WHAT IS A BLUE CARD?

http://www.mvcr.cz/mvcren/article/eu-blue-cards.aspx

• The blue card is a permit for long-term residence for employment purposes in the Czech Republic under special circumstances.
• A foreigner who has a blue card is entitled to: reside in the Czech Republic and work in a job for which the blue card was issued, and change that job under the conditions specified.
• The blue card combines a residence permit and a work permit in one document
• The blue card is issued to workers with higher professional or university education who have an employment contract for at least one year, for the statutory weekly work hours, and who have an agreed upon gross monthly or annual salary amounting to at least a 1.5 multiple of the gross annual salary in the Czech Republic announced in a Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs communication.
• The blue card is valid for the term of employment set in the employment contract plus 3 months, but to a maximum of 2 years.

WHO IS THE BLUE CARD FOR?

• The blue card makes for easier access to the job market for foreigners with a higher qualification that is in demanding the Czech Republic.
• The completion of university education, or higher specialised education where the studies lasted for at least 3 years, is required.

IMPORTANT ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

• If the education (qualification) evidenced by the applicant is lower than that required for the job in which the applicant has shown interest, the application will not be accepted.
• After accepting the application, the Consulate will block the job chosen by the applicant in the database of vacant job positions that can be filled by a holder of a Blue Card so that no other applicant can be a candidate for this job.
• Until a visa for residence longer than 90 days is issued for the purpose of receiving a long-term residence permit – a Blue Card, the applicant can withdraw his/her application and the Consulate will unblock the job in the database for other possible interested parties.
• The Consulate is entitled to carry out an interview with the foreign national who filed an application for a Blue Card and to request the foreign national to come to the embassy for this purpose. The foreign national is required to come to the embassy and complete the interview.

PROCESSING TIME

• An application filed in the territory will be decided on within 90 days from the day on which it was filed.
• An application filled with the Consulate will be decided on within 90 days from the day on which this application is delivered to the Ministry of the Interior.
• The applicant will be notified of how his/her application was decided on.
• Where to apply for long term residence permit according to your residence in the USA.
• Prior to your visit of the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Chicago, please arrange an appointment.The businesshours are from Monday through Thursday from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.

FEES For exact Visa Fee CLICK HERE (long term residence permit - application for the blue card)

Fees paid in cash or money order should be made payable to the Consulate General of the Czech Republic. We do not accept personal checks. The fee may change without prior notice!

REQUIREMENTS

• All the documents attached to the application (except for the passport) must be in the original or in an officially authenticated copy and in an official translation into the Czech language.
• If the foreign national requests an interpreter, he/she will hire the interpreter at his/her own expense.
• When an action is to be carried out ex officio (for example, an interview with the applicant), the official authority will ensure interpretation

HOW TO GET A BLUE CARD?

• The Czech Republic is doing its best to simplify the procedure for issuing blue cards. You will still need to go through several stages

1. Find an available job

• The blue card is issued for a specific job vacancy in the Czech Republic. Jobs available for blue cards are primarily those that have not been successfully filled by workers from the Czech Republic or the EU.
• Register of vacancies available for blue cards
• Jobs for blue card holders can be found in the central register of job vacancies available for blue card holders (hereinafter referred to as the "register of vacancies available for blue cards") accessible on the Internet.
• Here you can check whether a blue card can be issued for a job you have found out about somewhere else.
• For each of the job vacancies you can find important information about this job. Here you can also find the application form for the blue card.
• If, when the application is filled, it is found out that the job, for which the application was filed, is not vacant in the database, the Consulate will not accept the application.

2. Contact your future employer

• A concluded employment contract is enclosed with a blue card application.
• Contact your employer and arrange the conditions under which your employment contract will be concluded.
• The employer's contact information can be found by the job vacancy.
• You can complete a structured CV in the section Job offers and CV.
• You can also use the link "request for a job vacancy" located by the majority of offers.

3. Complete the Blue Card application form.

• The form is available on the portal of Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.  
• A foreign national who made a choice from the selection of vacant job positions can print out the application form and fill it in manually or he/she can fill it in (possibly in part only) through the Internet application and only then print it out.
• Please do not forget to sign the application.

4. Complete the visa application form.

• Application Form (PDF, 551 KB)
• the foreign national does not apply for this visa, it is granted ex officio for the purpose of receiving a long-term residence permit card (a Blue Card), on the basis of which he/she can travel to the Czech Republic.
• Before the visa is granted, the Consulate will request the foreign national to submit a document on travel medical insurance.

5. Original passport and a copy of data page (the one with your picture) of the passport

• You must submit your original passport or official travel document recognized by the Schengen countries with a validity exceeding the intended stay of the applicant by at least 3 months.
• Please make sure that the passport has a blank page to affix the visa - it must contain at least 2 blank pages.
• It must not be older more than 10 years.
• If you need your passport during the processing time, please send a request with your application as well as a prepaid envelope so that the passport can be returned to you. We only accept mail services such as EXPRESS MAIL (we only accept Flat Rate Envelope with the post stamps in the amount of $26.35  - for more information please click here) or FEDEX (for future tracking, we suggest keeping the registration number of the envelope).
• The passport must be resubmitted at the end of the application process for the issuance of the visa after the Embassy has received the approval from the Czech authorities.
• During this time, you must be present in the US.
• We don't accept the passports mailed from the Czech Republic and we don't ship them to the Czech Republic!

6. Two (2) same recent passport photographs (2 x 2 inch)

• of the applicant's entire face as to show a clear and exact likeness of the applicant (i.e. without sunglasses or a head cover, unless worn for religious or medical reasons).
• The photo must be taken against a plain, light background with a good contrast.
• It must be of clear and good quality and printed on regular photographic paper.

7. Document confirming accommodation

• The original or a copy (notarized by a Czech notary) of a document issued by a Czech university or school confirming accommodation for the duration of your studies - this document must be in the Czech language.
• If you are staying in private accommodations, the original statement from the owner of an apartment/house stating his/her ability and willingness to provide accommodation (signature must be notarized by a Czech notary);
• If you are leasing an apartment/house, the original or a notarized copy of the lease contract;
• If you are subletting, the original or a notarized copy of the lease contract and an affidavit signed by the owner confirming the sublet (signature must be notarized by a Czech notary).

8. The employment contract

• an employment contract for a job requiring a high qualification for a term of at least one year, for the statutory weekly work hours (the agreed gross monthly or annual salary must correspond to at least a 1.5 multiple of the gross annual salary in the Czech Republic announced by a Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs communication)
• in the event of a regulated profession, a document certifying compliance with the requirements for that job

9. Original of documents on education or qualifications certified by Apostille with a translation into Czech language

• Physicians, dentists, and pharmacists who have not acquired professional qualification in another EU member state and wish to practice their medical profession in the Czech Republic must successfully complete an approbation exam The same requirement also applies to the practice of a non-medical healthcare profession

IMPORTANT. The translation has to be verified by the Czech Consulate and the Czech Consulate has make a notarized copy , click HERE for the exact Consular Fees (151c - verification of translation and 151a - notarized copy)

10. Criminal History Background

• An affidavit confirming that you have never been indicted and sentenced for a felony of any kind. For the form click Affidavit (PDF, 44 KB) Your signature must be notarized by a Notary Public. Please state your full name including your middle name. No further certification or verification is required.
• In addition, if you have lived in any country for 6 months or longer in the previous three years, you are required to submit a Criminal History Background issued by that country. This does not apply, if you were younger than 15 years of age.
• For non US nationals only. You will need a Criminal History Record from the country of your nationality. This does not apply, if you are younger than 15 years of age.

IMPORTANT. The Criminal History Records have to be translated to the Czech language, the Czech Consulate does not provide translation service, click HERE to get information about the translators and then the translation has to be verified by the Czech Consulate, click HERE for the exact Consular Fees (151c - verification of translation).

11. Medical health/travel insurance. It is recommended to arrange insurance for minimum of 40 days.

New requirements for the proof of travel health insurance from 2011

that meets the following criteria:

• covers costs associated with necessary and urgent health care, including the costs associated with transportation, including mortal remains in the event of death, and such insurance must not exclude providing an insurance payment in the case of accident caused by a wilful act, negligence or contributory negligence of the insured, even as a result of drinking alcohol, taking narcotics or psychotropic drugs by the insured
• the amount of the insurance payment limit must be at least EUR 60.000
• cover the entire period of your stay in the Schengen area and cover the entire territory of the Schengen area
• without participation of an insured foreigner
• copy of a document confirming the coverage outside the US (a copy of the contract or a letter from the insurance company)
• If a foreign national submits the application abroad, the travel health insurance can be taken out not only at an insurance company authorized to provide such insurance in the Territory of the Czech Republic, but also at an insurance company which is entitled to provide such insurance in the other member states of the European Union and/or in a state which is bound by the Treaty on the European Economic Area (Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway), or in a state where the foreign national is a citizen or where he/she has a permitted residence.
• In such cases, the foreign national is obliged to submit an officially authenticated translation of the insurance policy and general insurance terms and conditions to Czech together with the proof of travel health insurance.
• He/she has to also submit a proof of the payment of insurance premium for the whole term of required stay in the Territory.
• IMPORTANT! The Czech Consulate does not provide translation service, click HERE to get information about the translators. The Czech Consulate provides official authentication of translation, click HERE for the exact Consular Fees (151c - verification of translation).

List of insurance companies of the Czech Republic or other Schengen states, which are currently authorized to provide travel medical insurance in the territory of the Czech Republic:

1. ACE European Group Ltd., organizacni slozka (Czech Republic and Europe only) http://www.aceeuropeangroup.com/AceEuropeRoot/
2. AXA zivotni pojistovna http://www.axa.cz/
3. Amcico pojistovna a.s. http://www.amcico.cz/
4. CHARTIS EUROPE S.A., pobocka pro CR (Czech Republic and Europe only) http://www.chartisinsurance.com/_877_208253.html
5. Evropska Cestovní Pojistovna, a.s. http://www.evropska.cz/
6. Generali pojistovna a.s http://www.generali.cz/
7. INTER PARTNER ASSISTANCE, organizacni slozkahttp://www.ip-assistance.cz/Kontakty
8. Komercni pojistovna, a.s. http://www.kb-pojistovna.cz/en/index.shtml
9. Kooperativa pojistovna, a.s., Vienna Insurance Group http://www.koop.cz/
10. MAXIMA pojistovna, a.s. http://www.maxima-as.cz/
11. Mondial Assistance International AG – organizacni slozka http://www.mondial-assistance.cz/cz/aboutus/homepage.htm
12. POJISTOVNA CARDIF PRO VITA, a.s. http://www.cardif.cz/
13. Pojistovna VZP, a.s. http://www.vzpforforeigners.cz/, e-mail: info@vzpforforeigners.cz, contact in the USA: 212.202.1455, contact in the Czech Republic: 011.420.222254442
14. Pojistovna Ceske sporitelny, a.s., Vienna Insurance Group http://www.pojistovnacs.cz/
15. QBE INSURANCE (EUROPE) LIMITED, organizacni slozka http://www.qbeeurope.com/czech/index_eng.htm
16. Slavia pojistovna a.s. http://www.slavia-pojistovna.cz/pojisteni-cizincu-anglicky
17. UNIQA pojistovna a.s. http://www.uniqa.cz/uniqa_cz/
18. VICTORIA VOLKSBANKEN pojistovna a.s. http://www.victoria.cz/
19. Vitalitas pojistovna a.s. http://www.vitalitas.cz/
20. Wustenrot pojistovna, a.s. http://www.wuestenrot.cz/en
21. CSOB Pojistovna, a.s., clen holdingu CSOB http://www.csobpoj.cz/
22. Ceska pojistovna ZDRAVI a.s. http://www.zdravi.cz/

• For updated information about the current insurance companies visit website of CNB - choose "Order by sectors" and click on "Next step(s)".
• You can choose information about the Czech insurance companies and the branches of the foreign insurance companies - click on "Insurance companies and branches of foreign insurance companies"
• or information about the foreign insurance companies and the branches of the foreign insurance companies providing cross-border services - click on "Foreign insurance companies and branches of foreign insurance companies providing cross-border servicess in the Czech Republic" (click on a name of the company then click on "Permission given", look for "B. Non-life insurance classes" "2. Sickness insurance" "d) contractual health insurance"and if you see that a box on the right side is crossed then the foreign insurance company is authorized to provide special health insurance).

12. Please enclose a pre-paid, self-addressed, over-night envelope.

• We only accept mail services such as EXPRESS MAIL (the fee is $25.50 - for more information please click here) or FEDEX (for future tracking, we suggest keeping the registration number of the envelope).
• The Consulate General is not responsible for lost or damaged documentation.

Send the complete application to:

Consulate General of the Czech Republic
Consular Section
205 N Michigan Ave
Suite 1680
Chicago, IL 60601

Do not forget to include your phone number and e-mail address for future communication!

TRANSLATIONS
The Czech Consulate does not provide translation services. For more details please click HERE.

PROCEDURE FOR FILING AN APPLICATION WITH THE MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR IN THE TERRITORY

The same as when an application is filed with an embassy, an application can also be filed in the territory only for a vacant job position that is in the current list of vacant job positions that can be filled by holders of Blue Cards.

OBLIGATION OF A FOREIGN NATIONAL AFTER HIS/HER ARRIVAL IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
In the Czech Republic then, within 3 working days of entering the country

• Collect your blue card at the agreed office of the department of asylum and migration policy of the Ministry of the Interior. You will pay a fee of CZK 1,000 for the issued blue card.
• At the Foreigners' Police Inspectorate relevant to your place of residence in the Czech Republic, register your stay. When declaring your residence submit the document securing accommodation (lease, sublease, etc.).

After collecting your blue card, go and see your employer as soon as possible.