What is the green card?

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.

Who is the green card for?

The green card is for foreigners, citizens of the countries listed, which are not members of the European Union:

Australia, Montenegro, Croatia, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, United States of America, Serbia, Ukraine

How to get a green card

The Czech Republic is doing its best to simplify the procedure for issuing green cards. It is possible that in 60 days from today you will be starting a new job in the Czech Republic. You will still need to go through several stages.

Jobs available for green cards

You can search for jobs for which you can apply for a green card on the internet.

When does a foreigner need a permit?

If you want to employ a foreigner, it is only possible if:

• The foreigner has a valid work permit and a valid residence permit for the Czech Republic
• or has a green card or a blue card (green cards and blue cards are both a residence permit and a work permit), or the conditions for the issuance of a blue card have been met.

Work permit, blue card, or green card?

A work permit and a green card are issued for a specific job with a specific employer. In terms of employment arrangements they are equivalent to each other. The law does not state that for doing some jobs a work permit is necessary and for other jobs a green card. It depends only on what the employer decides. A blue card is also tied to a specific position with a specific employer, but within the statutorily defined restrictions, a request for a permit for changing a job or employer may not be required. For blue cards, the statute defines the conditions for the specific job for the performance of which the blue card is intended.

How to offer a job for a green card

In order that a foreigner can submit an application for a green card for a specific job, this job must be on the register of jobs available for green cards.

Obligations to the labour office

The employer is obliged to declare:

• that the foreigner has started the job
• that the foreigner has not started the job
• if employing the foreigner ends before the green card expires