Zaměstnanecká karta (Czech employee card)

The Information Portal for Foreigners (IPC) of the Ministry of the Interior describes the employee card as a long-term residence permit for work of any qualification level. It is valid for up to 2 years and can be limited to the period set in a decision on a work or vocational training permit issued by a recognition authority. For doctors and nurses, that authority is the Ministry of Health, whose decision often covers only the supervised practical part of the aprobační zkouška.

With a valid card you can leave and re-enter Czechia and travel within the Schengen Area without a visa.

1. Get the job and the Ministry of Health decision allowing you to work, plus the vacancy number from the Central Database of Job Vacancies.
2. Book and attend an appointment at the Czech embassy for your country. Some embassies have quotas for employee cards.
3. Bring your passport, the employment contract, proof of accommodation, your qualification documents and criminal record certificates from your home country and any country where you lived 6 months or more in the past 3 years.
4. Pay the CZK 5,000 consular fee. The Ministry of the Interior decides within 60 days, or 90 in complicated cases.
5. Collect a D/VR visa, showing travel medical insurance until your public insurance starts with the job.
6. Register at a Ministry of the Interior office within 30 days of arrival, give biometrics and collect the card within 60 days of that appointment, with your employer's confirmation that you have started work.

If you already hold most types of long-term visa or residence permit, you can apply at a Ministry of the Interior office before your current status expires. The fee is CZK 2,500. You stay legally while the application is processed if you applied in time, even if your current visa expires. Booking an appointment online or by phone saves time but is not required, and you pay the fee when you apply.

• Changing jobs. Report a change of employer or position to the Ministry of the Interior. For jobs from the vacancy database, you can start only after a written Confirmation of Compliance.
• Losing your job. Without free access to the labour market, you have 90 days to report new employment or apply for a different permit, or the card expires.
• Refusal. You can appeal within 15 days of delivery.

Get the Ministry of Health decision first: the Ministry's leaflet for foreigners puts the order as job, nostrification, Ministry of Health decision, then employee card or Blue Card. Your card will usually last only as long as that decision, so plan the renewal before the practical part ends. After arrival you will be assigned a rodné číslo. Graduates with a high salary can compare the EU Blue Card. See Czechia.