01.01.2018
The green card is a permit for long-term residence for employment purposes in the Czech Republic under special circumstances. A foreigner who has a green card issued for a specific job is entitled to reside in the Czech Republic and work in a job for which the green card was issued. It simplifies entry to the job market for foreigners who have qualifications for which the Czech Republic has a job opening in register of jobs suitable for green cards The acceptance of this institute was not as common as predicted by a legislator in 2009 due to the procedure, when future employers did not have any chance to affect the selection of employees before their arrival. The green card is issued for qualified workers with university education and key personnel (type “A”), for workers in jobs with a minimum educational requirement (type “B”) or for other workers (type “C”). Jobs for green card holders can be found in the central register of job vacancies suitable for green card holders accessible on the internet on: http://portal.mpsv.cz/sz/zahr_zam/zelka/vm. The validity of the green card is for 2-3 years.
The Ministry of Interior issued a new regulation (no. 29/2013 Coll.) which listed countries whose citizens are entitled to apply for the green card, the number of these countries has increased from 12 to current 64, see list below:
1) Green card A, B and C:
Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Venezuela, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brasilia, Brunei, Montenegro, Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Guatemala, Honduras, Chile, Croatia, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Costa Rica, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Monaco, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, Salvador, San Marino, Seychelles, Singapore, USA, Mexico, Serbia, Israel, Vatican, Taiwan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Hong Kong and Macao.
2) Green card A (which may be issued only for qualified workers with university education and key personnel):
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belorussia, China, Ecuador, Philippines, Georgia, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Columbia, Morocco, Moldavia, Mongolia, Peru, Kazakhstan, Russia, Senegal, United Arab Emirates, Thailand and Turkey.
Please note that citizens of the European Union, Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Switzerland and their family members do not need a work permit, blue card, or green card to work in the Czech Republic.
JUDr. Mojmír Ježek, Ph.D. partner
ECOVIS ježek, law firm
t: +420 226 236 600
e: mojmir.jezek@ecovislegal.cz
About ECOVIS ježek advokátní kancelář s.r.o.:
The law office ECOVIS ježek practices mainly in the area of commercial law, real estate law, dispute management, as well as finance and banking law, and provides full-fledged advice in all areas, making it a suitable alternative for clients of international law offices. The international dimension of the services provided is ensured through past experience and through co-operation with leading legal offices in most European countries, the US, and other jurisdictions. The members of the ECOVIS ježek team have many years of experience from leading international law offices and tax companies, in providing legal advice to multinational corporations, large Czech companies, but also to medium-sized companies and individual clients. For more information, go to www.ecovislegal.cz.
