Permit.cz

My spouse is an EU citizen. What card do I get in Czechia?

The pobytová karta, the residence card of a family member of an EU citizen. It documents a right you derive from your family member’s EU free movement: issued for the expected length of their stay, at most 5 years, and extendable by the same length repeatedly, with an attachment list the Act keeps deliberately short.

Who this is for: Third-country spouses, children and other qualifying family members of EU, EEA or Swiss citizens who live in Czechia with them.

Not for: Family members of CZECH citizens living here: a related but distinct route with its own answer coming, start from the family reunification guide. And EU-citizen family members themselves, who just register, see EU registration.

The card and how long it runs

EU citizen's family member — how long the residence card lasts and when to extend it

Issued for the expected length of the EU citizen’s stay, at most 5 years; extendable by the same period, repeatedly; apply before the current card expires

Non-EU family members of an EU citizen who hold a pobytová karta. The card lasts as long as the EU citizen you live with is expected to stay, up to 5 years, and it can be extended by the same length again as many times as you need. You must apply BEFORE your current card runs out — unlike the Employee Card there is no published earliest date, so there is no window to wait for.

Show the Czech text

The wording the rule above was read from. It is the authoritative text, and it is in Czech.

“§ 87o odst. 2: "(2) Pobytová karta se vydává na dobu shodnou s předpokládanou dobou pobytu občana Evropské unie, nejvýše však na 5 let. Platnost pobytové karty lze o stejnou dobu prodloužit, a to i opakovaně. O prodloužení platnosti pobytové karty je rodinný příslušník občana Evropské unie povinen požádat před skončením platnosti této karty."”

Read from e-sbirka.gov.cz on 19 September 2026Check it yourself

The derivative logic explains everything odd about this card: it exists because your EU family member exercises free movement here, so its length follows their expected stay, and your position is strongest when the family life it documents is demonstrably real and ongoing.

What you attach

EU citizen's family member — what to attach to a residence card extension

Travel document; proof of health insurance; proof of accommodation; proof you live here with the EU citizen or are a family member under § 87f(2); new photographs only if your appearance has changed

Extending a pobytová karta as the non-EU family member of an EU citizen. The Act lists four things plus a conditional fifth: your travel document, proof of health insurance, proof of accommodation, and a document showing you still live here with the EU citizen or are their family member under § 87f(2) — plus new photographs, but only if you no longer look like the ones on file.

Show the Czech text

The wording the rule above was read from. It is the authoritative text, and it is in Czech.

“§ 87p odst. 1: "(1) K žádosti o prodloužení doby platnosti pobytové karty je žadatel povinen předložit náležitosti podle § 87a odst. 2 písm. a), c) a d) a doklad potvrzující, že pobývá na území společně s občanem Evropské unie, nebo že je rodinným příslušníkem občana Evropské unie uvedeným v § 87f odst. 2; pokud došlo ke změně podoby žadatele, je dále povinen předložit fotografie odpovídající jeho skutečné podobě."”

Read from e-sbirka.gov.cz on 19 September 2026Check it yourself

EU citizen or their family member — fee for a registration certificate, temporary or permanent residence document, or a change to one

200 CZK

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members of any nationality, including UK nationals covered by Part Two of the Withdrawal Agreement. Third-country nationals outside that group pay the much higher Položka 116 fees instead.

Show the Czech text

The wording the rule above was read from. It is the authoritative text, and it is in Czech.

“Act 634/2004, Sazebník, Položka 116: "5. Přijetí žádosti o vydání osvědčení o registraci, povolení k přechodnému nebo k trvalému pobytu občanu Evropské unie a jeho rodinnému příslušníku bez ohledu na státní příslušnost, o prodloužení doby platnosti nebo provedení změny těchto dokladů Kč 200"”

Read from e-sbirka.gov.cz on 13 September 2026Check it yourself

Note what is NOT on the list: no proof of funds formula, no language exam, no labour-market test. Where documents are foreign, legalisation and sworn translation still apply, see the documents answer.

Filing and staying covered

  1. 1First card: apply at the Ministry office for your address with the temporary residence form.
  2. 2Extension: file before the current card expires with the renewal form; a timely filing keeps your position while it is decided.
  3. 3Keep the household’s reporting duties in view, moves and new passports have their own clocks, see reporting changes.

Quick questions

Can I work on the pobytová karta?
Family members of EU citizens are among those with free access to the Czech labour market; an employer may still want the card as paperwork. Job changes then follow the free-access reporting rule, see changing employer.
What if my EU spouse leaves Czechia or we divorce?
A derivative right is exposed when its source moves: departures, death and divorce each have retention rules with conditions attached. That corner of the law genuinely deserves advice on your facts; do not improvise it from forums.
Is there a fast track to permanent residence?
Family members build toward permanent residence on their own clock, and some situations shorten it. The 5-year EU door itself is in the EU permanent residence answer.

Official sources, and when we read them

A summary to help you act in time, not legal advice. Rules change; the dates above say when each source was actually read, and the fact boxes carry their own.

What to do next

Related answers

All answers

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