Work Permit
What is a work permit? Who is it suitable for? In what cases does a foreigner need a work permit? What does it entitle the foreigner to and what does it not entitle them to? Where to apply for it and what is needed to process it? What is its relation to a short-term (Schengen) visa or a visa to stay in the Czech Republic?
You can find out all this in the following article.
For the purposes of this Article, an foreigner* means an alien from a third country. That is, a country that is not a member of the EU/EEA or Switzerland. A foreigner will also be understood as someone who holds a residence permit as a family member of an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen.
A work permit, like an employee card or blue card, is issued for a specific job with a specific employer.
What is the status of a work permit in relation to an employment or blue card?
An employment permit, also known colloquially as a "work permit", is a permit that entitles a foreigner* to work in the Czech Republic. An employment permit is issued for a specific position with a specific employer. However, an employment permit does not entitle you to residence.
An employment card (dual) or blue card combines both work and residence authorisations. Therefore, there is no need to further process an employment permit.
What does a work permit entitle a foreigner to and what does it not entitle them to?
The work permit itself allows the foreigner to perform work, but does not allow the foreigner to reside in the territory where the work is to be performed. For this, another residence title will be needed.
These are for example:
short-term (Schengen) visa for employment purposes
a visa to stay in the territory of the Czech Republic
The article Short-term (Schengen) Visa for Employment purposes compared to an Employee Card discusses in which cases a foreigner can consider a short-term (Schengen) visa for employment purposes. Thus, if the foreigner or their future employer decides to apply for this visa, it is not enough to simply apply with the standard attachments. In order for the application for a Schengen employment visa to be approved and issued, the application must also be accompanied by a pre-arranged work permit.
If the foreigner is a holder of a so-called "víza strpění" (at present, the most frequent holders of residence visas are citizens of Ukraine) who wish to work in the Czech Republic, they must obtain an employment permit for this residence visa. The visa itself entitles the foreigner only to stay, not to work.
Where to apply for a work permit?
The work permit is requested within the territory of the Czech Republic at the relevant Office of Labour of the Czech Republic. In the case of processing a short-term visa, a foreigner is typically located in a third country and usually submits this request through a representative who will arrange the work permit on their behalf.
If the foreigner is already in the Czech Republic, for example, on a tolerance visa (víza strpění), they can apply for a work permit at the respective branch of the Office of Labour of the Czech Republic themselves.
In both cases, you can contact our office, and we will handle the work permit for you.
The legal processing time for approving the work permit is 1 month. Until this work permit is issued, the foreigner is not allowed to work within the territory of the Czech Republic. The employer would then be facilitating illegal employment, and the foreigner could potentially face administrative deportation in certain cases.
Autor: Mgr. Chiara Havlíčková, lawyer