Methodology of number of foreigners
A foreigner shall mean a natural person, who is not a citizen of the Czech Republic.
The acquisition and loss of Czech citizenship are governed by Act No 186/2013 Sb, on Czech Citizenship. This Act, which came into force on 1 January 2014, fully allows for dual citizenship. Another important change compared to the previous legislation is that it enables to acquire the citizenship of the Czech Republic to the second generation of foreigners living in the Czech Republic by the so-called declaration, i.e. after having met legal conditions, a foreigner has a legal claim to the acquisition of the citizenship of the Czech Republic. On 6 September 2019, Act No 207/2019 Sb entered into force, amending Act No 186/2013 Sb, on Czech citizenship, as amended. Under this amendment, also children and grandchildren of former Czechoslovak and Czech citizens may newly acquire Czech citizenship by declaration.
The residence of foreigners in the Czech Republic is governed mainly by the Act No 326/1999 Sb, on the Residence of Foreigners in the Territory of the Czech Republic and amending certain acts, as subsequently amended, and for specific groups of foreigners by the Act No 325/1999 Sb, on Asylum, as subsequently amended and the Act No 221/2003 Sb, on Temporary Protection of Foreigners, as subsequently amended (application of this institute is possible provided that the temporary protection of foreigners is activated by a decision of the Council of the EU).
The issues of entry, stay, and exit of a foreigner from the territory of the CR are in the competence of the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Police of the CR. A foreigner may stay in the territory of the CR temporarily or permanently. Reasons for not granting of a long-term visa or another residence permit (both temporary and permanent) are determined by the Act No 326/1999 Sb. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs decides about granting of a short-term visa (i.e. a visa for stay up to 90 days); this issue is governed by the Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code); prolongation of the period of stay for a short-term visa is decided upon by the Police of the CR (the Foreign (Alien) Police Department). The Police (the Directorate of Foreign Police Service) also decide about granting of a short-term visa at a border crossing.
A marked change took place on 1 January 2011 when an amendment to the Act No 326/1999 Sb entered into force implemented by the Act No 427/2010 Sb. Based on that change, powers were delegated in some key areas from the Police to the Ministry of the Interior, especially as for making decisions on granting of a long-term visa (i.e. a visa for stay over 90 days) and long-term stays of third-country nationals and the agenda of temporary stays of EU nationals and their family members. The agenda of permanent stays was transferred to the Ministry of the Interior already before, on 1 January 2009.
The data presented by CZSO includes the following categories of foreigners residing in the Czech Republic (pursuant to the Act No 326/1999 Sb or No 325/1999 Sb, as subsequently amended):
A. Nationals of the EU member states, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland pursuant to the part of the Agreement of the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community (abbreviated as “EU nationals) and their family members
1 Nationals of the EU Member States with a certificate of registration and their family members who are not EU nationals, with a temporary residence permit
A document “Certificate of Registration” (formerly the “certificate of temporary residence in the Czech Republic”, also called “Confirmation of Temporary Residence”) is issued upon request of an EU national. It is not his or her duty to have the aforementioned document for their stay in the territory of the CR; it is only their right to apply for the document. The “Certificate of Registration” facilitates for EU nationals their interaction with authorities, banks, and other institutions and shall be issued with a validity period of 10 years
Statistics on these persons will be inaccurate to a certain extent. The reason is that these persons often do not report the end of their residence in the territory of the Czech Republic and therefore they are not deregistered, or rather the deregistration takes place (only) when the validity of the “certificate of temporary residence in the Czech Republic”, also called “Confirmation of Temporary Residence” / “Certificate of Registration” is terminated.
Family members of an EU national, who are not EU nationals and are intending to temporarily stay in the territory of the CR together with an EU national, are obliged to apply at the Ministry of the Interior for the issuance of a temporary residence permit, which is issued in the form of a “residence card” and in the case of family members of citizens of Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (hereinafter only referred to as the “United Kingdom”) in the form of a residence permit card pursuant to the Section 117(a) of the Act No 326/1999 Sb.
2 Nationals of the EU Member States and their family members with a permanent residence permit
(i) An EU national is granted a permanent residence permit as a standard after 5 years of continuous temporary residence in the territory of the CR (in cases stipulated by law he or she can acquire a permanent residence even sooner).
(ii) A family member of an EU national is granted a permanent residence permit as a standard after 5 years of continuous temporary residence in the territory of the CR.
(iii) A foreigner, who is at least for 1 year a family member of a Czech citizen who has the permanent residence in the territory of the CR or is a family member of other EU Member State national who was granted a permanent residence permit in the territory of the CR, is granted a permanent residence permit after 2 years of continuous temporary residence in the territory of the CR.
Until the end of 2017, a “permanent residence permit card for an EU national” was issued to EU nationals with the period of validity of 10 years. A family member of an EU national is also issued a “permanent residence permit card” with the period of validity of 10 years. The validity of these cards can be repeatedly renewed by another 10 years. From 1 January 2018, the “permanent residence permit card” is issued to EU nationals, too. From 2 August 2021, a “permanent residence permit” is issued to EU nationals; to nationals of the United Kingdom according to the Withdrawal Agreement, a residence permit is issued pursuant to the Section 117(a) of the Act No 326/1999 Sb, both with the period of validity of 10 years.
B. Citizens of countries outside the EU (abbreviated as “third-country nationals”)
3 Third-country nationals staying in the CR on the basis of a long-term visa
A long-term visa is granted with the validity of 1 year as a maximum; for the purpose of seasonal employment for up to 6 months.
Validity of a visa, provided that it was determined for a period shorter than 1 year (or 6 months, respectively), can be renewed; however, the prolongation may be done for 1 year (or 6 months, respectively) as a maximum. A stay upon granted long-term visa with the validity of 1 year can be followed by a stay based upon a long-term residence permit granted – this does not apply to the stay of a foreigner with a long-term visa granted for the purpose of seasonal employment.
4 Third-country nationals with a long-term residence permit
It is a permit following the long-term visas or in the cases defined by the Act No 326/1999 Sb a foreigner may also apply for this permit at an embassy or a consulate of the Czech Republic abroad without a previous stay based on a long-term visa; this permit can also be granted for a period longer than 1 year and its validity can be renewed.
5 Third-country nationals with a permanent residence permit
Third-country nationals can apply for a permanent residence:
(i) Generally, after 5 years of continuous residence (counted are: duration of stay for a long-term visa and a long-term residence permit) in the CR. At the same time, a foreigner is given legal status of a long-term staying resident in the European Communities in the territory.
(ii) After 4 years of a continuous stay, namely a foreigner, who is staying in the Czech Republic within temporary stay after the termination of the proceedings on granting of international protection.
(iii) Regardless the length of the previous stay provided that a foreigner applies for a permanent residence due to humanitarian reasons or other reasons deserving special attention, in the interest of the CR or provided that the applicant is a minor or a major dependant of a foreigner with a permanent residence in the territory for the purpose of family reunification.
6 Foreigners with granted asylum
Successful applicants for international protection staying in the CR, who were granted an asylum; the asylum corresponds to the permanent residence permit as for the scope of rights and duties.
7 Foreigners with granted subsidiary protection
Successful applicants for international protection staying in the CR, who were granted subsidiary protection. Subsidiary protection is granted to a foreigner who does not meet requirements for granting of an asylum but in the case of whom there are justified concerns regarding the return to the country of origin, where the foreigner would be in real danger of serious harm. Subsidiary protection granted is almost corresponding to permanent residence as for the scope of rights and duties – with the exception of the length of validity of the residence permit.
8 Foreigners staying in the CR within temporary protection
On the basis of the Act No 221/2003 Sb, on Temporary Protection of Foreigners it is only possible to activate granting of temporary protection based on a decision of the Council of the European Union. It is a measure to be applied during a mass inflow of third-country nationals, for example, due to an armed conflict, natural disaster, or systematic violation of human rights in the country of origin, which should protect these persons and provide them with temporary shelter until the critical situation ceases to exist. On 4 March 2022, a Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/382 was adopted, establishing the existence of a mass influx of displaced persons from Ukraine within the meaning of Article 5 of Directive 2001/55/EC, and having the effect of introducing temporary protection. Concrete conditions for granting temporary protection according to the implementing decision were further specified by the Act No 65/2022 Sb, on Certain Measures in Connection with the Armed Conflict in the Territory of Ukraine Caused by the Invasion of the Russian Federation Troops, of 17 March 2022. The Act has been repeatedly amended, and its effect has been extended. In the context of temporary protection, the Act is followed by the Act No 66/2022 Sb (social issues) and the Act No 67/2022 Sb (education issues). On 23 January 2023, an amendment entered into force by the Act No 20/2023 Sb (the so-called lex Ukraine IV), which mainly regulated the procedure for extending temporary protection by one more year, i.e. until 31 March 2024. As of April 2023, an amendment to the Act No 65/2022 Sb, as subsequently amended (the so-called lex Ukraine V) is effective, which introduced changes in the setting of social benefits, in the provision of accommodation to persons granted temporary protection, as well as the transfer of the provision of facilities for the reception and processing of applications for temporary protection to the Ministry of the Interior. Extension of temporary protection in 2024 was provided for by the Act No 454/2023 Sb (the so-called lex Ukraine VI).
Note on tables: Permanent type of residence includes foreigners with a permanent residence permit (A2, B5) and foreigners with granted asylum (B6). Temporary type of residence includes third-country nationals with a long-term residence (including temporary and subsidiary protection; B4, B7, and B8), EU citizens with a temporary residence (A1), and foreigners residing in Czechia on a long-term visa (B3).
For information on demographic events of foreigners, see Population change - Methodology.
For more detailed information, see the publication Foreigners in the Czech Republic.