Frequently asked questions

No. A concluded employment contract, contract for work or a letter of intent stipulating the parties' commitment to conclude an employment contract or a contract for work within the specified date is enclosed with an employee card application.

No. As an EU citizen, you enjoy the same conditions on the labour market of the Czech Republic as do the citizens of the Czech Republic.

Eligible job vacancies can be found in the central records of job vacancies available for employee cards. The foreigner worker's monthly wage, salary or remuneration must not be lower than the basic rate of the monthly minimum wage regardless of the extent of work and the weekly working hours must be at least 15 hours. Only if you already hold an employee's card can you be given job approval for another job that does not have to meet the above conditions.

An application can only be submitted for a single specific job for which you have concluded an employment contract. You can communicate with several potential employers about the possibilities of employment.

No. When a new employee card is issued, the previous employee card expires. Only if you already hold an employee's card can you be given job approval for another job (see the answer to the question For what kind of jobs can an employee card be issued?).

You must arrange your own accommodation, or you can resolve the matter of accommodation with your employer in the Czech Republic. You must have your accommodation secured when you submit your employee card application.

In the central records of vacancies available for employee cards, which are accessible on the Internet.

Yes. A concluded employment contract, contract for work or a letter of intent stipulating the parties' commitment to conclude an employment contract or a contract for work within the specified date is enclosed with an employee card application.

You are obliged to inform the Ministry of the Interior of the termination of your employment or change of job position.

If your employment was terminated for any of the reasons listed in Section 52 a) to e) of the Labour Code, or by agreement for the same reasons, or with immediate termination pursuant to Section 56 of the Labour Code during the validity of your employee card, you can look for a new job in the central records of vacancies available for employee cards and apply for an approval of a change in employer or job position. This application is submitted to an office of the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy of the Ministry of the Interior.

Important notice:

A work permit is required in specific cases stipulated in Sections 89, 95, 96 and 97 of the Employment Act. A work permit only allows the holder to work in the Czech Republic but not no live here. You must have a valid residence permit in the Czech Republic to stay there.

In contrast, an employee card is both a work permit and a residence permit for the Czech Republic. The issuing procedure is simpler.

Additional major differences are listed in the comparison table.

More detailed information: Termination and Revocation of a Residence Permit of Third Country Nationals - frs.gov.cz 

 

The issuance of an employee card is conditional on foreigner's monthly wage, salary or remuneration not being lower than the basic rate of the monthly minimum wage regardless of the extent of work. The weekly working hours must be at least 15 hours.

In contrast to an employee card, a blue card can only be issued for jobs that require a high level of qualification (completed university education or higher professional education where the studies took at least 3 years). In the case of a blue card, the agreed gross monthly or annual salary must correspond to at least a 1.5 multiple of the gross annual salary in the Czech Republic announced by a Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs communication.

Additional major differences are listed in the comparison table.

The employee card is issued for a period equal to the duration of the relevant employment contract, but no longer than 2 years.

You can apply for an employee card extension no earlier than 120 days and no later than the last day of validity of your employee card. The card may be extended for the term of your employment stipulated in our employment contract, but no more than 2 years.

If you are working in the Czech Republic on an employee card and you get a better job offer, you may apply for an approval of a change in an employer or a job position, if the job is listed in the central records of vacancies available for employee cards. This application is filed at an office of the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy of the Ministry of the Interior.

The option of applying for a green card or applying for a green card extension has not been available since 23. 6. 2014. However, all previously issued green cards remain valid for the period of validity specified in the relevant cards and are deemed to be employee cards (the same rules apply for these cards).