Which status do you have? What each one lets you do

Your residence status decides whether you can work freely, when you renew, which changes you must report and how fast you reach permanent residence.

Czech law treats foreigners very differently depending on why they are here. The same person can switch from student to employee card to permanent resident over a few years, and each step changes the rules. Find your status below, then open its own guide.

Work: some statuses give free access to the labour market, which means you can take any job without a separate permit. That includes permanent residents, EU citizens and their family members, temporary protection holders, most students at Czech schools, graduates of Czech schools, and family members whose sponsor holds permanent residence or a valid long-term permit. Others, mainly employee card and Blue Card holders, may only work in the job the permit was issued for, and business-permit holders are meant to run their business. Citizens of Australia, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, the UK, the US, Singapore and Israel have free access since 1 July 2024 but still need a residence permit. A good check: residence cards state labour-market access in the notes field.

Renewal: long-term residence permits (study, employee card, Blue Card, family, business and most others) can be renewed from 120 days before expiry up to the last day of validity. Permanent residence cards renew from 90 days before. EU family members' cards must be renewed before they expire. Temporary protection is extended in national rounds announced by the Interior Ministry.

Address changes: long-term permit and visa holders have 30 days, permanent residents 30 working days, EU citizens and their family members 30 working days (EU citizens only if staying over 180 days), and temporary protection holders only 3 working days.

Health insurance: employees of a Czech employer, permanent residents and temporary protection holders are in the public system. Students, family members and business-permit holders who are not in the public system need comprehensive private health insurance, and their permit depends on it.

Permanent residence: most routes need five years of continuous stay. Time on a student permit and on temporary protection counts half. Seasonal work and au pair stays do not count. EU family members can get there in two years in some cases.

Step by step

1. Look at the purpose written on your card or visa and its notes field (labour-market access is stated there).
2. Pick your status below and read its guide.
3. In your settled. profile, choose that status so your timeline uses the right deadlines.
4. When your status changes (new permit, new purpose), update your profile the same day.

Last checked 2026-11-09. Open this guide in the app to add the dates to your calendar.