Step by step procedure – freelancer

Step 1 - Business notification

Before applying to the Program, a freelancer shall declare a free trade in the IT-related field of business.
Services in the field of IT belong to free trades, for the operation of which a professional competence is not
required. An entrepreneur in this business must meet the general conditions for running a business and
must not have any of the obstacles to running a business.

 Instructions on how to report free trade can be found on the website of the Ministry of Industry and
Trade:
https://www.mpo.cz/en/business/licensed-trades/guide-to-licensed-trades/guides---foreign-natural -
person-excluding-the-citizens-of-eu--eea-and-switzerland--51751/

Step 2 – Applying for inclusion in the Program

A freelancer may apply for inclusion in the Program only after receiving an invitation from the relevant
trade department to document a visa/residence in the Czech Republic. Applications for inclusion in the
Program, including all mandatory attachments shall be sent electronically to the e-mail address:
digitalnomad@mpo.cz.

A freelancer shall be required to submit the following documents:

 A duly completed application form.

 A request from the relevant trade department to document a visa/residence in the territory of
the Czech Republic proving the registration in the relevant register or list.
 A promise to conclude a contract for the provision of IT services, or an affidavit of a digital nomad
client, which will show that:
a) the contract will relate to a project in the field of IT,
b) contract duration,
c) the performance of the contract will be provided in the amount of at least 1.5 times the
average gross annual salary announced by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs when the
total remuneration is spread over the individual months of performance of the contract.
 Proof of education in the field of IT, or proof of experience* in the field of IT for a minimum
duration of 3 years.

*Documents (e.g. employment contract) must show the job description, the entity for which the work
was performed, and for how long.

What to pay attention to when filling out the application for inclusion in the Program:

 The application form for inclusion in the Program is in the form of an Excel table. The table transfers
data automatically, so please do not change or modify the table (in the sense of changing or editing
cells). Please send the request only in Excel format, not pdf etc.

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o The application form for the Program can be found here:
https://www.mpo.cz/en/foreign-trade/economic-migration/digital-nomad-program--275799/
a) Address of permanent residence (or residence address, if living abroad for a long time outside the
country of origin), e-mail: Enter in the correct order, i.e. street with house number, city, zip code,
state, e-mail. This information is decisive when choosing the embassy of the Czech Republic
according to the local jurisdiction.
 In the application form, among other things, it is necessary to indicate the residence title (i.e. visa
for a stay of more than 90 days for business purposes, visa for a stay of more than 90 days for
family purposes) and the expected place for submitting the application for a residence title.
 Intended place of application for a residence permit: indicate the place abroad where the embassy
of the Czech Republic is located (e.g. Washington, London, etc.). When applying for a long-term visa
or a long-term and permanent residence permit, the so-called local consular jurisdiction rule shall
apply.

More information on local jurisdiction and exceptions to this rule can be found on the MFA website:

https://www.mzv.cz/jnp/en/information_for_aliens/where_to_submit_application/
long_term_visa_long_term_residence.html

If you are interested in the relocation of family members, it is necessary to state this information
already in the application for inclusion in the Program. In the case of family members, it is necessary to
indicate their relationship to the applicant. Closest family members can only be included in the Program
provided that they submit applications for residence permits together with the applicant. Additional
independent inclusion of family members in the Program is not possible.

 The “family member” category includes the closest family members of foreign employees:
spouse, registered partner and child of the foreigner or his/her spouse or partner, provided that
they apply for a residence permit at the same time as by them. A family member will apply for a
visa over 90 days for family purposes.

If the family member is of a different nationality, it is necessary to fill in two different application
forms according to the relevant embassy (according to nationality) at which the residence permit
will be applied for.
If the family member is not a citizen of Australia, Japan, Canada, the Republic of Korea, New
Zealand, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America or
Taiwan, they must be eligible to apply together with the digital nomad:
 at the embassy in the country of which he/she is a citizen or holder of a passport or to whose
territory the authority of this office applies,
 at the embassy in the state where he/she is permitted a long-term residence or permanent
residence and in which he/she has legally resided continuously for at least 2 years, or
 at any embassy, if authorized to do so based on the Ministry of the Interior Decree No.
429/2010 Coll.

 Affidavits must be documented on the attached template, which can be found on the MIT website:
https://www.mpo.cz/en/foreign-trade/economic-migration/digital-nomad-program--275799/
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  For the period from May 1, 2023 to April 30, 2024, the average gross annual salary in the Czech
Republic is CZK 520,092 (CZK 43,341/month). The gross monthly salary of a foreigner applying for
inclusion in the Program must be at least CZK 65,012 during this period. Information on the current
exchange rate can be found on the website of the Czech National Bank:
https://www.cnb.cz/en/financial-markets/foreign-exchange-market/central-bank-exchange-rate-
fixing/central-bank-exchange-rate-fixing/

Step 3 – Inclusion of the applicant in the Program

In the event that the freelancer meets the conditions for inclusion in the Program, the Ministry of Industry
and Trade shall issue a confirmation of inclusion for the foreigner with a recommendation regarding the
granting of a visa (serving as proof of the purpose of the foreigner's stay) and shall immediately inform the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior. In case of a negative decision, the responsible
party of the digital nomad shall inform about the result in writing.

The mere inclusion in the Program by the Ministry of Industry and Trade does not yet necessarily mean
that the foreign employee will actually receive a residence permit.

Step 4 – Deadline for applying for a residence permit

The embassy office shall inform the freelancer of the deadline assigned to him/her for applying for a
residence permit and undertaking a personal interview.

Conditions and requirements for applying for a residence permit can be found on the website of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the relevant embassy or the Ministry of the Interior. Below is a link to the
Ministry of Interior website:

 Visa for a stay of more than 90 days for the purpose of doing business:

https://www.mvcr.cz/mvcren/article/a-visa-for-a-stay-of-over-90-days-long-term.aspx?q=Y2hudW09NA
%3d%3d

 Visa for a stay of more than 90 days (long-term) - family purpose:

https://www.mvcr.cz/mvcren/article/a-visa-for-a-stay-of-over-90-days-long-term.aspx?q=Y2hudW09NQ
%3d%3d

Important warning:

 It is necessary to document all the details. The travel document, document proving the purpose of
stay in the territory and registry documents must be submitted in original. A certified copy is not
sufficient for these purposes.
 Missing details cannot be sent additionally by e-mail or data box.

Step 5 – Applying at the embassy

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The digital nomad shall appear at the embassy on the set date to submit a duly completed application for a
residence permit and, at the same time, all the statutory requirements of the application and all required
supporting documents. Concurrently with that, the freelancer shall undertake a mandatory interview.

His/her family member shall also appear together with the freelancer to apply for a visa for a stay of more
than 90 days for family purposes.

In the case of justified impossibility to appear at the embassy of the Czech Republic on the regular date,
only one alternative date will be set for applicants. An unused term shall be forfeited without
compensation. The regular term shall be forfeited without compensation provided that the applicant is
unable to sufficiently justify the impossibility of appearing at the embassy of the Czech Republic, and in
the same way, the alternate appointment assigned to the applicant, who justified the impossibility of
appearing at the embassy of the Czech Republic on the regular date but did not use this replacement
term, shall be forfeited without the possibility of further compensation.

Step 6 – Decision on the residence permit application

The application is then forwarded to the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy of the Ministry of the
Interior, which decides on the application for a residence permit. If the foreign employee meets all the
conditions, the Ministry of the Interior will issue an instruction to the relevant embassy to grant a visa for a
stay of more than 90 days for business purposes and, in the case of relocation of family members, a visa for
a stay of more than 90 days for family purposes.

The Ministry of the Interior shall issue its decision within 45 days from the submission of the application,
provided that the application is documented with all legal requirements. The deadline starts running from
the date of submission of the application at the relevant embassy. The procedure for the application for the
issuance of a residence permit is subject to the regime of the Act on the Residence of Foreigners, the
Administrative Code with specified exceptions.

Please note that the Ministry of Industry and Trade is not a party to the administrative procedure for
issuing a residence permit. Therefore, it cannot even verify the status of proceedings neither with the
Ministry of the Interior or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Step 7 – Declaration of stay after arrival in the Czech Republic

The digital nomad (including his/her family member) shall report his/her place of residence in the territory
to the Police of the Czech Republic within 3 working days after his/her arrival in the Czech Republic
provided that the accommodation provider fails to meet this obligation.

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 Possible continuation of the freelancer's stay

An extension of stay for the freelancer and his/her family members shall not be carried out through the
Program.

Before the expiry of the long-term visa, the freelancer shall apply for a long-term residence permit for the
purpose, for which the long-term visa has been granted (business - self-employed). His/her family
member shall apply for a long-term residence permit for the purpose of family reunification in the Czech
Republic.

The Ministry of the Interior shall decide on the application of the foreign employee and his/her family
member and issue a long-term residence permit.