How to Get Czech Digital Nomad Visa as an American in 2026/2027

Brief summary: Experts from Move To Prague relocation services explain how the Czech Digital Nomad Visa works, how it has evolved since its introduction in 2023, and what are the specifics of applying for the Digital Nomad Visa as an American in 2026/2027.

The article is divided into these sections:

1. Digital Nomad Visa vs Digital Nomad Program
2. Main qualification criteria for US citizens
3. The story of Jacob - an American Digital Nomad who moved to Czechia
4. Documents specific for US applicants
5. Where to submit your application
6. Frequently asked questions

Czech Digital Nomad Visa is not a Visa

Before we delve deeper into the topic, it is important to say that there is no "Digital Nomad" visa category in the Czech Republic. What was introduced in 2023 was just a Digital Nomad Program governed by the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade, not a new visa category introduced by the Ministry of the Interior (which is the Czech immigration body). 

How the process works is as follows:

• if the Czech MIT qualifies you as a freelance Digital Nomad (more about that below), you apply for a long-term visa with the business purpose of stay,
• if the Czech MIT qualifies you as an employed Digital Nomad, you apply for a long-term visa with so called "other" purpose of stay. 

 This means that you never actually apply for a Digital Nomad Visa. You apply either for a modified version of the business visa or for the "other visa" (which you generally choose if you do not fall under any other official category and you still think you should get a visa). 

What US citizens is the Digital Nomad Visa for - Main Qualification Criteria of the Czech Digital Nomad Program

The Czech Digital Nomad program is not as broad as similar programs in other countries. First limitation is that only 13 nationalities of the whole world can take part in the program. Back in 2023 when the program started, only 9 nationalities were allowed. Americans have been allowed to apply since the beginning. 

Second limitation is that the Czech Digital Nomad program is only meant for IT specialists and Marketing specialists. This is actually also a progress since back in 2023, only IT specialists could apply back then. 

Czech Digital Nomad Visa only for Americans with one employer or on big client?

Third requirement (which is not clearly mentioned in the Digital Nomad program rules but is implied by one of the program's conditions) is that you generally only qualify if you have one full-time employer or one big client. If you are in B2C, or you sell your own products (software, games, digital products etc.) online, you most likely do not qualify. 

A lot of US citizens ask us about this particular part so we are copying part of the official guidelines of the Ministry of Industry and Trade below which states that the following document must be submitted as part of the application:

"A promise to conclude a contract for the provision of services, or an affidavit of a digital nomad client,
which will show:
a) that the contract will relate to a project in the field of IT or marketing,
b) contract duration,
c) that the performance of the contract will be provided in the amount of at least 1.5 times higher
than the average gross annual salary announced by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
when the total remuneration is spread over the individual months of performance of the
contract."

The important part is the monthly income requirement. The actual number is not really high compared to US salaries or service cost - in 2026, the exact amount is 73 823 CZK or roughly 3 600 USD. This number is regularly increased from May 1 of each year so it will be a little bit higher from May 2027. 

Problem arises if you combine the two above mentioned criteria - you must have a client sign a statement that they will pay you more than 3 600 USD a month for as long as you want to live in the Czech Republic. That is basically impossible to do with B2C set up or if you sell your own product. Even if you have couple regular clients who pay you 1 000 USD a month, combining four of those might be difficult. 

Czech Digital Nomad Program - Education, Experience, Size of your Employer, Ownership of the Company

Another important factor is that if you apply as an IT specialists, you must either have a degree in STEM fields or 3 years of provable experience. If you apply as a Marketing Specialists, you can not replace education by experience, you always must have a degree in Marketing or related fields. 

One more qualification criteria applies to employed Digital Nomads. A lot of our US clients work for start-ups, or generally smaller companies, which can effectively prevent them from qualifying for the Czech Digital Nomad Visa. If you are an employed digital nomad, your employer must have at least 50 employees internationally. The same rule does not apply to freelance digital nomads. Where possible, we recommend switching to a contractor situation.

One last thing is that you can not really work for your own company. If you are a freelance digital nomad, you need a statement from your client saying that they will be paying you enough money on monthly basis during your whole stay in CZE. Similar rule applies to employed digital nomads. And if it is you who signs these statements for yourself, that is not seen as very reliable by the authorities. 

Jacob - an American Digital Nomad who Moved to the Czech Republic from New York state

At Move To Prague, we have worked with many American Digital Nomads moving to the Czech Republic since 2023. In fact, our first Digital Nomad Visa client was an American - Jacob from New York (state). We wanted to jump on this new program earlier than anyone else so Jacob was very likely the very first client who ever applied for the Czech Digital Nomad visa right after the program was introduced. 

And as most our clients, he has been with us since. Jacob got the first visa for a year (2023-2024), then we helped him get his 2 year residence permit (2024-2026) and this year, we applied for his extension (2026-2028). The next step for him will be the Permanent Residence Permit and we are very much looking forward to helping him with that as well :) 

Documents Specific for Americans Applying for the Czech Digital Nomad Visa

We have written a detailed article about the Czech Digital Nomad Visa listing all the required documents, processes and timelines. What is specific for US applicants though is as follows:

• bank letter - different rules apply to different nationalities but for US citizens, you generally just need to show a bank balance confirmation from your US bank, no need for monthly statements etc. On the other hand, officially, all the documents you submit to Czech immigration should be physical originals with wet ink stamps (of the bank) and signatures (of the banker). From our daily experience with US citizens, we know that many banks do not issue documents like that anymore. Many of our digital nomad clients also use online banks like Revolut or Wise which do not have any physical branches. In real life, the immigration tries to understand it and often accepts printouts or pdfs etc. By the law they should not though so if you can get a physical letter, do it. 
• diploma - all diplomas that were issued in the US, must be apostilled before they can be used in the Czech Republic, this primarily applies to immigration matters, the MIT matters (the actual digital nomad registration) might accept diplomas without an apostille, 
• criminal check - this is where most applicants make mistakes when not using professional visa services to help with their application. If you are applying for the "other visa" as an employed digital nomad, you actually do not need a criminal check at all. You just need to sign a sworn statement saying you do not have any criminal records. If you apply for the business visa as a freelance digital nomad, you might need an apostilled FBI background check (if you apply in the US) or an affidavit from the US Embassy in Prague (if you apply in Europe). 

Where to Apply for the Czech Digital Nomad Visa as a US Citizen

As for where to submit your application, there are also quite a few specifics for US citizens. You generally have three options:

1. Applying through some Czech Embassy or Consulate in the US,
2. Applying through some Czech Embassy or Consulate in Europe,
3. Applying through some Czech Embassy or Consulate elsewhere. 

Applying in the US might sound appealing but it is usually not the best (and certainly not smoothest or fastest) option. 

Most our client from the US who apply for the Digital Nomad Visa apply in Europe - either in Dresden, London or Dublin. It makes the whole process smoother and faster. Also, basically all our clients have been approved within 30 days which usually means the 90 visa-free days are enough to complete the whole process. If you apply for a standard business visa (where the official approval time is 90-120 days), the 90 days are usually not enough. 

We go into more details in our Czech Embassy Guide 2026. 

Frequently Asked Questions - Czech Digital Nomad Visa for Americans

Can Americans Get a Digital Nomad Visa in the Czech Republic?

Absolutely! US citizens are one of the 13 privileged nationalities that qualify for the Czech Digital Nomad program. However, you must meet the conditions of the program - i.e. work in IT or Marketing, have required education or experience, earn above the minimum.

Can I Work Remotely for a US Company in the Czech Republic?

Simple answer is yes, although details might vary depending on your situation. If you want to get a Czech visa based on working remotely for a US company, then you and your job must meet the requirements of the Czech Digital Nomad Visa. If you are moving to Czechia under a different type of visa (i.e. student visa or family reunification visa) and you want to support yourself working remotely, that is not a problem. You might just need to consider international tax implications.

Can You Move to Prague Permanently on a Digital Nomad Visa?

Yes, absolutely. Czech Digital Nomad Visa can lead to permanent residence permit in the Czech Republic. The freelance version of the Digital Nomad Visa is a bit safer option since it does not require you to keep the remote job the whole time. If you get the Digital Nomad Visa as an employee, you might need to keep the same employment as long as you want to keep the visa. 

Can Americans Work in Prague Without a Digital Nomad Visa?

Americans can work in the Czech Republic as long as they hold some form of a long-term visa or a long-term residence permit due to having free access to Czech labor market. The free access to Czech labor market (and hence the right to work) does not apply to the 90 day visa-free tourist stays. 

Can Americans Work for Czech Companies on a Digital Nomad Visa?

The answer to this question is a bit complex. Generally speaking, you can not get a Digital Nomad Visa based on working for a Czech company since you would technically not be a nomad. If you already have a Czech Digital Nomad Visa, you can potentially accept local job thanks to Americans having free access to Czech labor market. You should keep in mind, however, that you still have to fulfil the purpose of your stay (which is "digital nomading"). If you keep your remote job and have a Czech job on the side, you are good. If you want to leave the remote job and only work full time for a Czech company, you might need to switch from a Digital Nomad Visa to an employee card or a blue card. 

Can Americans Apply for Czech Digital Nomad Visa Online?

Unfortunately, not much in Czech immigration can be done electronically. Yet. The Ministry of the Interior has a plan that by 2030, completely electronic applications should be possible. The new immigration law that will allow that is not yet approved so we'll see if the timeline will hold or will be moved further. Until then, physical documents, wet ink stamps and signatures will still be required. 

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