Immigration law
Permanent residence and EU resident status
§ 65–87 of Act No. 326/1999 Coll.
Permanent residence is the most stable status short of citizenship: indefinite, untied from any employer or business, with access to public insurance like citizens.
What the law says
The core condition is five years of continuous stay. “Continuity” follows statutory rules: study counts by half, absences are capped per trip and in total. The application includes the A2 Czech exam and proof of income and housing.
Permanent residence comes with EU long-term resident status: it eases a later move to other Union countries under simplified rules. Family members enjoy separate, sometimes softer, grounds.
How the work runs
First, a continuity audit: I reconstruct your statuses and travel, count the periods by the statutory method and give the exact date from which filing is safe. Then the file: income in a defensible form, housing, exam preparation.
I run the filing and the proceedings under a power of attorney: requests, deadlines, the decision. Where the authority reads continuity against you — a frequent dispute — I appeal with the period calculation and case law on point.
Deadlines and pitfalls
Most cases break on counting absences: an old six-month trip or a few weeks’ gap during a status change pushes the entitlement back by years. The second trap is income: bank-style certificates do not persuade the authority — the structure must match the statute.
Frequently asked questions
Does study count fully towards the five years?
No — periods of stay for study purposes generally count by half. Graduates therefore often gain time faster after switching to employment; run the exact arithmetic before planning the filing.
What does EU resident status give in practice?
The right to relocate to another EU country under a simplified procedure — no starting from zero: the local permit issues on preferential terms. In Czechia the status comes bundled with permanent residence and needs nothing extra.
Do business trips count as absences?
Yes, every day outside the country counts towards the continuity limits — roughly up to 6 months at a stretch and 10 months in total over five years, with exceptions for serious reasons. I run the exact arithmetic on your dates.
What income is required for permanent residence?
A stable income covering the family’s subsistence minimum after housing costs: contracts, tax returns, statements. Returns “optimised to zero” are a classic refusal ground — fixed in advance, not by a backdated certificate.
Who is exempt from the Czech exam?
Among others, children under 15, applicants over 60 and graduates of schools taught in Czech. I confirm whether an exemption applies before you register for the exam.
Contact
- Address
- Konviktská 291/24, Staré Město, 110 00 Praha 12 minutes' walk from Národní třída (metro B, trams)
- Phone
- +420 700 000 000
- kancelar@advokatpopov.cz
- Data box
- [data box ID]
- Consultations
- Mon–Fri 9.00–18.00in person, online or by phone — by appointment