with it on your own and then either loosing the job offer or paying someone to help you anyway, just having lost months of you valuable time.
Schedule a meeting with us to discuss your case.
Path to Permanent Residence
The EU Blue Card is a strong foundation for long-term settlement in the Czech Republic. Since the validity of a Czech Blue Card can be up to 3 years and you can apply for a Permanent Residence Permit in the Czech Republic after 5 years of living here, you can potentially reach the Permanent Residence Permit just after one renewal of your Czech EU Blue Card.
Need help with your Blue Card?
Since 2012 we have been helping skilled professionals and their families move to Czechia. We know exactly how the Blue Card process works, what the authorities expect, and how to avoid unnecessary delays.
📩 Contact Move To Prague today to make your Blue Card application stress-free.
FAQs about the Czech Blue Card
What is the difference between an Employee Card and a Blue Card?
The Employee Card and a Blue Card are similar in nature – both allow you to live and work in the Czech Republic. There are some important difference though that we describe in our Differences Between an Employee Card and a Blue Card in Czech Republic article.
Can I change employers under a Blue Card? What are the rules for changing employers under a Blue Card?
You can change employers under a Blue Card. You have to report terminating one job to the MOI within 3 days (the same applies to starting a new job) otherwise your Blue Card can be revoked. If you have had the Blue Card for less than 2 years, your have 3 months to find a new job after you leave one. If you have had the Blue Card for more than 2 years, you have 6 months to find a new job after you left the previous one. When changing jobs, the new job must always meet the requirements of the Blue Card (have Blue Card vacancy number, be highly qualified and offer the required salary).
Can Blue Card applicants bring their family members?
Yes, Blue Card holders can bring close family members (spouses, children) with them. They also have more beneficial rules for obtaining the Family Reunification Residence Permit.
