Intra-company Employee Transfer Card

An intra-company employee transfer card is a long-term residence permit that enables third countries nationals to be transferred from their country of origin to work as managers, specialists or employed interns in the Czech Republic.

GENERAL INFO

What is an intra-company employee transfer?

It is a temporary transfer of a multinational company’s employee from a facility or branch situated in a country that is not an EU Member State to a spin-off facility or branch in the Czech Republic.

Who can apply for this residence permit?

An intra-company employee transfer card is intended for third countries citizens.

You can apply for an intra-company employee transfer card if you are transferred to work as a:

Manager
- A manager is a foreign national working at a leading position who, primarily, manages a business company or a spin-off and whose work is generally supervised or instructed, in particular, by a statutory, supreme or control body. A manager manages a business company or a spin-off or a part thereof, supervises the work of other employees who carry out supervising, professional or managing activities and control thereof, including hiring or dismissing employees, recommending that employees are hired or dismissed, or recommending other staffing measures.
Specialist
- A specialist is a foreign national with specialised knowledge essential for the given field of work, processes or management of a business company or a spin-off, and who further has the necessary level of formal qualification and professional experience, or is a member of a professional association, if specific legislation stipulates these requirements.
Employed intern
- An employed intern is a foreign national with a completed university education who is transferred to a business company or a spin-off with a business address or location in the Czech Republic for the purpose of developing his/her career or training in the field of business techniques and methods, and who receives a salary or remuneration during such transfer.

You cannot apply for an intra-company employee transfer card if:

you are applying for a long-term residence permit for the purpose of scientific research,
you have been transferred by your employer located in another EU Member State to work under a cross-border provision of services in the Czech Republic,
you reside in the Czech Republic for the purpose of doing business,
an employment company arranged the job for you,
you reside in the Czech Republic for the purpose of studies (at a secondary school, conservatory, higher vocational school or a language school authorised to hold state exams or full-time university studies),
you work at a business company that has its business address in a country bound by an international treaty closed with the EU which gives the country’s nationals the same right to free movement as EU citizens have, or in a country bound by the Agreement on the European Economic Area.

How long is an intra-company employee transfer card valid for?

For the time of the transfer to the EU Member States, but for a maximum of:

3 years for managers and specialists,
1 year for employed interns.

Example: A foreigner employed at a company with its business address outside the EU is transferred within the company for two years to a position of a manager in the company’s branch located in the Czech Republic. He/she will be issued an intra-company employee transfer card valid for the time of his/her transfer to the Czech Republic, that is for two years. Before the expiration date of this card, the foreigner-manager agrees with his/her employer to extend the time of the transfer for another four years. The foreigner can apply for an extension of the validity of his/her card, however he/she will only be able to extend the validity of the card for a maximum of one year. The total duration of residence in the Czech Republic (the total duration of transfer to the EU) is limited in this case to three years.

What does an intra-company employee transfer card look like?

What obligations and restrictions does this residence permit mean?

You must fulfil the purpose of your stay for the whole duration of your residence permit. You must also follow the obligations for foreigners stipulated by law.

What does this residence permit enable you to do?

You can stay and work legally in the Czech Republic for the duration of your residence permit. If you meet the given conditions, you can also apply for an intra-company employee transfer card in another EU Member State.

Can you apply for this type of residence even if you have no visa or residence permit in the Czech Republic?

Yes, if you apply at a diplomatic mission.

If you or the business company to which you are going to be transferred participate in a government-approved programme and if the conditions of the programme allow that, based on a power of attorney, the business company can apply in the Czech Republic for you. The application must be submitted at a Ministry of the Interior office.

How and where can you apply?

You can only apply in person at one of the Czech Republic’s diplomatic missions:

in a country that issued you with a travel document or which you are a national of, or
in a state in which you have been granted a long-term or permanent residence and have been legally residing there continuously for at least 2 years, or
at any of the Czech Republic’s diplomatic missions if you are a national of one of these countries.

The condition of application in person does not apply if:

the correspondent diplomatic mission has decided to waive this condition and published this information on its official notice board,
you or the business company to which you are going to be transferred participate in a government-approved programme. In such case and based on a power of attorney, the business company can submit the application to the Ministry of the Interior in the Czech Republic for you.

For a list of all the Czech Republic’s diplomatic missions please see the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

What is the administrative fee?

CZK 2,500 in the form of stamps.

What is the time limit to process the application?

90 days.

The time limit is not running if the proceedings are suspended or if there is a legal ground for it.

STEPS TO FOLLOW IN ORDER TO APPLY FOR AN INTRA-COMPANY EMPLOYEE TRANSFER CARD FROM OUTSIDE OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC:

1. Prepare the necessary documents

To apply, you will need:

Travel document
Proof of accommodation
Photograph
Letter of transfer
Proof of employment in the business company for at least 6 months immediately before the intra-company transfer.
Proof of a relation of the entities between which the foreigner shall be transferred, that is one of the following documents:
- proof that a spin-off to which the foreigner shall be transferred is a spin-off of the business company within which the foreigner is being transferred, or
- proof that the business companies within which the foreigner is being transferred are to each other a controlling and a controlled entity, or that both companies are controlled by the same controlling entity.
Document certifying a professional qualification to perform the job if the law requires so for your work position.
Document certifying compliance with the requirements for regulated professions if the job at hand is a regulated profession.

Document similar to an extract from the Penal Register record, issued by the state of which you are a citizen.

Upon request provide also:

Medical Report
Document similar to an Extract from the Penal Register Record, issued by other states where you have resided for a total of six months during the three years preceding your application.

If you are interns, besides the above-mentioned documents, you also need:

Document certifying a university education.
Training Agreement.

If you or the business company participate in a government-approved programme and if the conditions of the programme allow that, you can substitute some documents with a written confirmation.

You can substitute: a proof of accommodation, a letter of transfer, a proof that the foreigner has been employed in the business company for at least 6 months immediately before the transfer; a proof of a relation of the entities between which the foreigner shall be transferred, a document certifying a professional qualification if required by specific legislation, a document certifying compliance with the requirements for regulated professions if the job at hand is a regulated profession, a document certifying a university education if an employed intern is being transferred.

For more information please ask your employer.

Upon application you must pay a consular fee 2,500 CZK. For a complete list of consular fees, including exceptions for some countries, please see the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

Please review the formal requirements that the documents must meet.

2. Fill in the application form

You can fill in the application form online. Then print out the filled-in form and sign it.

You can also download a blank application form, print it out and fill it in by hand – it must be filled in legibly, in block capitals and in Latin characters. You can also collect the form free of charge at a Czech Republic’s diplomatic mission

3. Contact the diplomatic mission where you want to submit your application

Before submitting the application, contact the diplomatic mission and make an appointment. For a list of all the Czech Republic’s diplomatic missions and their contact details please see the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

4. Submit the application

You must submit the application in person. In justified cases a diplomatic mission may waive the obligation to submit the application in person.

5. Wait for the decision

The diplomatic mission will turn your application over to the Ministry of the Interior.

The Ministry of the Interior will assess your application in administrative proceedings. If any errors are detected in the attached documents, you will be prompted in writing to remedy such errors. In the notice, the Ministry will explain in detail what the errors are and what you have to do to remedy them. It will also set a time limit for you to do so. When justified and if you apply for it in writing, this time limit can be extended.

The Ministry of the Interior also checks if you meet the requirements to obtain the residence permit you are applying for. In such case you may be invited for an interview.

In the course of the administrative proceedings you can:

Add additional documents to your application.
Be represented in the proceedings (a Power of Attorney).
Ask for access to your file.
Ask for a stay in the proceedings.
Withdraw the application (Withdrawal of the Application).

You can track the state of your proceedings online on the website under Status of my Application or in your personal account. If you were prompted to provide documents or to remedy errors, the time limit for processing your application is not running until the errors are remedied or for as long as it is established in the notice.

For more information on the state of your application you can submit a written Application for a Notification on the State of the Proceedings. You can find the most common reasons for why processing may take longer in the Database of Frequently Asked Questions.

6. Learn the result of the administrative proceedings

On the website under Status of my application you can see the following states:

Being processed: No decision has been taken yet. For more information on what you can do in the course of the administrative proceedings please see the previous section.
Granted: The Ministry’s decision is affirmative. Please see the following section.
Rejected: The Ministry rejected your application or closed the proceedings. In such a case you will receive the decision in writing. You can appeal against the decision within 15 days of the date you were notified of the decision.

The decision to reject the application consists of three basic parts:
1. The Statement: It contains specific legal provisions based on which the application was rejected. It may also advise you that you must leave the country, including the time limit in which you must do so.
2. The Statement of Grounds: It explains why the application was rejected and what documents and proofs served as grounds for the decision on your application.
3. Your rights: It informs you on how to proceed if you wish to appeal against the decision.

The decision to close the proceedings consists of three basic parts:
1. The Statement: It contains specific legal provisions based on which the proceedings were closed.
2. The Statement of Grounds: It describes the procedure and grounds that led to the proceedings being closed.
3. Your rights: It informs you on how to proceed if you wish to appeal against the decision.

7. Collect your entry visa at the diplomatic mission

If the application is granted, come to the diplomatic mission in order to collect your entry visa – visa for a stay longer than 90 days for the purpose of collecting a residence permit (D/VR). A diplomatic mission’s employee will contact you beforehand in order to schedule an appointment with you. You do not need a D/VR visa if you can enter the Czech Republic in another way, e.g. without a visa with a biometric passport.

Before receiving the entry visa in your passport, you must provide a proof of travel medical insurance for the period of time from the day of your entrance in the Czech Republic to the day you start your employment, when you begin to be covered by the public medical insurance. The diplomatic mission can also ask you to provide a proof of payment for the insurance.

8. Get registered at a Ministry of the Interior office upon your arrival

In case you have been granted a D/VR visa, you have to register at an office of the Ministry of the Interior within 30 calendar days of your arrival to the Czech Republic. If you are able to legally enter the Czech Republic in a different way, for example without a visa while having a biometric passport, you have to register within 3 days of your arrival.

During the registration, the office’s employees will schedule an appointment with you so that you get your biometric data taken.

9. Come to have your biometric data taken

Come to the scheduled biometric data scanning appointment. Take your travel document with you. At the biometric data scanning you will agree on a date to collect your completed biometric card.

10. Collect your residence permit document (biometric card)

The final step is to collect your residence permit (biometric card). The time limit for collection is 60 days from the date you had your biometric data scanned.

Under what conditions can you apply for an extension of the validity of your residence permit?

An intra-company employee transfer card can be renewed repeatedly for the duration of the transfer to the EU Member States, but for a maximum of 3 years for managers and specialists and for a maximum of 1 year for employed interns.

How and where can you apply?

You can submit the application to extend your residence permit’s validity at a Ministry of the Interior office, send it by post, Data Box or by e-mail with an advanced electronic signature, or you can submit it through an authorised representative.

When do you have to submit the application?

At the latest the last day of your current long-term residence’s validity, at the earliest 120 days before its expiration.

During the time when the application is being processed, you are staying in the Czech Republic legally, even if your current residence permit expires (for more information please see the section Fiction of Residence).

What is the administrative fee?

CZK 2,500 in the form of stamps.

What is the time limit to process the application?

60 days.

The time limit is not running if the proceedings are suspended or if there is a legal ground for it.

STEPS TO FOLLOW IN ORDER TO APPLY FOR AN EXTENSION OF A RESIDENCE PERMIT’S VALIDITY:

1. Prepare necessary documents

To apply you will need:

Travel document
Proof of accommodation
Photograph, if your appearance has changed
A confirmation of the business company within which or to which you have been transferred that the information stated in the previously provided letter of transfer is still valid, together with the duration of the intra-company transfer and the place of work in the Czech Republic.
Proof that you still have the required professional qualification, if it is required, and that you meet the requirements for regulated professions, if the job at hand is a regulated profession.

If you are employed interns, you will also need:

Confirmation of extension of the training agreement, together with the duration of the agreement.

If you or the business company to which you have been transferred participate in a government-approved programme, subject to conditions, you can substitute some documents with the business company’s confirmation (if the conditions of the programme allow that). You can substitute:

Proof of accommodation.
A confirmation of the business company within which or to which you have been transferred that the information stated in the previously provided letter of transfer is still valid, together with the duration of the intra-company transfer and the place of work in the Czech Republic.
Proof that you still have the required professional qualification, if it is required, and that you meet the requirements for regulated professions, if the job at hand is a regulated profession.
In the case of employed interns, a confirmation of the extension of the training agreement together with the duration of the agreement.

Upon application you must pay an administrative fee of CZK 2,500 in the form of stamps.

If you want your application to be processed as soon as possible, you have to provide all the necessary documents already when submitting the application. If your application is incomplete, the Ministry of the Interior can suspend the administrative proceedings, which may lead to prolonging the application processing time (for more information please see the section additions to the application).

However, if there is a time limit for submitting the application stipulated by law and you do not have all the necessary documents yet, submit the application anyway, even though it may be incomplete. As if the time limit expires, your right to reside in the Czech Republic may cease to exist along with it.

Please review the formal requirements that the documents must meet.

2. Fill in the application form

You can fill in the application form online. Then print out the filled-in form and sign it.

You can also download a blank application form, print it out and fill it in by hand – it must be filled in legibly, in block capitals, in Latin characters, and in Czech. You can also collect the form free of charge at one of the offices of the Ministry of the Interior.

3. You can send the application or you can make an appointment at a Ministry of the Interior office

You can submit the application at a Ministry of the Interior office, send it by post, Data Box or by e-mail with an advanced electronic signature, or you can submit it through an authorised representative.

If you wish to submit the application in person, please make an appointment online or by phone beforehand. Attention: a lack of free appointment slots will not be considered as a reason for a late application submission. If the offered appointment slot is after your time limit for submitting the application expires, send the application by post, Data Box or by e-mail with an advanced electronic signature, or visit a Ministry of the Interior office without an appointment – with no appointment reservation you have to wait for your turn.

If you are not going to submit your application in person, the date of its posting or the date of its sending by Data Box or email is important for complying with the given time limit. If you post the application at a post licence holder (most commonly a post office) the last day of your current resident permit’s validity, the time limit for submitting the application will be complied with. This applies even in the case that the application is delivered to the Ministry of the Interior after your residence’s validity has expired. We recommend, however, not to leave the submission for the last moment.

If you submit the application in person, you will receive a slip confirming the submission and a reference number assigned to your application. You need to know the reference number, for example, to be able to track the state of your proceedings. If you do not submit the application in person, you can learn the reference number by calling our information hotline. In this case, it is recommended to call the hotline no sooner than a week after the application was sent as it takes a few days to assign a reference number to an application.

If you have submitted your application within the given time limit, during the time when your application is being processed you are staying in the Czech Republic legally, even if your current residence permit or visa expires (for more information please see the section Fiction of Residence). This is the case, with some exceptions, until a final decision on your application is taken. At the Ministry of the Interior offices you can also apply for a certificate confirming permission for your residence (Bridging Visa). A Bridging Visa allows you, for example, to leave the Czech Republic and return again during the time when your application is being processed.

4. Wait for the decision

The Ministry of the Interior also checks if you meet the requirements to obtain the residence permit you are applying for. In such case you may be invited for an interview.

In the course of the administrative proceedings you can:

Add additional documents to your application.
Be represented in the proceedings (a Power of Attorney).
Ask for access to your file.
Ask for a stay in the proceedings.
Withdraw the application (Withdrawal of the Application).

5. Learn the result of the administrative proceedings

On the website under Status of my application you can see the following states:

Being processed: No decision has been taken yet. For more information on what you can do in the course of the administrative proceedings please see the previous section.
Granted: The Ministry’s decision is affirmative. Please see the following section.
Rejected: The Ministry rejected your application or closed the proceedings. In such a case you will receive the decision in writing. You can appeal against the decision within 15 days of the date you were notified of the decision.

The decision to reject the application consists of three basic parts:
1. The Statement: It contains specific legal provisions based on which the application was rejected. It may also advise you that you must leave the country, including the time limit in which you must do so.
2. The Statement of Grounds: It explains why the application was rejected and what documents and proofs served as grounds for the decision on your application.
3. Your rights: It informs you on how to proceed if you wish to appeal against the decision.

The decision to close the proceedings consists of three basic parts:
1. The Statement: It contains specific legal provisions based on which the proceedings were closed.
2. The Statement of Grounds: It describes the procedure and grounds that led to the proceedings being closed.
3. Your rights: It informs you on how to proceed if you wish to appeal against the decision.

You may have only received a record of the decision to close the proceedings because in your case the proceedings were closed for reasons stipulated by law in which case the applicant does not receive a written decision (Section 169r (2) of Act No. 326/1999 Coll).

6. Make your appointment to have your biometric data taken

If the application is granted, make an appointment by phone to have your biometric data taken. Please note that the appointment date is binding and you must follow the Administrative Procedure Code if you request a reschedule or cancellation.

7. Come to have your biometric data taken

Come to the scheduled biometric data scanning appointment. Take your travel document with you. At the biometric data scanning you will agree on a date to collect your completed biometric card.

8. Collect your residence permit (biometric card)

The final step is to collect your residence permit (biometric card). The time limit for collection is 60 days from the date you had your biometric data scanned.

Intra-company Employee Transfer Card

GENERAL INFO

TO APPLY FROM OUTSIDE CZECHIA

EXTENSION

GENERAL INFO

TO APPLY FROM OUTSIDE CZECHIA

EXTENSION

What is an intra-company employee transfer?

Who can apply for this residence permit?

How long is an intra-company employee transfer card valid for?

What does an intra-company employee transfer card look like?

What obligations and restrictions does this residence permit mean?

What does this residence permit enable you to do?

Can you apply for this type of residence even if you have no visa or residence permit in the Czech Republic?