Growing number of British nationals working and living in Czech Republic

Since June 2016, when the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU, the number of British nationals living and working in the Czech Republic has been steadily growing. According to data released by the Czech Labour Office and the Ministry of Interior, the number of British employees in the Czech Republic has risen by more than a third. There has also been a 55 percent increase in the number of British nationals who filed for permanent residence in this country.

Illustrative photo: rawpixel, Pixabay / CC0

British nationals still form a relatively small group compared to other foreigners living in the Czech Republic. At the end of 2019 the Interior Ministry registered 8,332 British nationals living in this country; 2,666 of them have permanent residence in the Czech Republic.

In June 2016, there were 6,111 British nationals registered in the Czech Republic, of whom 1,716 had permanent residence here.

The number of Britons residing in the Czech Republic has thus increased by a third over that time. However, the number of those who chose the Czech Republic as their permanent home increased by 55 percent.

In general, the number of foreign nationals living and working in the Czech Republic has been on the rise in recent years, with the Czech economy increasingly dependent on foreign workers.

For instance, the Interior Ministry also reports an increase in the number of French and German nationals. However, their numbers are growing more slowly and a smaller proportion of them have permanent residence in the Czech Republic.

According to the Labour Office, there are also more British nationals working in the Czech Republic. In June 2016, officials registered 3,277 British employees, at the end of last year 4,464.

Up until the end of this year, British citizens entering the country need only an ID card or passport. If they want to stay for longer than 30 days, they should go to the Foreign Police to officially register in the country. In due course, they can apply for temporary or permanent residence.

Permanent residence is granted after five years of living in the Czech Republic. As regards family members, if they are Euro-citizens, they are granted permanent residence after two years. A temporary residence permit can be obtained if a person has resided in the Czech Republic for more than three months.