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1. Who has the right to obtain czech citizenship?

2. Czech citizenship law in the Czech Republic

2.1. How to get citizenship in the czech republic for a foreigner

2.2. Conditions for obtaining czech citizenship for foreigners

2.3. How to get czech citizenship for a foreigner

3. Documents for citizenship in the Czech Republic

4. Faq citizenship in the Czech Republic

5. The process of obtaining citizenship in the Czech Republic

5.1. Personal experience citizenship in the Czech Republic

6. Advantages of Czech citizenship

6.1. How to get czech dual citizenship

6.2. Similar posts

How to get Czech dual citizenship in 2023: law, conditions, documents, cost, process, personal experience, faq

In the Czech Republic, there are special simplified regimes for obtaining citizenship, but these are rather special cases. If you are not an outstanding scientist or athlete, but a simple worker or student, this will not affect you. There are also ways for minor children and spouses of Czech citizens.

I will consider common and affordable ways to obtain Czech citizenship.

Who has the right to obtain czech citizenship?

A foreigner may have three grounds for applying for Czech citizenship:

Experience of living in the country for five years with permanent residence.
If you are a citizen of one of the EU countries and you have 3 years of permanent residence.
If you have permanent residence (issued at any time) and at the same time you have been living in the Czech Republic for 10 years. Both student and other stays in the Czech Republic are treated equally. This option of obtaining Czech citizenship is suitable for graduates of Czech universities.

Czech citizenship law in the Czech Republic

According to Law 186/2013 Coll. (Act on citizenship of the Czech Republic and on amendments to certain laws), paragraph 14:

Citizenship of the Czech Republic can be granted if the applicant has a permanent residence permit on the territory of the Czech Republic on the date of filing the application continuously

(a) for a period of at least 5 years,

(b) for a period of at least 3 years in the case of an applicant who is a national of a state of the European Union; or

c) for a period of at least 10 years together with the immediately preceding authorised stay in the Czech Republic.

Length of residence in the Czech Republic to obtain citizenship

The second condition of Czech citizenship is the need for physical presence in the Czech Republic for at least half of the above period (paragraph 14, paragraph 2). For example, if you apply for citizenship on the basis of staying in the country for more than 10 years, then at the time of applying you should not have trips abroad for more than 5 years.

Czech citizenship law can be read here https://www.sagit.cz/info/sb13186

How to calculate the terms of obtaining permanent residence

How many years to get czech citizenship. Permanent residence can be obtained after 5 years of non-stop residence. This does not mean that you cannot leave the Czech Republic. Non-stop accommodation means that a person during the absence period does not exceed the period of 6 months in a row, and the total amount of the absence period does not exceed 10 months.

How to get Prague citizenship. When calculating the term for permanent residence, the minus of a student visa is revealed — its term is counted for half. Of course, after a student visa, you can always change the type of visa to another one, which counts in full. For example, a work card. The main thing is that the sum of whole and half years gives five.

How to get citizenship in the czech republic for a foreigner

Czech citizenship can be requested after 10 years of common residence in the country, regardless of the type of visa. Or after 5 years with permanent residence. The latter is beneficial to those who immediately received permanent residence. They should not wait ten years for citizenship — five is enough.

Conditions for obtaining czech citizenship for foreigners

To live for a total of 10 years or 5 years with permanent residence.
Do not have a criminal record
Pass the Czech language exam for level B1 or have an education in Czech.
The Czech Realities exam is not required if you have studied in the Czech Republic for 3 years.
Show revenue
Do not use social support.

How to get czech citizenship for a foreigner

One of the main conditions for obtaining Czech citizenship is a good command of the Czech language and knowledge of the basics of Czech law, the work of state institutions, schools, etc. To test this knowledge, a special exam for Czech citizenship is conducted.

Not all applicants for Czech citizenship take the exam. Those who have studied for at least 3 years in the Czech language at a Czech primary, secondary school or university are exempt from taking the exam. Persons under 15 or over 65 years of age do not take the exam, as well as those who, due to physical or mental disabilities, cannot learn the language.

Where is it better to live in the Czech Republic-rating of Czech cities for life

Documents for citizenship in the Czech Republic

The official list of documents for Czech citizenship is available on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a slightly more detailed list could be found on the website of Prague 5. Metric for citizenship in the Czech republic. It is also possible to go to your metric in the Czech Republic at the place of residence before applying for a consultation, I recommend doing so if you have a non-standard case.

How to become a czech citizen. The following templates are written for a fictional person who has lived in the Czech Republic for 10 years.

Valid passport. If you still have expired passports that have Czech visas, bring them too.
Permanent residence card (prówkaz povolení k pobytu)
A copy of the birth certificate with a certified translation (as well as an apostille or superlegalization, if necessary)
A copy of the marriage certificate and birth certificates of children (if available)
Application for citizenship (template). In the application, specify on the basis of what you are asking for citizenship, and also explain why you need it — surely everyone will have their own personal reasons.
Completed questionnaire form (template)
Personal biography (osobní životopis) with a detailed story about his past and future plans (template). Write down where you were born, where you went to school and university, why you moved to the Czech Republic, what you did in the Czech Republic, how you are integrating into Czech society, why you are applying for citizenship. The story should take at least a couple of pages.
List of trips abroad (template) from the day of arrival in the Czech Republic. You can refresh the memory of the exact dates by stamps in the passport, or by the history of movements in Google maps.
A copy of the last diploma of education — if necessary, with a certified translation.
Certificate of passing the test for knowledge of the Czech language and Czech way of life (detailed information here). Everyone who graduated from school or university in the Czech Republic in the Czech language, as well as persons under 15 or over 65, are exempt from this clause.
Certificate of residence — a lease agreement, a permit from the owner of the property, or an extract from the real estate cadastre (if you live in your own apartment/house)
If you are an employee, you need to bring a certificate from your current job. If an entrepreneur, then a certificate from the register of companies or from the register of self-employed entrepreneurs.
Proof of financial viability for the last three years — for example, copies of contracts with employers. You can also attach copies of tax returns for the last three years, or other evidence of payment of taxes. Bring any documents from which it will be obvious on what means you live in the Czech Republic.
(optional) Documents showing your degree of integration into Czech society. For example, a diploma for outstanding academic achievements at a Czech university, a confirmation of membership in a Czech sports team, an article about your performance at a concert of traditional Czech music, a photo of you and your Czech girlfriend, a certificate of knowledge of Czech at the C1 level, and so on.
A certificate (not older than 30 days) about the absence of debts to the insurance company (VZP), as well as the history of your payments — potvrzení zdravotní pojišťovny o počátku pojištění a o řádném prúběhu plateb (vyúčtování pojistného) veřejného zdravotního pojištění. The certificate can be obtained within one day from VZP.
Certificate (not older than 30 days) on the absence of debts to the tax service —potvrzení finančního úřadu o neexistenci dánových nedoplatków. The application can be submitted in person at the place of residence, or via the Internet. The fee will be 100 CZK. Do not forget to attach a copy of the passport and a copy of the permanent residence card to the application. The certificate will be sent by mail in about 2-3 weeks.
Certificate (not older than 30 days) on the absence of debts to ČSSZ — potvrzení Pražské správy sociálního zabezpečení o bezdlužnost. The application can be submitted in person or via the Internet if you are an entrepreneur. The certificate will be sent by mail in about 2-3 weeks.
Certificate (not older than 30 days) on the absence of debts to customs — potvrzení celního úřadu o neexistenci nedoplatków. The application can be submitted in person, the fee will be 100 CZK. The certificate will be sent by mail in about a week.
Certificate (not older than 30 days) from the labor exchange that you are not on the list of unemployed and do not receive benefits — potvrzení úřadu práce o evidenci mezi uchazeči o zaměstnání a o tom, že žádné dávky státní sociální podpory nečerpá. Issued free of charge, in Prague, the application can be submitted in person at Domažlická 1139/11, Praha 3. Residents of other cities can apply at one of the regional offices. The certificate will be sent by mail in about two weeks.
Payment for citizenship in the Czech Republic. Stamp stamps (kolky) in the amount of 2000 CZK to pay the application fee, they can be purchased at the post office.

To be sure, always check the latest information on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and your local metric.

Faq citizenship in the Czech Republic

Where to apply for citizenship?

How to become a citizen of the Czech Republic . Unlike all previous visas and residence permits, citizenship applications are accepted by Oddělení matrik a státního občanství at the place of your current residence. Within the framework of Prague, the application is accepted by the městská část of the district in which you live, for example, Oddělení správy matrik a státního občanství Prahy 5. In some areas, it is necessary to register in advance for submission — for example, in the Srednechesk region, the queue for submission is three months, and there are no queues in Prague.

Faq citizenship. After checking and filing your application in the local archive, it will first be forwarded to the police to verify your identity. If the police have no complaints, they, in turn, will forward the application to the appropriate department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. By law, the whole process should take no more than 8 months (30 days in metrica, 30 days in the police, 6 months in the Interior Ministry), but in practice you will have to wait about a year for a decision.

Can I submit an incomplete set of documents?

Details citizenship in the Czech Republic . If you do not have enough of one certificate, then you can negotiate with metrica and deliver the missing certificate within 30 days from the date of submission of the application. In general, I recommend submitting a full package at once.

Can I submit an application by mail or by proxy?

No, the application can only be submitted in person. I note that at least in my area of Prague there were no queues for submission, the whole process took a maximum of half an hour.

I temporarily went to work abroad, but otherwise fulfilled the requirements for applying for citizenship. Should I apply?

Recommendations citizenship. Yes, of course it’s worth it. Tell us about it in your personal biography (see below in the list of citizenship documents) and indicate the approximate date of return to your homeland. In the Czech Republic, people who went abroad to get a new experience are treated positively.

What amount of income is needed to apply for citizenship?

Guide to obtaining citizenship in the Czech Republic There is no fixed amount in the law, so you can apply for any monthly income. The main thing is to make it obvious on what means you live in the Czech Republic, whether it is 10 or 100 thousand Czech crowns per month.

Is it necessary to indicate all trips outside the Czech Republic in the application for citizenship, or is it enough, for example, for the last three years?

Different metrics have different attitudes to this issue. In some cases, people write complete lists with even 2-day trips within the Schengen area, in other cases it was enough to indicate trips outside the Schengen area, primarily long ones. I have described it for all 10 years. But I had few trips inside the Schengen area, and I went on trips for only a few days.

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The process of obtaining citizenship in the Czech Republic

I applied for citizenship, what’s next? After about a year, you will receive a letter from the Ministry of Internal Affairs with either consent to the issuance of citizenship or refusal. During this time, you may still be called for an interview, or request additional documents. In case of refusal, you have the opportunity to file an appeal. In case of unsuccessful appeal, you will be able to re-apply for citizenship in two years.

If the Ministry of Internal Affairs approves your candidacy, you still have to take the oath of the Czech Republic at a solemn ceremony (státoobčanský slib), as well as wait for the production of Czech metrics (the process will take about two months). After that, you are a full-fledged Czech citizen. The full article about what happens after the approval of the application for citizenship can be read here.

Personal experience citizenship in the Czech Republic

A review of obtaining Czech citizenship. At the moment, despite a year and a half of waiting after submitting the application, I have not received a decision.

Tips citizenship in the Czech Republic . On the advice of friends who are applying for Czech citizenship, I sent to obcanmat@mvcr.cz request to check the current status of the application. A week later, I received an email reply! Apparently, it affects the fact that citizenship is no longer handled by OAMP, but by another department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

I was answered in an e-mail that the collection of documents for making a decision on Czech citizenship is coming to an end. If necessary, I will be informed in the next 2-3 weeks if something is missing. There is hope that my application for citizenship has moved forward.

Many require additional financial documents. They even ask “where did you get the money for the first mortgage payment”.

The Council for obtaining Czech citizenship

In general, I conclude that applications for citizenship should still be requested by the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the same way as applications for permanent residence.

Absolutely all acquaintances received Czech citizenship decisions only after applying to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. At the same time, of course, the terms of consideration of citizenship documents are not so regulated, and in general the authorities are not obliged to issue a positive decision even with an absolutely correct package of documents and a positive conclusion of the special services.

I quote the main part of the response from the Ministry of Internal Affairs:

“Currently, documents are being collected for the issuance of the decision. If deficiencies are found in the application, you will be asked in the nearest time (about 2-3 weeks) to eliminate the deficiencies in the application, or to complete the documents necessary to prove compliance with the legal conditions for granting citizenship set out in sections 13 and 14 of Act No. 186/2013 Coll., on citizenship of the Czech Republic, as amended. If the application is complete and on the basis of the documents based on it it will be stated that all the conditions are met, the document on granting citizenship of the Czech Republic will be drawn up, which will then be sent to the competent authority according to your place of permanent residence to ensure the composition of the citizenship oath and

We apologize for the delay in processing your request, but this situation is caused by objective reasons. Thank you for your understanding.”

Instructions citizenship. After obtaining the decision of Czech citizenship, you need to get a permanent Identity card (Czech. Občanský prúkaz).

Advantages of Czech citizenship

This is a further step of integration into Czech society — after obtaining citizenship, you will have a Czech passport and your family will have full Czech documents.

The ability to sleep peacefully. Citizenship in the Czech Republic, unlike permanent residence, no one will take away from you. For example, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has the right to take away your permanent residence in case of absence from the country for a period of more than one year.
The opportunity to get a job without a visa (or just live) in any EU/EEC country.
Czech citizens do not need a visa to visit most countries or can obtain an entry permit on the spot. Czech citizenship allows you to freely visit 152 countries.