Guide to Teaching English Legally in the Czech Republic for Non-EU Passport Holders

Though quite bureaucratic, it is by no means impossible to get permission to work and stay legally in the Czech Republic. Depending on your country of origin, the process will differ slightly, but in order to teach here you will most likely need:

Firstly – a business license and

Secondly – permission to stay in the country in the form of a long-term stay visa

The process of acquiring these two things can be a bit complicated as you can’t really have one without the other. Listed here is a general outline of what you will need in order to apply for a long-term stay visa in the CZ. Some of this you can gather before you leave for the Czech Republic, but other things you might need to hire someone to do for you, or else try to organize them once you get here if you are allowed to enter the Schengen Zone without a visa.

More info about Schengen visa >>>

Documents You Will Need

• You will need to have a bank statement proving you have accessible funds to support yourself while you are awaiting the legal right to work. You will also need to show a bank or debit card with which you can access said funds. This must be translated into Czech.
• You will need to fill out a visa application form (Although the form is in English and Czech, it must be filled out entirely in Czech, (Hello Google translate!) as well as an application for a business license. This means registering yourself with both the health insurance and social insurance authorities*, and then contributing monthly to both of these once your business license and visa are valid.
• You will need proof of a clean criminal record from your country of origin. How this is obtained differs from country to country so it is best to contact your nearest Czech Embassy or Consulate for advice.
• You will need a landlord statement, also in Czech, stating that you have an approved permanent address in the Czech Republic. You might not be able to get this before you arrive, but it’s a good idea to start looking around early and maybe ask an agency to help you.
• Your passport must have at least 3 months of validity left on it after the visa expires from the time your visa is granted. So if you had a passport valid for 6 months at the moment your visa is approved, you would only get the visa for 3 months.
• You will also need proof of health insurance valid for the time that your visa will be valid. This can be purchased online but must be accepted by the ministry so have a look at their website and then shop around. The embassy might be also be able to suggest an accepted provider.

For more detailed information on required documents have a look at >>>

Helpful Contacts

Site for the Czech Ministry of Interior dealing with visas and immigration >>>

Contact for reputable ‘visa help’ agency: Move to Prague

Contact for possible health insurance provider: Medical Insurance Prague, AXA

*If you are a US citizen (or a citizen of 7 other countries) and you are working in the CZ on a business license, you will also need to contribute monthly to the Czech National Health scheme in addition to your Czech social security contribution. Please contact your nearest Czech Embassy or Consulate for more up-to-date information.