What is an employee card?

Employee card is a type of permit for long term stay in the territory of the Czech Republic, where the purpose of the foreigner national’s stay (longer than 3 months) is employment. A foreign national who has an employee card is entitled to:

• Stay in the territory of the Czech Republic and at the same time,
• Work on the work position, for which the employee card was issued, or
• Work on the work position, for which they were granted consent according to the formerly applicable legislation or which the foreign national duly notified (within the frame of a change of employer, work position or employment on a different work position with the same or a different employer), which means if the foreign national received a notification of the Ministry of the Interior concerning the fulfillment of conditions for making such change, or according to the formerly applicable legislation, a decision on granting consent with the change. 

The employee card has a so called dual nature, i.e. it authorizes a foreign national to both stay in the territory of the Czech Republic, as well as to be employed, without the need to file a separate application in two places, i.e. to apply to the Labor Office – regional office or office for the capital city of Prague, to issue a work permit.

The employee card also exists in the regime a single-purpose document, i.e. it functions only as a residence permit in case of a foreign national, in relation to whom a work permit continues to be required according to the Act no. 435/2004 Coll., the Employment Act, or who has a free access to the labor market according to the Employment Act (i.e. they are listed in Section 98 of the Employment Act).