Visa & Residency

Yes - Czech Republic launched a Digital Nomad Program in 2023 and expanded it in 2025. It is available to IT and digital marketing professionals from the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, NZ, Japan, and 10+ other countries. Requirements: income of at least CZK 69,836/month (~$3,325 USD) from a non-Czech employer, a university degree or 3+ years experience, and comprehensive health insurance. It grants 12 months of legal residence, renewable to 36 months.

US, UK, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand citizens can stay up to 90 days visa-free in the Schengen Zone (which includes Czechia). Many digital nomads use this initially. For stays longer than 90 days, the Czech Digital Nomad Visa provides legal certainty and allows renewable 12-month stays. Working for a foreign employer during a 90-day tourist stay is a grey area legally, though rarely an issue in practice.

For qualified professionals: the EU Blue Card (salary CZK 73,833+/month from May 2026; IT professionals: reduced 1.2× threshold) or Employee Card. Since July 2024, the labour market test is eliminated for USA, UK, CA, AU, NZ, JP, KR, SG, IL nationals. Processing: 60–90 days. 2026 change: non-EU citizens must now apply only through embassies in home countries.

5 continuous years on a valid temporary residence permit, followed by passing an A2 Czech language test. You must not have left the Schengen area for more than 10 consecutive months, or 12 months for important personal reasons. After receiving PR, citizenship requires an additional 5 years of PR (total ~10 years in Czechia).

Yes - via the Živno Visa (živnostenský list trade licence). For unregulated trades (IT, consulting, design, marketing), you pay CZK 1,000 (~$48) and receive your licence in 7 days. You then apply for a long-term visa for entrepreneurship at your Czech embassy. Minimum annual contributions for self-employed in 2026: ~CZK 8,065/month (~$384) for social + health insurance, payable regardless of income.