How to legally work/do business in the Czech Republic in the ASAP mode

The stay of foreigners in the territory of the Czech Republic is regulated by Act No. 326/1999 Coll., on the Residence of Foreign Nationals in the Czech Republic as amended.

The stay of foreigners in the territory of the Czech Republic is further governed by EU/EC legal regulations. In the area of visas it is especially Regulation (EC) No. 810/2009 of the European Parliament and the Council on the Community Code on Visas ("Visa Code") and Council Regulation (EC) No. 539/2001 (as amended), which establishes a list of third countries whose nationals must have a visa when crossing the external borders, as well as a list of third countries whose nationals are exempt from this obligation.

The current practice in the matter of the process of obtaining employment cards/visas/long-term stays has changed significantly in the Czech Republic. The current migration policy of the Czech Republic focuses on the migration of qualified workers from third countries in order to give incentives to foreign investors to do business in the Czech Republic and to secure qualified employees for Czech companies in accelerated procedure. The Czech Republic has therefore added to the standard process of obtaining legal residence/employment/business number of programs supporting economic migration.

Within the programs supporting economic migration the process of obtaining legal residence/employment/business has been significantly accelerated. If all conditions are met it is possible to receive residence permit within 1 month. The government economic migration programs are targeted at investors operating in the Czech Republic with an organizational component in the Czech Republic and abroad. Furthermore, the programs are intended for research organizations, technology companies as well as start-ups and newly founded companies that request the accelerated employment of foreign workers, from top managers to production workers. The administrative process within the programs when applying for employment cards/visas has been significantly cut down. The programs also cover family members of the applicant.

The economic migration programs mentioned above were supplemented with a new Digital Nomads Program with effect from July 1, 2023. The program is aimed at highly qualified and top workers and their family members from the IT field, who often work only on clearly defined programs in an international environment. Specifically, citizens of Australia, Japan, Canada, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America or Taiwan. Program participants are guaranteed the possibility of submitting an application for a residence permit for the purpose of doing business and processing the application within 45 days of the submission itself.

It is highly recommended that you consult each individual case and current legal practice with immigration law specialized law firm.