Work in the Czech Republic

How can a foreigner find a job in the Czech Republic?

We offer the largest selection of web-sites for searching for a job in the Czech Republic, it contains classical search engines, announcement board in Russian and Employment Service Labour Registry Office. 

The unique possibility for highly-qualified specialists is to search for a job in the Czech Republic, using Vacancies Registry for Blue Cards issue. Try to find a vacancy on the web-site of the Ministry of Labour of the Czech Republic and file a request for employer’s consideration.  

So, you have found an employer. Who do you do next to enter the Czech Republic legally?

Do EU citizens have to get the Czech Republic working visa?

The Czech Republic is a member of the European Union, so EU citizens can work in the Czech Republic without working visa.

What do non-EU citizens do to enter the Czech Republic legally?

Two available options for foreigners to get a job in the Czech Republic are as follows:
 1) Work permission issue and long-term staying in the Czech Republic; 
 2) EU Blue Card issue, which includes both work permission and permission for staying in the Czech Republic. In such a case the Blue Card issue procedure is easier and faster, but it can be issued only for highly-qualified specialists, employed with the vacancies from the Register of the Ministry of Labour of the Czech Republic.

How does the Czech Republic work permission look like?

An employer makes the Czech Republic work permission for a foreigner. A detailed employer’s activities procedure is descried on the Czech Republic Ministry of Labor web-site. Once your work permission application has been accepted you shall apply to the Embassy or Consulate General and request a long-term stay permission.  

After the consideration of documents on a long-term stay permission the Czech Republic Embassy sticks a single-entry visa. Visa validity period is 60 days. Once arrived to the Czech Republic you shall go to the Police Station in order to make the Czech Republic Stay Permission (Resident Card). Stay permission is a plastic card, which has the same dimensions as a bank card does, it also has a chip, which stores an owner’s biometric data (finger prints).

What is the BLUE CARD?

The Blue Card is a project of the European Union countries for attracting highly qualified specialists for work in Europe and an available option for the permanent living in participating countries. So it’s an option for working in the Czech Republic. EU Blue Card official web-site.

How do the Czech Republic Residence Card and the Blue Card look like?

The high qualification for the Blue Card issue implies completed higher education or higher vocational education with the period of studies not less than 3 years. Find vacancies for the Blue Card receipt candidates in the Main Registry of the Ministry of Labor of the Czech Republic and send your CV for employer’s consideration.

Is it available to file the Blue Card application first, and start searching for a job in the Czech Republic only after that? No, it isn’t, because a signed employment contract shall be applied to the Blue Card application. Moreover, the employment contract shall be concluded for not less than 1 year, and the monthly or annual salary, provided by the contract, shall be equal to at least 1.5-time average annual  salary in the Czech Republic, stated by the Ministry of Labor.

What period are the Blue Card and the Czech Republic Work Permission issued for?  A Blue Card is issued for the period which exceeds the employment contract period by three months, but it can’t exceed 2 years. A Blue Card can be regularly prolonged every 2 years, if the employer prolongs the employment contract. The work permission in the Czech Republic is issued for the period not more than 2 years and it also can be regularly prolonged for the period not more than 2 years.

Is the knowledge of Czech language required to work in the Czech Republic?

The Blue Card EU Regulations don’t provide any restrictions concerning language. Knowledge of English is sufficient for work, but Czech language ignorance is a problem, which foreigners face in the every-day life. You can face unwillingness of Czechs to communicate with you and to try to understand you in shops, post offices, in the street. For example, you shall register at the Police Station in course of 3 days after entering the Czech Republic, but it’s difficult to find an English-speaking employee there. You can talk in Russian only to the old generation of Czechs, because they studied Russian at school in Soviet times.  

Employment in the Czech Republic: how to pay taxes?

The Czech Republic Profit Taxation System is similar to the Russian one. You shall pay attention, that the Czech Republic employee profit tax isn’t withheld only from the salary, the tax base is supplemented by the amounts, which the employer pays for your social and medical insurance.

The following payments to the budget are made by the employer from your salary:

- social insurance – 6,5%;

- medical insurance – 4,5%;

-profit tax – it is paid on the base of the “superbrutto-salary” (superhrubá mzda), which is the sum of salaries plus insurance payments in the amount of 15%.