Start here: which group are you in?
Czech law splits foreigners into three groups. Your passport decides which rules apply.
- EU, EEA or Swiss citizen (and your non-EU family members): free movement. No visa, no work permit. See EU citizens and family.
- UK citizen: if you lived in the Czech Republic on 31 December 2020, the Withdrawal Agreement gives you almost the same rights as EU citizens. Otherwise you are a non-EU citizen. See UK citizens.
- Everyone else ("občan třetí země", third-country national): you need a visa or residence permit with a purpose. The most used ones for our clients are the business visa, the family visa and the student visa.
- Ukrainian with temporary protection (dočasná ochrana): a separate regime, see below.
The basic rules for non-EU citizens
- Up to 90 days: a visa-free stay or a Schengen visa, at most 90 days in any 180 days. It cannot be extended and you cannot work or run a business on it.
- Register with the foreign police (cizinecká policie) within 3 working days after arrival.
- More than 90 days: a long-term visa (D visa, up to 1 year), then a long-term residence permit (a biometric card, usually up to 2 years), and after 5 years permanent residence.
- Apply abroad: a long-term visa is applied for in person at a Czech embassy or consulate: in the country whose citizen you are or that issued your passport, or where you have lived legally for at least 2 years (inside the EU only the visa centre in Dresden), or at any Czech consulate if your nationality is on the list of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Generally you cannot apply from a visa-free stay in the Czech Republic; family members of EU citizens are an exception.
- Extend in time: a residence permit is extended at the Ministry of the Interior, no earlier than 120 days and no later than the last day of validity. If you apply in time, your stay stays legal while you wait, and you can ask for a bridging sticker (překlenovací štítek) to travel.
- Fulfil the purpose: every visa and permit has a purpose (business, study, family, employment...). You must keep fulfilling it.
- Changing the purpose to business is possible with a business visa, or after more than 5 years of residence. Graduates of a Czech university have a shortcut, see student visa.
Can I get a trade license with my visa?
In most cases, yes. You don't need a business visa to get a trade license: any long-term visa or residence permit works, as long as the original purpose of your stay remains (your studies, your job, your family). With a visa-free stay or a Schengen visa you cannot run a business. Details: other visas and a trade license. In the tables below, "Ask us" means it depends on your situation.
Short stays (up to 90 days)
| Type | What it is for | Trade license? | Ministry (in English) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bezvízový pobyt (visa-free stay) | Nationalities without a visa obligation, up to 90 days in 180 days, cannot be extended | No | details |
| Schengenské vízum (Schengen visa, C visa) | Short visit up to 90 days | No | details |
| Schengen visa for seasonal employment | Seasonal work up to 90 days | No | details |
| Visa-free stay of 1 year: students | Holders of a study permit from another EU country | Ask us | details |
| Visa-free stay of 1 year: researchers | Holders of a research permit from another EU country | Ask us | details |
Long-term visas (D visa, up to 1 year)
| Type | What it is for | Trade license? | Ministry (in English) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Účel podnikání (business) | Trade license, self-employment or director of a company. See business visa | Yes, this is the purpose | details |
| Účel rodinný (family) | Family members of a non-EU citizen living in CZ. See family visa | Yes, next to the purpose | details |
| Účel studium (study) | University, preparation courses, exchange programmes. See student visa | Yes, next to the purpose | details |
| Účel sezónního zaměstnání (seasonal work) | Seasonal employment longer than 90 days | Ask us | details |
| Účel kulturní (cultural) | Cultural activities | Yes, next to the purpose | details |
| Účel zdravotní (medical) | Medical treatment | Yes, next to the purpose | details |
| Účel sportovní (sports) | Sports activities | Yes, next to the purpose | details |
| Účel zácvik (training) | Training (zácvik) | Ask us | details |
| Mimořádné pracovní vízum (extraordinary work visa) | Work in specific programmes | Ask us | details |
| Working Holiday (pracovní dovolená) | Young people from partner countries: holiday combined with work | Ask us | details |
| Účel strpění pobytu (tolerated stay) | When you cannot leave the country for reasons outside your control | Ask us | details |
| Další vzdělávací aktivity (other education) | Internships, volunteering and other educational activities | Ask us | details |
General rules for all long-term visas: long-term visa in general.
Long-term residence permits (card, usually up to 2 years)
| Type | What it is for | Trade license? | Ministry (in English) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Účel podnikání (business) | Follows the business visa, or after more than 5 years in CZ | Yes, this is the purpose | details |
| Hledání zaměstnání, zahájení podnikání (job search, starting a business) | Graduates of a Czech university and researchers, up to 9 months | Yes, this is the purpose | details |
| Společné soužití rodiny (family reunification) | Family of a non-EU citizen with a residence permit. See family visa | Yes, next to the purpose | details |
| Účel rodinný (family) | Other family situations | Yes, next to the purpose | details |
| Účel studium (study) | Students. See student visa | Yes, next to the purpose | details |
| Zaměstnanecká karta (employee card) | Employment at a Czech employer | Yes, next to the purpose | details |
| Modrá karta (EU Blue Card) | Highly qualified employment | Yes, next to the purpose | details |
| Karta vnitropodnikově převedeného zaměstnance (intra-company transfer) | Employees transferred within a company group | Ask us | details |
| Intra-company transfer card of another EU country | Same, with a card from another EU country | Ask us | details |
| Rezident jiného členského státu EU (long-term resident of another EU country) | You already have EU long-term resident status in another EU country | Yes, next to the purpose | details |
| Účel vědecký výzkum (research) | Researchers | Yes, next to the purpose | details |
| Účel investování (investment) | Investors | Ask us | details |
| Účel kulturní (cultural) | Cultural activities | Yes, next to the purpose | details |
| Účel sportovní (sports) | Sports activities | Yes, next to the purpose | details |
| Účel zdravotní (medical) | Medical treatment | Yes, next to the purpose | details |
| Další vzdělávací aktivity (other education) | Internships, volunteering and other educational activities | Ask us | details |
General rules: long-term residence in general.
Permanent residence (trvalý pobyt)
The usual route is after 5 years of continuous stay. You need a Czech language exam (unless exempt) and proof of money for your stay. The permit has no end date; the card is valid for 10 years (5 years under age 15). It gives unrestricted access to the labour market, public health insurance and social benefits. Fee: 2,500 CZK.
| Route | For whom | Trade license? | Ministry (in English) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Po 5 letech přechodného pobytu | After 5 years of continuous temporary residence | Yes | details |
| Bez předchozího pobytu | Special cases without earlier residence in CZ | Yes | details |
| Holder of a Blue Card of another EU country | After 5 years on a Blue Card in the EU | Yes | details |
| Child of a foreigner with permanent residence | Family reunification of children | Yes | details |
| Foreigner in substitute care | Children in foster or institutional care | - | details |
General rules: permanent residence in general. A child born in the Czech Republic to non-EU parents has its own procedure: child born in CZ.
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and their family
| Document | For whom | Trade license? | More |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osvědčení o registraci (registration certificate) | EU, EEA and Swiss citizens staying more than 3 months. Voluntary, a green paper | Yes | our guide |
| Povolení k trvalému pobytu občana EU | Permanent residence after 5 years (or 2 years in some family cases) | Yes | our guide |
| Povolení k přechodnému pobytu rodinného příslušníka | Non-EU family members of EU citizens | Yes | our guide |
| Povolení k trvalému pobytu rodinného příslušníka | Permanent residence for those family members | Yes | our guide |
| Child born in CZ to an EU citizen or family member | Registration of the child | - | ministry |
UK citizens
| Document | For whom | Trade license? | More |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osvědčení o registraci občanů Spojeného království | UK citizens covered by the Withdrawal Agreement (in CZ on 31 December 2020) | Yes | our guide |
| Povolení k trvalému pobytu (Withdrawal Agreement) | Permanent residence after 5 years | Yes | our guide |
| Any non-EU visa or permit | UK citizens who arrived later | See the tables above | business visa |
Ukrainians: temporary protection
People who fled the war in Ukraine can have temporary protection (dočasná ochrana). The EU extended it until March 2027; the Czech Republic extends it with its own "Lex Ukrajina" laws, with an extension window every year. Since 2024 there is also a special long-term residence permit (zvláštní dlouhodobý pobyt) for 5 years, for people who have had temporary protection for at least 2 years and meet conditions on income, public health insurance and debts. Time on temporary protection counts for half towards permanent residence.
With temporary protection you can get a trade license. Instead of a police clearance you sign a sworn statement with a notarized signature: our čestné prohlášení template. The rules for Ukrainians change often, so check the Ministry of the Interior before you plan.
What the documents look like
The ministry publishes sample pictures of every document in one PDF: Vzory dokladů vydávaných cizincům. In short:
- Visas (short-term and long-term): a sticker in your passport.
- Long-term and permanent residence permits: a biometric card. You give fingerprints and a photo, and collect the card within 60 days.
- EU registration certificate: a green folded paper without a photo. Older ones are titled Potvrzení o přechodném pobytu na území.
- Residence card of a family member of an EU citizen: a biometric card.
- UK registration certificate: a biometric card (older ones were paper).
Source: the information portal of the Czech Ministry of the Interior, ipc.gov.cz, Visa and residence permit types, checked in October 2026. The rules change regularly; the ministry page is leading. Sample pictures of all documents: Vzory dokladů vydávaných cizincům (PDF).
