Employment permit

The law stipulates which foreign nationals are required to have an employment permit.

Such an employment permit is required for all labour relationships in terms of the labour code, performed by you in the territory of the Czech Republic, i.e. employment relationship, DPP and DPČ. You need it even if you are e.g. working on the basis of an employment contract and of a DPP at the same time, or if you posses two employment contracts, etc.

You need an employment permit if:

a) you stay in the territory of the Czech Republic based on a short-term visa and you want to work

b) you are posted to work in the Czech Republic by your foreign employer who is based outside the territory of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland

c) you stay in the territory of the Czech Republic based on a long-term residence permit for the purpose of doing business and you want to work or you are a partner (společník), member or a statutory body of a trading company or a cooperative where you also work

d) you want to carry out “seasonal“ work for a maximum of 6 months per year

e) you work as an intern based on an employment relationship with an employer in the Czech Republic (6 months at maximum)

f) you are an applicant for international protection and you have been a party to the proceedings on the granting of international protection status for 12 months

g) you have been granted an exceptional leave to remain

h) you are not older than 26 years and you do ocassional jobs as part of a school exchange

ch) it is under an applicable international treaty

You do NOT need an employment permit if you are an EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland national, or if you stay in the Czech Republic, for example, on the basis of:

a) permanent residence

b) temporary residence of a family member of an EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland national (including those who have applied for a temporary residence of for family member of an EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland national)

c) long-term residence permit for the purpose of the family reunification with a foreign national staying in the territory on the basis of a long-term residence permit, asylum or subsidiary protection;

d) granting asylum or subsidiary protection

e) you are an ecclesiastic of a church or religious society registered in the Czech Republic

f) you have been posted to the territory of the Czech Republic by your foreign employer under a contract with a Czech legal or natural person, solely for the purpose of enhancing your skills and qualifications required for the performance of your work for such foreign employer outside the territory of the Czech Republic

g) long-term residence permit of another EU-Member State resident h) long-term residence permit for the purpose of protection in the territory under the Aliens Act (Act on Aliens Residing in the Territory of the Czech Republic)

ch) you do not need an employment permit if you are graduates of a Czech secondary school or post-secondary technical school or college / university, or if yousystematically prepare yourself for your future career, etc.

The fundamental condition for issuing an employment permit is the labour market situation and the fact that it is a vacancy which, with regard to the required qualifications or temporary lack of free workforce, cannot be filled otherwise. An employment permit has to be applied for at the regional branch of the labour office within whose remit you plan to work.

An employment permit is valid only for a specific employer (who is mentioned in the decision) and for a specific type and place of employment (if you want to work for one employer on two job positions, then you need an individual employment permit for each job; if you want to perform the same job position for another employer, you must obtain a new employment permit as well).

An employment permit is non-transferable (another person cannot make use of it) and it is issued for a fixed period of time, 2 years maximum. The issuance of an employment permit can be applied for repeatedly.

The procedure for obtaining an employment permit

An employment permit can be obtained before the arrival to the Czech Republic. An employment permit can be obtained either in person, or your employer or another authorized representative can obtain it for you. The one who will be representing you needs to be granted a mandate to do so.

Application for an employment permit contains:

Information identifying you (first name (or names), last name, maiden name if applicable, citizenship, social security number (if you have been assigned one) or date and place of birth, place of residence)
address in the country of residence and mailing address
travel document number and the name of the authority which issued the travel document
identification of the future employer (name, address, identification number)
job type
place of work and the period for which you will exercise that employment
possibly, any other information necessary for employment performance

The application must include :

photocopied pages of your travel document containing your basic identification data
employer's statement on the willingness to employ the foreigner
certified official copy (legalized by a notary!!!) of a document proving professional competence for the job to be performed in the Czech Republic (vocational certificate, high school diploma (or equivalent), college/university diploma, etc. ).

Documents that are in foreign languages can be presented either as originals or as officially certified – legalized – copies, together with their official translation into Czech language.

Sometimes, documents certifying professional competence required for the job must be superlegalized (or bear the apostille) and nostrified.

Superlegalization and the apostille verify the fact that the document has been issued by the competent authority of the foreign state. Thus, the authenticity of the official stamp and signature on the document, not the content of the document as such, is checked.

Nostrification certifies professional competence required for the performance of the applied for job.

The administrative fee for the application for employment permit amounts to 500,- CZK.

Validity of an employment permit is terminated by:

the expiration of the period for which it has been issued
the termination of employment before the expiry of the period for which the employment permit was issued
the expiration of the period for which you have received an employee card or a residence permit, or
if you are not granted or issued an employee card or a residence permit, or if they are withdrawn or come to an end for other reasons.

An employment permit may be withdrawn from you based on the decision of the regional branch of the Labour Office (Úřad práce), if the employment you perform is in conflict with the permission issued, or if it has been issued on the basis of data given by you which was not true.

An employment permit may be extended only with regards to the current situation of the labour market. When assessing your application for the renewal of an employment permit, the regional branch of the Labour Office takes into consideration whether it registers such job-seekers for whom your existing job position would be appropriate in the given moment.

The administrative fee for the application for employment permit extension amounts to 250,- CZK.