Obtaining a passport in Czechia or becoming a citizen by naturalization, the applicant must have lived in the country for a year on a national visa D. Subsequently spending another 4 to 5 years under a residence permit and yet another 5 years under a permanent residence status. Altogether 10 years of continuous stay in Czechia is compulsory to qualify for citizenship.
A continuous stay is where the applicant is not absent from the country for more than two months consecutively or 310 days during the entire 10-year period in Czechia. However, certain exemptions are applied in special cases such as pregnancy, illness, etc.
National visa D
A visa D can be applied by the aspirants on their second visit. The usual visit visa is valid for 90 days, whereas visa D has a validity of 12 months. The visa D is issued for the purpose of education, family reunion, work, medical treatment, etc. As mentioned earlier, the bearer has to complete one year stay with visa D, preferably continuously if he/she wishes to obtain citizenship.
Resident permit in Czechia
Applicants who have married a Czechian citizen, have pending long-term medical treatment, complete education, or reunite with their families are usually awarded a temporary residence permit. The validity of the permit is 2 years and extendable to a further two to three years. Note that staying under visa D for one year is a prerequisite to qualifying for a temporary resident permit.
Permanent residence in Czechia
Once a person has completed the required duration of stay, i.e., 6 to 7 years in the country he/she can apply for permanent residence. A permanent residence status does not need to be renewed; however, adults need to apply for a new residence card every 10 years, and every 5 years for children under the age of 15.
The application for replacing the permanent residence card has to be submitted to the department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Czechia.
Citizenship (getting a passport) of Czechia
In order to apply for citizenship, the applicant must provide the documents and fulfill the conditions listed here:
- Have a clean police record over the entire duration of stay in Czechia and in other countries where the applicant may have stayed for more than 6 months
- Have a rented accommodation
- Must be able to maintain the established minimum subsistence level
- Succeed in the test conducted to assess the knowledge of the Czech language
- Preliminary knowledge of Czech customs, culture, history, and constitution
- Have lived in the country legally for 10 years
Exemptions regarding knowledge of language test
- Below the age of 15 and above the age of 65
- Graduates of Czech schools/universities
- Physically challenged persons who are unable to learn the Czech language
Documents required to obtain a residence permit
The required documents may be revised from time to time; listed below are a few basic documents that the applicant must keep handy before applying.
- A duly filled application form
- Recent passport-sized photographs
- Original passport along with a notarized translated copy
- Proof of sufficient financial means to maintain decent subsistence
- Rental agreement of current accommodation
- Police character certificate from the home country as well as any other countries the applicant may have had a residence in
- Health report
- Health insurance coverage with a minimum EUR 60,000 indemnity
The purpose of a residence permit
The duration of the residence permit depends on the purpose of the stay. Remember, that any length of stay beyond 90 days will require a permanent residence permit.
The most common reasons a residence permit is granted are listed below:
- Business
- Family reunion
- Long-term treatment
- Research
- Job search
- Work
- Education
- Training
- Business
