Holders of an employee card are required to report a change of employer or job position to the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic. This obligation also applies to holders of a non-dual employee card.
Failure to comply with this obligation may have serious consequences for foreign nationals, including the loss of validity of their residence permit in the Czech Republic.
Standard Employee Card
If you do not have free access to the labor market, you must notify the authorities of a change of employer or job position before starting your new job. You may begin the new employment or position only after receiving written confirmation (“Notification of Fulfillment of Conditions”) from the Ministry of the Interior.
Deadlines for Reporting a Change
No later than 90 days after termination of previous employment
From the date your employment ends, you have 90 days to find a new job and notify the Ministry of the Interior of the change, or to apply for a new long-term residence permit for another purpose.
If you fail to meet this deadline, your employee card will expire.
The notification must be delivered to the Ministry no later than the 90th day — simply mailing it on the 90th day is not sufficient.
You may search for a new job and prepare the notification while still employed by your previous employer.
When Can You Start the New Employment?
Earliest 6 months after receiving your first employee card
This condition does not apply if:
- the employee card has already been extended at least once, or
- you are only changing positions with the same employer.
The condition also does not apply if your previous employment ended for reasons stated in Sections 56 and 52(a)–(e) of the Czech Labor Code, by agreement under Section 52(a)–(e), or through termination during the probationary period.
Earliest 30 days after reporting the employment change
Both conditions must be fulfilled!
What Documents Must Be Submitted?
- Application form
- A document confirming that the previous employment is ongoing or has ended, including the termination date
- Employment contract, agreement on work activity, future employment contract, or future work activity agreement for the new employment
- Documents proving professional qualifications for the position, or a written declaration from the employer confirming professional qualifications (only in certain cases)
What Happens if You Do Not Meet the Conditions?
The notification will be considered invalid — the result will be the same as if you had not reported the change at all. In extreme cases, the employee card may even expire.
Free Access to the Labor Market
If you have free access to the labor market, you may start your new employment at any time and do not need to wait for the Ministry of the Interior to issue confirmation of fulfillment of conditions.
However, you must report the change no later than 3 working days after starting the new employment.
How and Where to Report the Change?
A change of employer may be reported in several ways:
- using the special form provided by the Ministry of the Interior, or
- by submitting a free-form notification including at least:
- employer’s name,
- employer’s registered office,
- place of work, or
- by submitting a new employment contract.
The notification may be submitted:
- in person at a Ministry of the Interior office,
- by post,
- via data mailbox,
- by email with a recognized electronic signature, or
- through an authorized representative.
There is no administrative fee for reporting a change of employment.
Would you like to make sure you avoid any mistakes when changing employers and ensure everything is approved quickly? Feel free to contact me!