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Employee card application requirements - employment

Attention to applicants: according to the goverment decree since 1st January 2024 the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Amman does not accept employee card applications outside of Highly Qualified Worker and Key Research Staff Programs.

Employee card is a long-time residence permit in the territory of the Czech Republic, where the purpose of the foreign national’ stay (longer than 3 months) is employment.

A foreign national who has an employee card is entitled:

  • to reside in the territory of the Czech Republic and, at the same time,
  • to work in the job for which the employee card was issued, or
  • to work in the job for which the Department for Asylum and Migration Policy of the Ministry of the Interior granted consent (in connection with changing employer, changing job, taking up employment with an additional employer or in an additional job).

The employee card is a plastic card with biometric features. Generally, it is issued for the duration of the employer-employee relationship but not for more than 2 years, with an option to repeatedly extend its validity.

For whom is the employee card intended?

The employee card is intended for foreign nationals from all the countries around the world. But not for

  • citizens of the EU/EEA Member States and Switzerland and
  • their family members who are citizens of other states but hold a residence card for a family member of a citizen of the EU/EEA and Switzerland or those who have applied for such a card.

Which types of employment is the employee card intended for?

Employee card is intended for all types of employment regardless of the level of required professional qualifications. However, the job vacancy for which an application for an employee card can be filed must come from the central register of job vacancies that can be filled by holders of employee cards. Subject to the consent of the employer, these vacant jobs can be published on the Internet Integrated Portal of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs where you can find them. Therefore, an employee card always relates to the specific job (there can also be more job positions at the same time) for which it was issued or, if applicable, to a job for which the Department for Asylum and Migration Policy of the Ministry of the Interior granted its consent in connection with changing employer or job.

Dual and Non-Dual Nature of an Employee Card

The employee card is of a dual nature in the sense that it entitles the foreign national to both reside in the territory of the Czech Republic and be employed. The employee card also exists in the form of a non-dual document, in which case it is basically only a residence permit, and this applies to a foreign national who is still required by the Employment Act no. 435/2004 Coll. to have an employment permit or who has a free access to the labour market pursuant to the Employment Act (i.e. he or she comes under the definition in Section 98 of the Employment Act).

Lodging an application for an Employee card

Application needs to be submitted at an embassy of the Czech Republic with the appropriate territorial jurisdisction. For exceptions visit the website of the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic.

Application requirements:

  1. a valid travel document
  2. application form for employee card - duly filled and signed
  3. a document confirming availability of accommodation,
  4. 2 photographs showing the current appearance of the foreign national,
  5. a contract of employment, an agreement on work activity (or at least an agreement for a future contract where the parties agree to enter into a contract of employment or an agreement on work activity by an agreed deadline). The aforementioned documents must contain a stipulation which provides that regardless of the scope of work, the agreed monthly salary will not be lower than the basic monthly minimum wage and that weekly working hours will be at least 15 hours,
  6. documents proving the professional qualifications for performance of the desired job, if this condition follows from the nature of the employment or an international agreement sets such a condition, particularly
    • a document proving the required education (such as a diploma); in justified cases, particularly if reasonable doubt exists as to whether you have the required education or whether your education is appropriate for the nature of employment, you will be obliged, at the request of an administrative authority, to prove and submit a document certifying that your foreign education has been recognised by the relevant authority of the CR,
    • a document proving the required professional qualifications, if such qualifications are required according to other legal regulations (for example, a fork-lift truck operator licence or the appropriate driving license for a tram/bus driver, etc.),
    • a document proving that you meet the requirements for performing an occupation referred to as “regulated occupation”, if your application concerns this kind of occupation; if you do not already hold such a document, you must apply to the relevant recognition authority of the CR for recognition of your professional qualifications, after filing the application for an employee card. Issuance of the employee card is contingent on your submission of an affirmative decision of the recognition authority,
  7. an extract from the Penal Register (or another similar document) issued by the state whose national you are, as well as by states where you stayed in total for more than 6 months in the last 3 years. This shall not apply to an alien younger than 15 years of age; a foreign document must be appropriately certified unless stipulated otherwise by an international treaty that is binding for the Czech Republic, and accompanied by an official translation into Czech;
  8. upon request, a medical report stating that the foreign national does not suffer from any serious disease.
  9.  visa fee - payment in cash (JOD) or credit card (CZK)

Originals or else officially authenticated copies of all of the above stated supporting documents must be submitted. All documents in a foreign language must be submitted with an officially certified translation into the Czech language. The documents cannot be older than 180 days, except for the travel passport.

If the employee card granted, the foreign national is required to present a medical travel insurance covering the period from the date of entry into the territory of the Czech Republic until the time when the Czech public health insurance coverage applies to him or her, pursuant to the Public Health Insurance Act (commencement of employment). The insurance certificate is presented to the respective Embassy, which may also request a proof of the payment of the insurance.

Processing time

Aplications for employee card are generally decided within 60 days, in more complex cases within 90 days.

 

You can find further information on the website of the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic or at the attached leaflet.

Attachments

Employee_card_application_form 550 KB PDF (Adobe Acrobat document) Aug 23, 2014

Employee_card_leaflet 405 KB PDF (Adobe Acrobat document) Aug 23, 2014