Germany is one of the founding members of the European Union (EU) and a member of the Schengen area. Czech Republic adhered to the these two structures as well and this ensures the citizens of the two countries the free movement of persons to and from Germany and Czech Republic. Our team can present how to immigrate to Czech Republic.
Therefore, Germans who want to relocate here and obtain a residence permit in Czech Republic do not have to comply with various immigration procedures prior to their relocation in this country.
Considering that they benefit from the right of free movement of persons within the EU, they will need to initiate the formalities for residency after their relocation (the same applies to family members, if applicable).
With that being said, German citizens who are moving to Czech Republic do not need to comply with any stringent immigration regulations when arriving here. Still, once they will move to Czech Republic they should complete certain steps that will allow them various rights. Here, we refer to the issuance of the temporary residence permit and the Czech long term residence permit; our immigration lawyer in Czech Republic can also advise on the procedures that one should follow when applying for the Czech citizenship. We can also offer detailed information about how to immigrate to Czech Republic.
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How can German citizens acquire the Czech citizenship?
The Czech citizenship can be obtained by German persons who move to Czech Republic only in specific cases. The basic ways through which one can acquire the Czech citizenship is by being directly related to a person who has the Czech nationality or through naturalization, the latter being a more lengthy process. If the latter case applies, then the foreigner has to comply with very specific requirements, applicable when one will relocate to Czech Republic.
For example, it is necessary to have had a Czech long term residence permit which attests the fact that the holder has been living in Czech Republic for at least five years at the moment when the application was made. A regulation that is specific to Czech Republic is that, once you apply for the Czech citizenship, you must give up to the other citizenship you have, which means that, as a German citizen, you must be willing to renounce to this citizenship.
Besides these two basic requirements, the applicant has to prove the his or her proficiency in the Czech language during the citizenship interview that will be held with the local authorities. The applicant must also have a clean criminal record, showing no sign of criminal activity for the duration of stay in Czech Republic. The application has to be made with the Ministry of Interior. If you want to immigrate to Czech Republic, this institution will handle all legal matters.
As a general rule, all these requirements have to be fulfilled by the applicant, but in certain cases, the requirement for having a Czech residence permit does not apply to the following: applicants who were born in Czech Republic, persons who have been living here for at least 10 years, persons who were adopted by Czech nationals, persons who have had the Czech citizenship in the past, persons who have at least a Czech parent, persons who have acquired the refugee status or those who have Czech children; our immigration lawyer in Czech Republic can present more details on this matter and also on how to immigrate to Czech Republic.
The citizenship can be obtained after living in this country for a given period of time, or through descendance. The latter can be applicable to numerous German citizens, as the Czech Republic has a large ethnic population of Germans, according to the data revealed by a national census, which presented the following:
• in a census carried out in 2001, 39,106 Czech citizens declared their German ethnicity;
• at that time, this number accounted for 0.4% of the Czech population;
• the census carried out in 2011 provided the option of not selecting any ethnicity or to select multiple ethnicities, which resulted in 18,658 citizens declaring the German ethnicity as their sole ethnicity, and 6,563 selected multiple ethnicities, while 25% did not select any;
• the region with the highest number of Czech citizens with German ethnicity was Karlovy Vary Region, with 4,431 persons;
• at the end of 2018, the total number of German citizens living in the Czech Republic accounted for 21,267 persons.
Can German citizens bring their family in Czech Republic?
Yes, German citizens moving to Czech Republic are allowed to bring their families in this country as well. In the case in which the person considers permanent residency here, he or she can apply for a permanent residence card. It must be noted that if the person brings his or her family here, the respective persons must also apply for permanent residency.
German citizens can obtain their permanent residency in only two years of residing in this country if they are related to a EU person who already lives in Czech Republic based on a permanent residence card or if they are related to a Czech national. A set of documents must be submitted with the Ministry of Interior, including documents showing the family relation with the person who is already living in this country. For more details on how to immigrate to Czech Republic, we invite you to address to our immigration lawyer in Czech Republic.
