One of the residence permits available for foreigners is the one for temporary residence in Czech Republic. The necessity of having a temporary residence permit is imposed based on the nationality of the foreigner – here, there are two main categories of foreigners: persons who are citizens of the European Union (EU), who do not need a Czech Republic temporary residence permit, and non-EU citizens, who will have to obtain the document.
If you plan on moving to Czech Republic and you need to obtain a residence document, you can request legal advice and legal representation from our lawyer. Our immigration lawyer in Czech Republic is qualified to represent you in this process, and to assist you when preparing the documents required in this case.
As said above, the document is not a legal requirement when moving to Czech Republic, if the applicants are from the EU community. However, according to the rules prescribed by the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic, EU citizens are entitled to request the issuance of a permit for temporary residence in Prague or, if they live outside the capital city, for another town or region.
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Temporary residence in Czech Republic for EU citizens in 2025
One can apply for this document if the duration of the stay is longer than 3 months; thus, the document is necessary when moving to Czech Republic for a longer period of time, but is should not be confused with a permanent residence permit, which grants the right to live in this country on an indefinite basis.
If you are interested in permanent residency in this country, you will have to fulfill other conditions, and you can address to our immigration lawyer in Czech Republic for advice on the basic criteria. If you want to obtain a permit for temporary residence in Czech Republic, you will have to prepare the following documents: an identity document or travel document, information regarding the purpose of stay and on the accommodation in this country, medical insurance and a photograph.
The travel health insurance that you signed before the arrival in Czech Republic in 2025 must have a value of minimum EUR 60,000. The document must be valid for the entire duration of stay (for visas that allow the relocation here for less than 3 months the financial threshold is minimum EUR 30,000).
Extension of a temporary residence permit
Please know that if you already are the holder of a temporary residence permit, you can apply for an extension of the document in 2025, if you meet the necessary criteria. The document will be issued on the same legal basis as the first document you obtained when you arrived here.
If you want to apply, you must initiate the procedure before the document is no longer valid, so if you temporary residence permit will expire in 2025, you must take the necessary steps before that date and you have to file for a new application with the competent institutions.
The procedure can be done in person or online by submitting a set of documents. If the application is made online, there aren’t any processing fees. Some of the documents one must prepare are:
- a valid travel document;
- proof of accommodation in Czech Republic;
- 2 photos;
- documents attesting the purpose of stay.
Persons who arrived here for business or employment do not have to submit the travel medical insurance. However, in all other cases where the foreigners do not obtain an income from an activity developed in the country, the proof of having a valid travel medical insurance is still imposed. Those who opt for the in-person procedure must address the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy, working under the Ministry of the Interior.
What should third-country nationals know on temporary residence in Czech Republic?
As a national of a country outside the EU, you will have to verify the Czech Republic immigration law, as the procedures may vary based on the nationality of the applicant. First, the applicant has to know whether he or she has to obtain a visa upon the arrival in the country.
Since the Czech Republic temporary residence permit is required after living here for 3 months, the applicant must see what are the legal obligations he or she should fulfill in the first 3 months of stay. Thus, if you are a national of a country with which Czech Republic has signed specific immigration treaties, you will be entitled to arrive here without a visa.
This will be done following the rules and regulations of the Act on Residence of Foreign Nationals. However, if this does not apply, then you will first have to apply for a visa that will grant the right to moving to Czech Republic for a period of three months and then apply for a temporary residence permit. If you would like to know details about the option of Czech residency by investment, our team can answer your question.
Can the applicant’s close family members obtain the Czech temporary residence in 2025?
As a general rule, the Czech immigration law grants the right to reunite with close family members, regardless of the nationality and the purpose of stay. For this, there are specific visa routes that can be followed, that are created for family reunification purposes. However, this applies in the case in which the foreigner who is relocated to Czech Republic has been living here for a long period of time, which means that the person is the holder of visa and a residence permit issued for long-term stays or for permanent stays.
With regards to temporary stays, the rules can vary greatly, mostly because temporary documents are issued for short-term stays and the holder of a Czech temporary residence permit will have limited rights, and such rights will generally be limited to the holder of the permit. Thus, if the person wants to reunite with his or her close family members, as a general rule, other immigration routes have to be taken.
Close family members of a person who lives in Czech Republic can obtain a temporary residence permit in Czech Republic if they are the close family members of a person who is a EU citizen living in Czech Republic. The right is available for close family members who are not EU citizens as, if they were, they wouldn’t be required to apply for Czech temporary residence.
However, two basic conditions have to be fulfilled here. The person who lives in Czech Republic and who is their close family has to be a EU citizen (not necessarily a Czech citizen) and there has to be proved a close family tie between the person living here and those who apply for the temporary residency. In the list below, our team of immigration lawyers in Czech Republic has prepared a presentation on the documents required in this case:
- a travel document (the passport) and two recent photographs;
- documents attesting the family tie with the person who is a EU citizen (only close family ties are allowed);
- medical insurance recognized in Czech Republic, signed for the entire duration of stay in this country;
- the document attesting the residency of the EU citizen in Czech Republic;
- proof of having enough resources – a presentation on the financial situation of the entire family unit that will live in Czech Republic.
The applicants who want to obtain a temporary residence permit in Czech Republic have to pay a processing fee of CZK 1,000 (the application for the residence permit for certain categories of foreigners is free of charge, such as in the case of those arriving here for research purposes). Please mind that the document which shows the residency of the EU citizen in Czech Republic will not be necessary if the said person is registered in Czech Republic as a permanent resident. The same applies in the case in which the person is a Czech national.
The set of documents have to either notarized, either submitted in original, but in the case of certain documents, only the original formats are accepted, such as in the case of the travel document. An official translation in the Czech language is also necessary, as per the rules of the Czech immigration law.
Please mind that the application has to be made in person, meaning that the applicant has to submit the set of documents after the arrival in the country, but no later than in 3 months since the arrival in this country. The same requirement is imposed if the applicant will become a close family member of an EU citizen in the 3 months period.
In the case in which the person has arrived in Czech Republic under a different immigration document and if the said person will become a close family member of a EU citizen in the 3 months period since the arrival in the country, then it will be necessary to apply for a Czech temporary residence permit in 3 months since the initial immigration document expires.
Who is considered to be a family member of an EU citizen?
Since family has a very broad meaning, it must be noted that, in accordance with the Czech immigration law, the term family member refers to a limited set of individuals, who, in certain conditions, can apply for various immigration documents, including for the issuance of Czech temporary residence.
According to the law, a family member refers to the spouse or partner of an EU citizen (civil partnerships are also included), the children under the age of 21 years old of the EU citizen living in Czech Republic or the children under the same age of the spouse of the EU citizen.
It also refers to the parent of a person who is an EU citizen and who is under the age of 21 years old, and the said parent still supports the child, these being the main categories of persons who can qualify as family members; it includes the dependent direct relatives in ascending or descending lines (grandparents or grandchildren).
What is the immigration trend in Czech Republic?
Overall, the number of immigrants moving to Czech Republic has been increasing in the last decade. The numbers vary, of course, when we refer to temporary residence, permanent residence, the issuance of visas and other immigration papers. Below, you can find few details on how the immigration numbers evolved over the years:
- according to the Czech Statistical Office, in 2010, there were 188,952 persons with permanent residency in this country, while in 2019, their number increased at 299,453;
- in 2010, temporary residence in Prague and in other parts of the country accounted for 77,947 persons (persons with EU citizenship);
- in 2019, there were 152,783 EU citizens with temporary residence in Czech Republic;
- in 2010, long-term residency was granted to 148,856 persons and in 2019, there were only 130,100 persons;
- overall, the number of immigrants increased – in 2010, there were 424,291 foreigners, and in 2019, there were 593,366 persons.
Over the years, the number of persons holding a residence permit has gradually increased. According to the Statistics Office of Czech Republic, by the end of 2022, there were 837,851 foreign persons who had obtained a residence permit issued for a period of minimum 12 months. Overall, 887,272 persons had a type of residency in this country, out of a total of more than 1 million foreigners living here.
If you want to relocate here in 2025, you must know that the country has more than 1,1 million foreign citizens, out of which more than 226,000 persons arriving from the EU area (Slovakian foreigners account for the largest EU group, with more than 117,000 residents from the entire EU population).
If you are an EU citizen, the permit for temporary residence in Czech Republic can be a useful document in the case in which you want to obtain Czech identity number issued in your name – this can be needed in numerous situations, for instance, when registering a vehicle in this country or when dealing with local banks, as some banking institutions will require foreigners to have an identity number issued by the local institutions.
So, although not mandatory, the Czech Republic temporary residence permit can be important even for EU nationals.
Please mind that the immigration law does not allow foreign nationals to acquire Czech citizenship when they have the status of temporary residents. Persons interested in this must first take the necessary visa pathways that will grant the right to permanent residency.
Here, individual rules have to be observed, depending on the visa the foreigner obtained to relocate in this country.
If permanent residence in Czech Republic is of interest for a foreign applicant, then he or she must wait for the necessary period of time (usually, 5 years) and then start the application process.
The application requires the foreigner to submit a set of documents, such as: 1) 1 photograph, 2) documents concerning the accommodation in Czech Republic, 3) proof of funds, 4) proof of Czech language certificate. If you need further information on this document, do not hesitate to contact our immigration lawyer in Czech Republic, who can offer legal representation and advice on other immigration procedures as well.
