Permit.cz

I'm applying for the first time

Which permit applies to you. Some nationalities have free access to the Czech labour market and need no Employee Card at all.

Not your situation? Choose another

What to do next

  1. The form you will file

    The Employee Card is one permit that covers both the right to live here and the right to work, so there is no separate work permit to chase — and it is the same form you will use in two years to extend it. Coming to study, start a business, or join family instead? That route starts with a long-term visa.
    Employee Card application formLong-term visa, for other purposes

  2. Not sure which permit fits?

    These rules are scoped to your permit, your nationality and where you file. Four questions narrow them to yours.
    Answer four questions

The rules behind this, with sources

Each rule says who it applies to, the sentence it was read from, and the date someone opened the official page. Where we cannot confirm a figure, it says so.

If you apply in Czechia

2,500 CZK

Third-country nationals applying IN the Czech Republic at the Ministry of the Interior. Applying from abroad at an embassy costs more. EU citizens and their family members pay a different, lower schedule.

“Long-term residence (including blue and employee cards) | Application submission for a long-term residence permit | 2,500”

Read from ipc.gov.cz on 9 September 2026Check it yourself(opens the official page in a new tab)

If you apply at an embassy abroad

5,000 CZK

Applying FROM ABROAD at a Czech embassy or consulate. Applying inside the Czech Republic costs less.

“5,000 CZK paid in local currency or paid by card.”

Read from ipc.gov.cz on 9 September 2026Check it yourself(opens the official page in a new tab)

How long a decision takes

60 days; 90 days in especially complicated cases

Employee Card applications. Other permit types have their own limits, which we have not verified.

“60 days; 90 days in especially complicated cases, or if the Ministry of the Interior asked the Labour Office for a binding opinion.”

Read from ipc.gov.cz on 9 September 2026Check it yourself(opens the official page in a new tab)

More for this situation

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Based on official Czech law (2026)