Work in Czechia as a foreign doctor, nurse or AHP (2026)

• MZČRMinistry of Health of the Czech Republic (Ministerstvo zdravotnictví)

  Recognition and the aprobační zkouška for doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurses and other health professions

  How to register with the MZČR

1. 1

   1. Work out which procedure applies to you

   With a diploma from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland you follow the third-country route: nostrification, the aprobační zkouška and then a recognition decision from the Ministry of Health. If another EU member state has already recognised your qualification, the Ministry says non-medical professionals can submit that recognition instead of the approbation certificate and are then assessed under the EU rules. Check the Ministry's pages for your profession before you spend money, because doctors and nurses follow different laws and different offices.
2. 2

   2. Get your education recognised (nostrifikace)

   University degrees in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy or nursing are recognised by a Czech public university with a comparable programme. The MŠMT says the fee is CZK 3,000 and the basic decision period is 30 days, which can be extended for complicated checks. The university may ask for an apostille or superlegalisation of your diploma and diploma supplement and for a sworn Czech translation, although documents in English or Slovak are accepted without translation. If the content of your studies differs substantially, the application is refused and you can appeal within 15 days.
3. 3

   3. Learn Czech

   Start early. The Ministry does not set a certificate level, but the doctors', dentists' and pharmacists' examination is held entirely in Czech and the nurses' oral examination is in Czech only. The Ministry's information leaflet for non-medical professionals says you need at least a basic knowledge of Czech before you arrive, and NCO NZO has offered general and professional Czech courses for nurses.
4. 4

   4. Doctors, dentists and pharmacists: apply for recognition and the examination

   Send the Ministry the application form under section 34 of Act No. 95/2004 with a certified translation of your diploma, the nostrification decision with its legal force clause, a medical fitness certificate and criminal record certificates (each no more than 3 months old) and proof of the CZK 2,000 administrative fee. The deadline is 1 February for the spring period and 1 August for the autumn period. Applications are accepted only by post or data box, and a scan sent from your own data box counts only as an unverified copy unless it has been converted or electronically signed.
5. 5

   5. Nurses and other non-medical professionals: apply for the examination

   Apply through the Ministry's EZP application with your nostrification decision and your foreign diploma, at least 50 days before the examination date according to the Ministry's information leaflet. NCO NZO confirms the date at least 30 calendar days ahead and sends the invitation. Some lower-level roles, such as ošetřovatel and sanitář, do not need nostrification but must document the length and content of their training.
6. 6

   6. Pass the written tests

   The first test covers professional knowledge and the second covers the Czech health system and the legal basis of healthcare. For doctors, dentists and pharmacists both are on one day and you need at least 60% in each, with a fee of CZK 3,000 for the first attempt paid to IPVZ. For nurses, the Ministry's leaflet says the tests may be taken in Czech, English, French, German or Russian, and the fees are set by Government Regulation No. 325/2018.
7. 7

   7. Complete the practical part

   After the written tests the Ministry issues a decision allowing you to work under direct supervision for the practical part, and you need an employee card, Blue Card or work visa to start it. Doctors, dentists and pharmacists work 6 months full time in a facility accredited for the practical part and write 5 case studies; you must tell the Ministry where and with whom you started within 30 days, or you are treated as having failed. General nurses and midwives complete 40 days, physiotherapists 60 days and practical nurses 30 days.
8. 8

   8. Pass the oral examination

   Doctors, dentists and pharmacists sit the oral before a commission and defend one of their 5 case studies, chosen by the commission. You are placed in an examination period only if your practical part ended at least 2 months before it starts and you sent proof within 5 calendar days. For nurses, the oral is in Czech only before a commission appointed by the Minister of Health.
9. 9

   9. Receive the recognition decision

   For doctors, dentists and pharmacists, passing all parts completes the recognition procedure you opened in step 4. Nurses and other non-medical professionals receive a certificate of passing the examination and then apply for recognition under section 85b of Act No. 96/2004, with a CZK 500 fee, fresh fitness and criminal record certificates and proof of your residence status. The Ministry's leaflet says this decision has no time limit.
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    10. Join the chamber and plan your specialist training

    Doctors join the Czech Medical Chamber through their district association before practising. Your basic recognition does not give you a specialist title: specialist training in Czechia is separate, and the Ministry states that the practical part of the approbation examination does not count towards it. Ask your employer early how your previous experience will be treated.

• English tests such as IELTS or OET are not used for licensing in Czechia. The language that matters is Czech, and the Ministry of Health tests it through the aprobační zkouška rather than through a separate language certificate.
• Doctors, dentists and pharmacists: the Ministry states that the approbation examination is held in Czech. That covers the two written tests, the 6-month practical part in a Czech facility, the case studies and the oral examination. The Ministry does not publish a CEFR level, so there is no certificate that exempts you.
• IPVZ runs optional preparatory courses twice a year. The Ministry says they are taught in Czech, that at least a basic knowledge of Czech is needed and that an interpreter is not allowed.
• Nurses and other non-medical professionals: the Ministry describes the examination as testing theoretical knowledge, knowledge of the Czech health system and the ability to express yourself professionally in Czech. Its information leaflet says the written tests can be taken in Czech, English, French, German or Russian, but the oral examination is in Czech only.
• The Ministry's leaflet for non-medical professionals says you should have at least a basic knowledge of Czech before you arrive. Plan for more than that: the practical part is spent caring for Czech-speaking patients under supervision.
• Your documents need sworn Czech translations by a court-registered translator. For nostrification, the MŠMT accepts documents issued in English or Slovak without a translation, but the Ministry of Health asks for a certified Czech translation of your diploma.

• Get your Ministry of Health document first

  Health professions are regulated, so the residence permit needs proof that you meet the conditions for the job. The Ministry of Health's leaflet for foreigners puts the order as: find a job, get nostrification, get the Ministry's decision allowing you to work, then apply for the employee card or Blue Card. For the practical part of the examination, that decision is the permit to work under supervision.

• Employee card (zaměstnanecká karta)

  The main permit for working in Czechia for more than 3 months, for jobs at any qualification level. The Information Portal for Foreigners (IPC) lists a consular fee of CZK 5,000 when you apply at an embassy, or CZK 2,500 at a Ministry of the Interior office in Czechia, and a processing time of 60 days (90 days in complicated cases). It is valid for up to 2 years and can be limited to the period in the Ministry of Health's decision.

• EU Blue Card (modrá karta)

  For jobs that need a university or higher vocational qualification of at least 3 years. The IPC says the contract must pay at least 1.5 times the average gross salary in Czechia and must include proof that you meet the requirements of the regulated profession. The consular fee is CZK 5,000 (CZK 2,500 in Czechia), the processing time is 90 days and the card is valid for 3 months longer than the contract, up to 3 years.

• Highly Qualified Employee Programme

  A government programme that gives employers' chosen workers a fixed appointment at a Czech embassy. The employer applies, not you: it must have operated in Czechia for at least 2 years and employed at least 3 people, and for health workers the Ministry of Health assesses the request, including your nostrification and permission to practise. Requests go to [email protected].

• After arrival and family

  With a D/VR visa you register at a Ministry of the Interior office within 30 days of arrival, give biometric data and collect your card. If you lose your job on an employee card you must report a new job or apply for a different permit within 90 days. Family members apply for their own permits; under the Highly Qualified Employee Programme they can apply together with you.

• EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and EU-listed diplomas

  EU, EEA and Swiss citizens do not need a work permit. Qualifications obtained in EU states are recognised by the Ministry of Health under Act No. 18/2004 Coll. and Directive 2005/36/EC, without the aprobační zkouška. UK qualifications no longer fall under the EU rules, so check with the Ministry which route applies to yours.

Monthly salary tariffs (platový tarif) from the government salary tables in Regulation No. 341/2017 Coll., in the version in force from 1 April 2026. They apply where the employer pays a plat, such as state and regional contributory organisations; hospitals run as companies set their own wages. The job catalogue (Regulation No. 222/2010 Coll.) places doctors in pay classes 12 to 15 and general nurses in classes 10 to 13. The step depends on your recognised years of experience. The figures are the basic tariff only and exclude allowances, bonuses and on-call pay.

Monthly amounts

• Doctor, class 12 (working under supervision)

  CZK 43,640 to 59,710

  Annex 3, steps 1 to 12. Class 12 covers care under the supervision of a specialist.

• Doctor, class 13 (after the basic trunk)

  CZK 48,890 to 66,280

  Annex 3. For care that needs completion of the základní kmen.

• Doctor, class 14 (specialist)

  CZK 52,000 to 70,010

  Annex 3. For independent care that needs specialist competence.

• General nurse, class 10

  CZK 31,230 to 45,340

  Annex 2, steps 1 to 12.

• General nurse, class 11

  CZK 33,670 to 48,920

  Annex 2. Used for care that needs specialised competence.

• General nurse, class 12

  CZK 36,190 to 52,730

  Annex 2.

• Practical nurse, class 9

  CZK 29,080 to 42,050

  Annex 2. Practical nurses fall in classes 7 to 9.