- to reside in the territory of the CR 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).

 

General information

An employee card replaces the visa for a stay of over 90 days for the purpose of employment, a long-term residence permit for the purpose of employment and a Green Card, which will no longer be issued. Blue Cards will continue to be issued.

An employee card is a plastic card with biometric features.

An employee card is most often issued for the duration of the employer-employee relationship but not for more than 2 years, with an option to repeatedly extend its validity.

Which types of employment is an employee card intended for?

With regard to professional qualifications, an 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

An employee card is of a dual nature in the sense that it entitles the foreign national to both reside in the territory of the CR and be employed, without the foreign national having to make applications in two places, i.e. to apply additionally to the Employment Agency of the CR – a regional branch office or the branch office for the Capital City of Prague – for an employment permit.

An 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). You can find more about these cases in the section titled Special Cases / Non-Dual Form of an Employee Card).

Lodging an Application for an Employee Card

You can submit the application at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in London - for the appointment please send an email to visa.london@embassy.mzv.cz. You must attach the following to an application for an employee card:

1. application form,
2. a valid travel document,
3. 2 photographs showing the current appearance of the foreign national,
4. a document confirming availability of accommodation,
5. visa fee,
6. 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,
7. 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,
8. a document similar to an extract from the Penal (Criminal) Register record, issued by the state of which you are a citizen, as well as the states in which, in the last 3 years, you have resided continuously for a period longer than 6 months, or a signed affidavit in the event that this state does not issue such a document (not required from a foreign national under 15 years). The document has to be legalised and translated by an official translator into the Czech language.
9. upon request - a medical report stating that the foreign national does not suffer from any serious disease.

• Based on the request of the Chief Hygienist of the Czech Republic, from June 1, 2009 all applicants from Kenya, Congo, Moldavia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam applying for the visa over 90 days (type D) and residency permits in the Czech Republic must enclose to their application medical report confirming their health conditions, particularly negative tests for TBC and syphilis.
• IMPORTANT! The medical report must be translated to the Czech language.

10. Medical health insurance - you will be asked to submit health insurance upon collection of your visa. The type and length will be specified in the collection notice. Detailed information about medical health insurance can be found on the website of the Ministry of Interior as well as the website of the Pojišťovna VZP, a.s. (As of August 2^nd, 2021 the Law Concerning the Residence of Foreign Nationals specifies a duty for foreign nationals entering the territory and who will be on it for more than 90 days to conclude travel medical insurance in the scope of comprehensive healthcare within 90 days from entry to the territory of the Czech Republic. For a period of five years from the day when the amendment to the law concerning the residence of foreign nationals comes into force (i.e., from August 2^nd, 2021 to August 2^nd, 2026), travel medical insurance in the scope of comprehensive healthcare as required by the Act on the Residence of Foreign Nationals may be concluded exclusively with Pojišťovna VZP, a. s.)

!!! PLEASE NOTE !!!

- Originals or verified copies of all of the attached documents must be submitted.

- All submitted documents in a foreign language must be submitted in their original version and with an officially certified translation into the Czech language. The required attachments to the application must not be older than 180 days, except for the travel document and the photograph of the foreign national, provided that it corresponds to his or her current appearance.

Processing time

The deadline for making a decision on an application for an employee card is 60 days; or 90 days in especially complicated cases or if the Department for Asylum and Migration Policy of the Ministry of the Interior has requested the Employment Agency of the CR – a regional branch office or the branch office for the Capital City of Prague – to issue a binding statement of opinion.

You can find further information on the website of the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic.