Special Long-Term Residence Permit

Conditions for eligibility How to apply Not meeting the conditions? Negative decision? Advantages and disadvantages

Lex Ukraine VII, adopted on 11 February 2025, has introduced a possibility to obtain a special long-term residence permit, under certain conditions, for temporary protection holders who wish to transit from temporary protection to long-term residency in Czechia.

Attention

If you intend to apply for this type of permit, you still have to first extend your temporary protection in 2025.

‎‏‏‎What conditions do I need to meet to be eligible for the special long-term residence permit?

The conditions include:

‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎expression of interest;
‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎previous residence under temporary protection for a continuous period of 2 years (not applicable to persons under 18 years of age), counted as of 31 March 2025;
‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎no criminal record;
‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎economic independence: CZK 440 000 of yearly taxable income (before taxes) for 1 person in the household; for any additional member of the household, the amount is CZK 110 000 per person (counted for the year 2024);

For example:

‏‎ ‎ I am an adult with two children. What yearly income should I have to be eligible?
‏‏‎ As a family consisting of one adult and two children, your yearly income (before taxes) should be at least CZK 660 000 to be eligible.

‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎non-receipt of humanitarian benefits, since 1 July 2024 (for the last 9 months);
‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎no debts towards health insurance and continuity of health insurance as of 31 March 2025;
‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎accommodation which has been duly notified to the authorities;
‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎a valid travel document (must be valid on the date of issuance of the residence permit and collecting biometric data for the issuance of the card);
‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎fulfilling school attendance in Czechia for children aged 6–14.

The fulfilment of the conditions will be assessed based on data from state records. All persons who jointly express an interest in obtaining a special long-term residence will each have to fulfil the conditions.

‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎Important: only the financial means of temporary protection holders will be assessed. The financial means of other individuals living with them, such as those holding an employee card or other types of visas, will not be included in the calculation.

How do I apply for this permit?

icon_number_one ‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎The first step will be to express your interest in special long-term residence after you have applied for extension of the temporary protection in 2025. You can express your interest online on the Information Portal for Foreigners between 1 April and 30 April 2025 (the website is the same as for the extension of temporary protection). The login will be done through the National Identity Authority (Narodni Identitni Autorita—NIA), for example, through eGovernment or Banking Identity.

‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎Expression of interest

The expression of interest will be registered online within the user account on the Information Portal for Foreigners.
Expressions of interest must be made by each person over 18 years of age individually.
Spouses will be required to provide the details of the other spouse.
One of the spouses must also make an expression of interest for minor children under the age of 18.
The expression of interest is valid for one year for all possible rounds (according to the government regulation).

When should I apply together with my family members?

‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‎It is important to consider in advance whether you want to express your interest jointly for the entire household or do it separately.

Who Must Apply Together:

Spouses: If you are married, both you and your spouse must apply together.
Minor Children: If you have minor children, they must be included in the application along with you and your spouse.

Optional (Apply Either Together with You or Separately):

Adult Dependent Children (Students): Adult children who are students and financially dependent on you.
Parents Over 65 Years Old.
Dependent Parents (Regardless of Age): Parents who are financially or otherwise dependent on you, regardless of their age.

icon_number_two ‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎In the second step, the authorities will assess whether you (and your family) fulfil all the conditions (based on data from state registers that the Ministry of the Interior will receive from relevant institutions).

icon_number_three ‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎Applicants who fulfil the conditions will be able to register online for a special long-term residence permit between September and December 2025. The registration will be done online.

icon_number_four ‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎After the registration, you will receive an appointment for an in-person visit to the Ministry of the Interior for verification of your documents and collection of biometric data (for you and your family).

‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎You will have to pay an administrative fee of CZK 2 500 for each special long-term residence card issued (CZK 1000 for persons under 15 years of age).

‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎The last step is the issuance of the residence card. Your temporary protection will then be cancelled.

What If I do not meet the required conditions?

It is possible that persons who have expressed an interest in obtaining a special long-term residence permit can meet the necessary conditions for obtaining it in the future (for example, the condition of two years of continuous residence). Such persons will be able to obtain a special long-term residence permit in subsequent rounds, if they are announced. The criteria may change in the possible subsequent rounds. If a person does not meet the conditions on the specified date or on the date of registration for a special long-term residence permit, but within a year begins to meet them and wants to participate in subsequent possible rounds, he must express his interest already in the first round in 2025. ‎The expression of interest is valid for one year.

What if I receive a negative decision?

The procedure for obtaining special long-term residence does not follow the standard administrative process. If you do not meet the required conditions, you will be notified of the non-fulfillment, including the specific requirement you did not meet (marked in red). However, you may become eligible in the future and considered for possible subsequent rounds.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of this permit compared to temporary protection status?

‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎Residence status valid for 5 years with the possibility to apply for a permanent residence permit in the future.
‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎Possibility to change the purpose of stay (student, blue card, family reunification).
‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎Free access to the labour market.
‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎No obligation to complete an adaptation and integration course.

‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎No entitlement to non-insured social benefits (housing benefit, emergency aid, parental allowance, child benefit, etc.).
‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎No entitlement to humanitarian benefits.
‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ No possibility to return to the temporary protection regime (the request for temporary protection of a special long-term residence permit holder will be inadmissible).
‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎Insurance obligation for persons over 18 years of age (no longer automatically being a part of the public health insurance system). Please note that:

Working individuals are usually covered by public health insurance (paid by the employer).
Non-working individuals must pay for their own private comprehensive health insurance.
For persons under 18 years of age, public health insurance must be paid by their legal representative.

‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎Administrative fee is CZK 2 500 for each special long-term residence card issued (CZK 1 000 for persons under 15 years of age).
‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎No entitlement to a birth number (rodné číslo).