Conferment of Czech citizenship

Main information

Citizenship is the personal legal relationship of an individual with a particular state, and is characterised by its permanent nature. Citizenship is effectively a set of rights and obligations between a person and a particular state, with only national citizens being subject to all the rights and obligations of that state.

This service enables a non-national with permanent residence in the Czech Republic to apply for citizenship of the Czech Republic and thus become a full citizen.

This applies to you if

• you are a national of a foreign country (a non-national); or
• you are a stateless person;
• you have had permanent residence in the Czech Republic
  • for at least 5 years, or
  • for at least 3 years if you are a national of an EU Member State, or
  • you are a permanent resident and have been lawfully residing in the Czech Republic for at least 10 years continuously (you have previously resided in the Czech Republic for another type of stay, most often for a long-term or temporary stay).

In some cases, there may be an exemption from the fixed duration of permanent residence. Reasons for such an exemption can be found in § 15(1) of Act No 186/2013 Coll. on acquiring and losing citizenship of the Czech Republic. Alternatively, you may contact the relevant regional authority or the Ministry of the Interior (Citizenship Division of the General Administration Department).

When to use this service

The service can be used at any time. There is no time limit on when you can do so. Whether and when you apply for citizenship is entirely up to you.

Vyřízení služby - osobně

What you need if you are using this service

You should write a free-form application for Czech citizenship, briefly stating why you are applying for citizenship (there is no prescribed form).

You must also attach the following documents with your application:

1. civil status and related documents – birth certificate, marriage certificate, proof of a registered partnership if you are married or in a registered partnership. If your spouse or partner is deceased, you must provide his/her death certificate. You must also provide proof of the divorce or dissolution of a partnership, if appropriate;
2. a free-form CV in Czech (do not submit a structured CV), particularly including information about your stay in the Czech Republic with a focus on your work or other gainful activity in the Czech Republic, or your studies if you have studied in the Czech Republic. You should also give details of your family and social life in the Czech Republic. Your CV should also include details of your travels abroad during your stay in the Czech Republic. Please note that CVs are also required for children, albeit to a limited extent due to their age;
3. proof of a clean criminal record in the foreign country – usually an excerpt from the criminal records or equivalent document issued by a competent court or administrative authority of the foreign country, which must be no older than 6 months on the date the application is filed. You can only prove you have a clean criminal record abroad if you were over 15 years old at the relevant time, if:
   • you have been in the Czech Republic for less than 10 years on the date your application for citizenship is filed (usually you prove that you have no criminal record in your home country; this does not have to be proven by asylum seekers);
   • or if you have lived continuously in another country for more than 6 months in the last 10 years.

You only need to provide evidence of a clean criminal record if you have stayed in the foreign country for less than 6 months in the last 10 years, and you can do the same if the country in question does not issue any proof of a clean criminal record or refuses to issue one (these reasons must be proven).

4. proof that you have passed an examination in:

•  knowledge of the Czech language for the purposes of acquiring citizenship,
•  basic knowledge of the constitutional system of the Czech Republic and basic familiarity with the culture, society, geography and history of the Czech Republic for the purposes of acquiring citizenship (the general knowledge examination on the Czech Republic for the purposes of acquiring citizenship).

Both parts of the examination are taken through the Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies at Charles University (UJOP UK) and a fee is charged for them. More information can be found on the official website of Czech for non-nationals.

When do you not have to take these exams?

• if you can prove that you have previously duly completed at least 3 years of primary, secondary or higher education, taught in Czech (in the case of studies at primary or secondary school you were assessed as ‘passed’ at the end of the second semester; in the case of higher education studies you fulfilled the conditions required to move on to the next year),
• if you are under 15 or over 65 on the date your application is filed,
• if your state of health does not allow you to do so, because you are a person with a physical or mental disability that prevents you from acquiring knowledge of the Czech language/facts about the Czech Republic (evidenced by relevant medical statements).

Equivalent examination in the Czech language

In some cases, you do not need to take the Czech language examination (this does not apply to the general knowledge examination on the Czech Republic!), as long as you can provide proof of an equivalent language examination, which are:

• a school-leaving examination in the Czech language,
• the state Czech language examination, which you take at a language school entitled to hold state language examinations,
• a final examination at university – a state final examination, a state rigorosum examination or state doctoral examination if the course was conducted in Czech,
• an examination in Czech as a foreign language at level B1 or higher, which must be certified by the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) and administered by a full member of the ALTE. If you are not sure whether your examination meets these conditions, you can contact UJOP UK.

5. documents proving your (de facto) residence in the Czech Republic and your stays abroad, unless this is evident from other documents attached with your application. For example, if you are working / engaged in business / studying in the Czech Republic for a long period of time, or are engaged in other activities that prove you are resident in the Czech Republic, you usually only need to provide evidence of your travels abroad for the last 5 years, or 3 years for EU citizens.

6. a certificate of the debt-free status of a natural person:

• with the authorities of the Financial Administration of the Czech Republic in respect of tax arrears (issued by the tax authority); the certificate must be no older than 30 days on the date the application is filed,
• with the authorities of the Customs Administration of the Czech Republic (issued by the customs office); the certificate must be no older than 30 days on the date the application is filed,
• with the Czech Social Security Administration (ČSSZ) in respect of arrears of social security contributions (issued by the relevant branch of the ČSSZ). You do not need to provide this document for children,
• with the health insurance company in respect of public health insurance premiums (issued by the health insurance company with which you are insured).
  

7. documents proving the sources and amount of funding in the 3 years prior to filing the application. Only persons over 18 years of age are required to show proof:

• e.g. employer's income certificates, payslips, pension registration certificates or personal income tax returns,
• your pension documents, if you receive/have received a pension,
• income from abroad if you had an income at the relevant time,
• the income of another person (partner, parents, etc.) if you were dependent on that income.

Please note that in some cases you will also need to provide proof of the costs associated with your housing (loan, rent, etc.)

8. proof of employment, employment contract (also applies to agreements on the performance of work, work activity, etc.) if you were or still are employed in the Czech Republic. If you have many of these documents, please provide only the ones for recent years.

9. proof of studies, certificates and similar documents, if you have studied in the Czech Republic in the past or are still studying.

10. state social assistance benefits, material-need assistance benefits, if you have received state social assistance benefits or material-need assistance benefits in the last 3 years before submitting your application, then provide the relevant schedule of these benefits issued by the Employment Office (indicating when and what type of benefit you received and in what amount). You can also provide proof that you have not received any of these benefits during the period.

11. evidence of social integration – if you are a member of different associations, interest groups or organisations in the Czech Republic, related to your integration in the Czech Republic, then provide evidence of these facts (e.g. membership certificate, etc.)

Bear in mind that the list of documents is general and you may be asked to provide additional documents and statements during the application process if the documents you provide are not considered sufficient or if some facts need to be clarified; however, this is normal practice.

Where and how to solve this service

You can apply your application for citizenship in person at the regional authority or at the Municipal District Authority of Prague 1 to 22 (‘Municipal District Authority’). The local authority is the one with which you are registered as a permanent resident (in this case, use the address stated on your permanent residence card and contact the relevant authority accordingly).

When you arrive at the Regional Authority/Municipal District Authority, an official will fill in the questionnaire for the application for Czech citizenship with you there and then, take the necessary documents from you and send your application together with their opinion and the opinion of the municipal authority of your place of residence, to the Ministry of the Interior (Citizenship Division of the General Administration Department), which will decide on your application.

How much will you pay

You must pay an administrative fee to the authority responsible for receiving the application for citizenship of the Czech Republic.

The administrative fees are as follows:

• CZK 2 000 for each adult applicant
• CZK 500 per child or asylum seeker

In justified cases, this fee may be reduced.

Additional information

What is the benefit of this service

The conferment of national citizenship will grant you a broader range of rights. It should be noted that as a non-national with a permanent residence permit in the Czech Republic, you already have most of the same rights as Czech citizens – you are free to work, run a business, participate in the public health insurance system or draw social benefits. The conferment of Czech citizenship is a therefore a kind of extra bonus.

The difference between being a permanent resident as a non-national and being conferred citizenship of the Czech Republic is as follows:

• the active and passive right to vote – as a citizen of the Czech Republic, you can vote in elections at all levels (municipal, regional, parliamentary and presidential elections), and you can also stand as a candidate in elections;
• you cannot be expelled from the Czech Republic and you cannot be refused entry;
• you have the option of having a Czech passport, which can make travelling around the world easier;
• you are covered by consular or diplomatic protection in the Czech Republic or other EU countries if you get into trouble while abroad.

Appeal options

If your application has not been granted and you still believe that you meet the conditions for Czech citizenship, you have the option to file an appeal against the decision rejecting the application (§ 152 of Act No 500/2004 Coll., Code of Administrative Procedure). You must lodge your appeal with the authority that issued the decision rejecting the application within 15 days of the date on which you received the decision. Appeals must be filed in writing, either by post, in person at the Ministry of the Interior's mailroom or via the Ministry of the Interior's data box. The Minister of the Interior will decide on the appeal within 120 days.

Sanctions

The following cases constitute an offence for which you may be fined:

1. up to CZK 20 000 if you provide false or incomplete information in a declaration concerning your lack of a criminal record in a foreign country,
2. up to CZK 50 000 if you provide false or incomplete information that may have a significant impact on the decision on your application, or conceal this information in order to unlawfully obtain Czech citizenship for yourself or as a legal guardian for a child.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find the exact wording of the legal conditions for the conferment of Czech citizenship?  These conditions can be found in § 13 and § 14 of Act No 186/2013 Coll., and you can prove that you meet these conditions with the documents listed in the section entitled ‘What you need if you wish to use the service in person or by post’. Some of the conditions might be waived in certain circumstances, and these reasons can be found in § 15 of the aforementioned Act.  Are there any exceptions for Slovaks? No, currently Slovak nationals are subject to the same conditions as other non-nationals or nationals of other EU Member States. Whom should I contact if I don't understand something? Contact the Citizenship Division of the General Administration Department of the Ministry of the Interior by calling 974 817 438; we also ask that you first study the above information.