Czechia digital nomad visa & residency (2026)

Launched 1 July 2023 under Government Resolution No. 475/2023, the program fast-tracks long-term visa applications for remote workers. It operates within the existing long-term visa legal framework (Act No. 326/1999 Coll.) rather than creating a new visa category. The program was expanded in February 2025 to add Brazil, Israel, Mexico, and Singapore as eligible nationalities, and to extend eligibility to marketing specialists.

The program is open to citizens of Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and United States. Nationals of other third countries are not excluded from residency but must use the standard long-term visa routes (e.g., the Živno / doing-business visa) without fast-track processing.

Applicants must work in IT (requiring at least 3 years of professional experience or a STEM university degree) or in marketing (since February 2025). Income must be at least 1.5× the Czech average gross salary, assessed at approximately 69,000 CZK/month (~€2,800–3,000) as of 2026. Applicants may work remotely for a foreign employer or as a self-employed freelancer holding a Czech trade licence.

The initial long-term visa is valid for 1 year; holders may then apply for a 2-year long-term residence permit (combined initial stay up to 3 years). After 5 years of continuous legal residence, a permanent residence permit may be sought. Application fee is CZK 2,500 (~€100); processing typically takes 45–90 days at the relevant Czech embassy.

Third-country nationals outside the 12 Digital Nomad programme countries can apply for the standard Long-Term Visa for the Purpose of Doing Business ('Živno' route), which authorises freelancing or sole-trader activity in Czechia. Valid for up to 1 year, it is extendable into a long-term residence permit for doing business (2-year validity). Open to all nationalities without the IT/marketing or income thresholds of the Digital Nomad programme.

Citizens of EU/EEA member states and Switzerland exercise free movement rights under EU law and require no visa to live, work, or freelance in Czechia. Stays beyond 30 days require registration with the Ministry of Interior, but no income or professional thresholds apply.