What's your situation? Choose from below to get the right information.
Are you an EU or non-EU citizen?
- What criteria do I need to fulfill?
One is eligible for an unemployment benefit in the Czech Republic if they were economically active – employed or self-employed – and thus monthly paid their social security for 12 (not necessarily subsequent) calendar months in the period of the past two years (24 calendar months).
The criteria that need to be met are the same for Czechs, EU citizens, family members of EU citizens.
In order to meet the above-mentioned criterion of 12 out of the last 24 months and thus become eligible for the unemployment benefit in the Czech Republic, it is also possible to combine the number of months one worked in the CR with the number of months they worked in a different EU / EEA country1 . These months outside the Czech Republic need to be proved by a corresponding work contract, payslips etc. One will also need a Form U12 .
1. If, for example, out of 12 months 2 you were economically active in an EU / EEA country other than the Czech Republic and 10 in the Czech Republic, the result of the calculation of your daily and then monthly unemployment benefit will be divided by 10 instead of 12. In case you were only economically active in an EU / EEA country in the past 24 months, you will first need to prove sufficient professional and personal bonds with the Czech Republic in order to see whether you are eligible.
2. You can read more about various benefits of migrant EU workers Your Europe website or on the EURES portal.
- What documents do I need?
- two forms: Žádost o podporu v nezaměstnanosti and Žádost o zprostředkování zaměstnání. You can either download them in advance or find them in hard copies in the lobby of the Employment office for free.
- ID or passport
- proof of your residence in the CR. EU citizens can bring their Temporary residence certificate if they have one4. If not, a lease where their name is clearly stated, or a written statement made by their landlord will do. Neither the lease, nor the statement need to be notarized but they must be in Czech.
- your Czech account number in case you want your unemployment benefit sent directly to your account.
- Termination agreement in Czech or translated into Czech.
- Zápočtový list / Potvrzení o zaměstnání – a document where your former employer confirms your previous employment. The document should be automatically given to you together with your termination agreement.
- Potvrzení zamestnavatele pro účely posouzení nároku na podporu v nezaměstnanosti – a document where your employer states your monthly income during the period of the last three months. This document will serve as a basis to calculate your unemployment benefit. It should also be automatically provided by your former employer.
In case you were both employed and self-employed in the previous 24 months, you´ll need to provide the documents required for both types of economic activities. Your unemployment benefit will be calculated from the last type of your economic activity5.
4 EU citizens have a right but NOT an obligation to apply for documents proving their residency in the Czech Republic. Family members, spouses or partners, have to present their Temporary residence permit for a family member of EU citizen.
5 If, for example, out of 12 months 2 you were self-employed and 10 you were employed, your employment is considered your last type of economic activity. The calculation of your daily and then monthly unemployment benefit will be based on the 10 months and divided by 10 instead of 12.
- What's benefit I am entitled to?
The amount of your unemployment benefit depends on the reason stated in your termination agreement:
If the reasons are a) mutual agreement or b) you decided to leave your job, you are eligible for 45% of the sum calculated as a percentage of the last 3 monthly salaries up to a maximum of 0.5 times an official national average.
If the reasons are a) mutual agreement based on serious reasons, b) organizational reasons or c) fixed-time contract, you are eligible for:
- Months 1 and 2 → 65%
- Months 3 and 4 → 50%
- Remaining months → 45%
The period of time you are entitled to an unemployment benefit varies depending on the age of the claimant:
- less than 50 years old → 5 months
- between 50 and 55 years old → 8 months
- more than 55 years old → 11 months
- What's the procedure?
After entering the building, you should first go to the information desk. It is better to be with someone who speaks Czech as not all of the employees speak English. You hand in the forms. Once they make sure everything is filled-in correctly, you will be assigned an official (usually an English-speaking one) who will then create an official file for you and register you in the system. In case you cannot provide all of the necessary documents right away, it is possible to bring them later on.
During the covid restrictions, all applications are accepted via email too: podatelna.bm@uradprace.cz.
Once all of the necessary documents are provided, the employment office officially accepts your application and issues a document proving your registration at the Employment office. This document is automatically sent to your public health insurance office. The office also issues Protokol rozhodnutí podpory – an official document stating that you are entitled to an unemployment benefit – which you are asked to pick up in person usually within 7 – 10 workdays (although officially the office has up to 30 days to process your application). Once you have this document, if you (still) belong to the public health insurance system, you should take it to the public health insurance office who arrange that your health insurance paid by the government during the whole period you are receiving your unemployment benefit and, in certain cases, also 10 afterwards. The Employment office will also inform the Social security office.
10. For situations when one’s health insurance can be covered by the government although the person is not receiving / eligible for an unemployment benefit but is registered at the Employment office, scroll down to ‘General information’.
- What are my obligations after the registration?
Once registered with an employment office, you will be asked to arrange a meeting with your official after approximately 2 – 3 months after your first visit. Another obligation of yours will be to actively look for a job.
If you manage to find a job or you set up / renew your trade license before the official termination of your unemployment benefit, you are required to contact the employment office and report your new position / business within 8 calendar days. It is possible to do so a) in person with the original of your new work contract / trade license, or b) via letter mail / email with a copy / a scan of your new work contract / trade license attached to it.
In return you will be issued Potvrzení o registraci na Úradu práce – an official document proving the period of time that you were registered at an employment office and receiving your unemployment benefit. You will be asked, once again, to visit the public health insurance office (still within the above-mentioned eight-day period of time) and announce that from a certain day your health insurance will be paid by your new employer11 or yourself as a self-employed person.
The employment office should contact the Social security office on your behalf. This document might also come in handy when dealing with the Social security systems in and outside of the Czech Republic.
If you decide you do not wish to be registered at an employment office anymore, you can announce it in person or via letter mail (not an email). If you do not do so, once the period of your unemployment benefits finishes, you will eventually be unregistered anyway.
11. TIP: Together with Potvrzení o registraci na Úřadu práce you can also bring Hromadné oznámení zaměstnávatele (You can find it here – download a document called Tiskopis). This form should be stamped and signed by your new employer. By doing this you can avoid a gap between the moment when your health insurance stops being paid by the government and the moment when your new employer officially reports you to the public health insurance office as one of their employees.
- Is it possible to export unemployment benefit?
Yes.
Export of an unemployment benefit is possible for EU citizens.
However, it is only possible within the EEA (European Economic Area). In general, there are two possibilities:
Possibility 1
This procedure is rather complex, and it includes contacting an employment office in the EU country of your choice. You will be asked to register at an employment office in this country and expected to look actively for a job. You are also expected to meet the criteria and to follow the procedure of that particular foreign employment office. The two employment offices will be in touch during the period of time you will be receiving your unemployment benefit. The foreign office will be reporting to the Czech one on a monthly basis and based on these reports you will receive your monthly payments. Due to this reporting system, however, the exported payments are usually a bit delayed.
Possibility 2
You can also register at a Czech employment office while looking for new work opportunities abroad. However, you must expect about 3 meetings with an employment office official that will always take place in the Czech Republic and you need to keep your Czech bank account open as your unemployment benefit, in this case, cannot be sent to a foreign one.
- What criteria do I need to fulfill?
One is eligible for an unemployment benefit in the Czech Republic if they were economically active – employed or self-employed – and thus monthly paid their social security for 12 (not necessarily subsequent) calendar months in the period of the past two years (24 calendar months).
The criteria that need to be met are the same for Czechs, family members of EU citizens and NON-EU citizens from third countries with permanent residency, employee card, blue card, research residence permit and a permit for an internally relocated worker.
- What documents do I need?
- two forms: Žádost o podporu v nezaměstnanosti and Žádost o zprostředkování zaměstnání. You can either download them in advance or find them in hard copies in the lobby of the Employment office for free.
- ID or passport
- proof of your residence in the CR. Nationals from third countries should bring their valid residence cards.
- your Czech account number in case you want your unemployment benefit sent directly to your account.
- Termination agreement in Czech or translated into Czech.
- Zápočtový list / Potvrzení o zaměstnání – a document where your former employer confirms your previous employment. The document should be automatically given to you together with your termination agreement.
- Potvrzení zamestnavatele pro účely posouzení nároku na podporu v nezaměstnanosti – a document where your employer states your monthly income during the period of the last three months. This document will serve as a basis to calculate your unemployment benefit. It should also be automatically provided by your former employer.
In case you were both employed and self-employed in the previous 24 months, you´ll need to provide the documents required for both types of economic activities. Your unemployment benefit will be calculated from the last type of your economic activity3.
3. If, for example, out of 12 months 2 you were self-employed and 10 you were employed, your employment is considered your last type of economic activity. The calculation of your daily and then monthly unemployment benefit will be based on the 10 months and divided by 10 instead of 12.
- What's benefit I am entitled to?
The amount of your unemployment benefit depends on the reason stated in your termination agreement:
If the reasons are a) mutual agreement or b) you decided to leave your job, you are eligible for 45% of the sum calculated as a percentage of the last 3 monthly salaries up to a maximum of 0.5 times an official national average.
If the reasons are a) mutual agreement based on serious reasons, b) organizational reasons or c) fixed-time contract, you are eligible for:
- Months 1 and 2 → 65%
- Months 3 and 4 → 50%
- Remaining months → 45%
The period of time you are entitled to an unemployment benefit is dependent on the validity of your residence permit while being unemployed. Therefore, the employee card holders can only be supported for 2 months (as they have exactly 2 months to find a new job), the blue card holders will be supported for 3 months, etc.
- What's the procedure?
After entering the building, you should first go to the information desk. It is better to be with someone who speaks Czech as not all of the employees speak English. You hand in the forms. Once they make sure everything is filled-in correctly, you will be assigned an official (usually an English-speaking one) who will then create an official file for you and register you in the system. In case you cannot provide all of the necessary documents right away, it is possible to bring them later on.
During the covid restrictions, all applications are accepted via email too: podatelna.bm@uradprace.cz.
Once all of the necessary documents are provided, the employment office officially accepts your application and issues a document proving your registration at the Employment office. This document is automatically sent to your public health insurance office. The office also issues Protokol rozhodnutí podpory – an official document stating that you are entitled to an unemployment benefit – which you are asked to pick up in person usually within 7 – 10 workdays (although officially the office has up to 30 days to process your application). Once you have this document, if you (still) belong to the public health insurance system, you should take it to the public health insurance office who arrange that your health insurance paid by the government during the whole period you are receiving your unemployment benefit and, in certain cases, also 10 afterwards. The Employment office will also inform the Social security office.
10. For situations when one’s health insurance can be covered by the government although the person is not receiving / eligible for an unemployment benefit but is registered at the Employment office, scroll down to ‘General information’.
- What are my obligations after the registration?
Once registered with an employment office, you will be asked to arrange a meeting with your official after approximately 2 – 3 months after your first visit. Another obligation of yours will be to actively look for a job.
If you manage to find a job or you set up / renew your trade license before the official termination of your unemployment benefit, you are required to contact the employment office and report your new position / business within 8 calendar days. It is possible to do so a) in person with the original of your new work contract / trade license, or b) via letter mail / email with a copy / a scan of your new work contract / trade license attached to it.
In return you will be issued Potvrzení o registraci na Úradu práce – an official document proving the period of time that you were registered at an employment office and receiving your unemployment benefit. You will be asked, once again, to visit the public health insurance office (still within the above-mentioned eight-day period of time) and announce that from a certain day your health insurance will be paid by your new employer11 or yourself as a self-employed person.
The employment office should contact the Social security office on your behalf. This document might also come in handy when dealing with the Social security systems in and outside of the Czech Republic.
If you decide you do not wish to be registered at an employment office anymore, you can announce it in person or via letter mail (not an email). If you do not do so, once the period of your unemployment benefits finishes, you will eventually be unregistered anyway.
11. TIP: Together with Potvrzení o registraci na Úřadu práce you can also bring Hromadné oznámení zaměstnávatele (You can find it here – download a document called Tiskopis). This form should be stamped and signed by your new employer. By doing this you can avoid a gap between the moment when your health insurance stops being paid by the government and the moment when your new employer officially reports you to the public health insurance office as one of their employees.
- Is it possible to export unemployment benefit?
No.
Export of an unemployment benefit is only possible for EU citizens.
- What criteria do I need to fulfill?
One is eligible for an unemployment benefit in the Czech Republic if they were economically active – employed or self-employed – and thus monthly paid their social security for 12 (not necessarily subsequent) calendar months in the period of the past two years (24 calendar months).
The criteria that need to be met are the same for Czechs, EU citizens, family members of EU citizens.
In order to meet the above-mentioned criterion of 12 out of the last 24 months and thus become eligible for the unemployment benefit in the Czech Republic, it is also possible to combine the number of months one worked in the CR with the number of months they worked in a different EU / EEA country1 . These months outside the Czech Republic need to be proved by a corresponding work contract, payslips etc. One will also need a Form U12 .
1. If, for example, out of 12 months 2 you were economically active in an EU / EEA country other than the Czech Republic and 10 in the Czech Republic, the result of the calculation of your daily and then monthly unemployment benefit will be divided by 10 instead of 12. In case you were only economically active in an EU / EEA country in the past 24 months, you will first need to prove sufficient professional and personal bonds with the Czech Republic in order to see whether you are eligible.
2. You can read more about various benefits of migrant EU workers Your Europe website or on the EURES portal.
- What documents do I need?
- two forms: Žádost o podporu v nezaměstnanosti and Žádost o sprostředkování zaměstnání. You can either download them in advance or find them in hard copies in the lobby of the Employment office for free.
- ID or passport
- proof of your residence in the CR. EU citizens can bring their Temporary residence certificate if they have one7. If not, a lease where their name is clearly stated, or a written statement made by their landlord will do. Neither the lease, nor the statement need to be notarized but they must be in Czech.
- your Czech account number in case you want your unemployment benefit sent directly to your account.
- written statement from the Social security office stating the number of months you were paying your social security in the Czech Republic or another EU country.
- official document from the Trade licence office declaring the interruption or cancellation of your trade licence.
We recommend you first interrupt / cancel your trade licence, then visit the Social security office and ask for the written statement valid to the date when you interrupted / cancelled your trade licence.
You can only register at an employment office the day after you have cancelled interrupted your trade licence.
In case you were both self-employed and employed in the previous 24 months, you´ll need to provide the documents required for both types of economic activities. Your unemployment benefit will be calculated from the last type of your economic activity8.
7. EU citizens have a right but NOT an obligation to apply for documents proving their residency in the Czech Republic.
8. If, for example, out of 12 months 2 you were employed and 10 you were self-employed, your self-employment is considered your last type of economic activity. The calculation of your daily and then monthly unemployment benefit will be based on the 10 months and divided by 10 instead of 12.
- What's benefit I am entitled to?
The amount of your unemployment benefit depends on the amount of social insurance paid over the last economically active 12 months in the past 24-month period. The monthly amount is calculated by the Social insurance office from the months that you were economically active in the Czech Republic9. The maximum possible amount of a monthly benefit equals 0.5 times an official national average salary.
The period of time you are entitled to an unemployment benefit varies depending on the age of the claimant:
- less than 50 years old → 5 months
- between 50 and 55 years old → 8 months
- more than 55 years old → 11 months
9. If, for example, out of 12 months 2 you were economically active in an EU / EEA country other than the Czech Republic and 10 in the Czech Republic, the result of the calculation of your daily and then monthly unemployment benefit will be divided by 10 instead of 12.
- What's the procedure?
After entering the building, you should first go to the information desk. It is better to be with someone who speaks Czech as not all of the employees speak English. You hand in the forms. Once they make sure everything is filled-in correctly, you will be assigned an official (usually an English-speaking one) who will then create an official file for you and register you in the system. In case you cannot provide all of the necessary documents right away, it is possible to bring them later on.
During the covid restrictions, all applications are accepted via email too: podatelna.bm@uradprace.cz.
Once all of the necessary documents are provided, the employment office officially accepts your application and issues a document proving your registration at the Employment office. This document is automatically sent to your public health insurance office. The office also issues Protokol rozhodnutí podpory – an official document stating that you are entitled to an unemployment benefit – which you are asked to pick up in person usually within 7 – 10 workdays (although officially the office has up to 30 days to process your application). Once you have this document, if you (still) belong to the public health insurance system, you should take it to the public health insurance office who arrange that your health insurance paid by the government during the whole period you are receiving your unemployment benefit and, in certain cases, also 10 afterwards. The Employment office will also inform the Social security office.
10. For situations when one’s health insurance can be covered by the government although the person is not receiving / eligible for an unemployment benefit but is registered at the Employment office, scroll down to ‘General information’.
- What are my obligations after the registration?
Once registered with an employment office, you will be asked to arrange a meeting with your official after approximately 2 – 3 months after your first visit. Another obligation of yours will be to actively look for a job.
If you manage to find a job or you set up / renew your trade license before the official termination of your unemployment benefit, you are required to contact the employment office and report your new position / business within 8 calendar days. It is possible to do so a) in person with the original of your new work contract / trade license, or b) via letter mail / email with a copy / a scan of your new work contract / trade license attached to it.
In return you will be issued Potvrzení o registraci na Úradu práce – an official document proving the period of time that you were registered at an employment office and receiving your unemployment benefit. You will be asked, once again, to visit the public health insurance office (still within the above-mentioned eight-day period of time) and announce that from a certain day your health insurance will be paid by your new employer11 or yourself as a self-employed person.
The employment office should contact the Social security office on your behalf. This document might also come in handy when dealing with the Social security systems in and outside of the Czech Republic.
If you decide you do not wish to be registered at an employment office anymore, you can announce it in person or via letter mail (not an email). If you do not do so, once the period of your unemployment benefits finishes, you will eventually be unregistered anyway.
11. TIP: Together with Potvrzení o registraci na Úřadu práce you can also bring Hromadné oznámení zaměstnávatele (You can find it here – download a document called Tiskopis). This form should be stamped and signed by your new employer. By doing this you can avoid a gap between the moment when your health insurance stops being paid by the government and the moment when your new employer officially reports you to the public health insurance office as one of their employees.
- Is it possible to export unemployment benefit?
Yes.
Export of an unemployment benefit is possible for EU citizens.
However, it is only possible within the EEA (European Economic Area). In general, there are two possibilities:
Possibility 1
This procedure is rather complex, and it includes contacting an employment office in the EU country of your choice. You will be asked to register at an employment office in this country and expected to look actively for a job. You are also expected to meet the criteria and to follow the procedure of that particular foreign employment office. The two employment offices will be in touch during the period of time you will be receiving your unemployment benefit. The foreign office will be reporting to the Czech one on a monthly basis and based on these reports you will receive your monthly payments. Due to this reporting system, however, the exported payments are usually a bit delayed.
Possibility 2
You can also register at a Czech employment office while looking for new work opportunities abroad. However, you must expect about 3 meetings with an employment office official that will always take place in the Czech Republic and you need to keep your Czech bank account open as your unemployment benefit, in this case, cannot be sent to a foreign one.
- What criteria do I need to fulfill?
For the NON-EU holders of any business or self-employment-related residence permit, the unemployment benefit is not available at the moment. It is available though for NON-EU nationals who are the holders of permanent residency, employee card, blue card, research residence permit and a permit for an internally relocated worker and who have self-employment as a subsequent activity.
One is eligible for an unemployment benefit in the Czech Republic if they were economically active – employed or self-employed – and thus monthly paid their social security for 12 (not necessarily subsequent) calendar months in the period of the past two years (24 calendar months).
- What documents do I need?
Only for the holders of permanent residency, employee card, blue card, research residence permit and a permit for an internally relocated worker, who have self-employment as a subsequent activity.
- two forms: Žádost o podporu v nezaměstnanosti and Žádost o zprostředkování zaměstnání. You can either download them in advance or find them in hard copies in the lobby of the Employment office for free.
- ID or passport
- proof of your residence in the CR. Nationals from third countries should bring their valid residence cards.
- your Czech account number in case you want your unemployment benefit sent directly to your account.
- written statement from the Social security office stating the number of months you were paying your social security in the Czech Republic or another EU country.
- official document from the Trade licence office declaring the interruption or cancellation of your trade licence.
We recommend you first interrupt / cancel your trade licence, then visit the Social security office and ask for the written statement valid to the date when you interrupted / cancelled your trade licence.
You can only register at an employment office the day after you have cancelled interrupted your trade licence.
In case you were both self-employed and employed in the previous 24 months, you´ll need to provide the documents required for both types of economic activities. Your unemployment benefit will be calculated from the last type of your economic activity6.
6. If, for example, out of 12 months 2 you were employed and 10 you were self-employed, your self-employment is considered your last type of economic activity. The calculation of your daily and then monthly unemployment benefit will be based on the 10 months and divided by 10 instead of 12.
- What's benefit I am entitled to?
The amount of your unemployment benefit depends on the amount of social insurance paid over the last economically active 12 months in the past 24-month period. The monthly amount is calculated by the Social insurance office from the months that you were economically active in the Czech Republic9. The maximum possible amount of a monthly benefit equals 0.5 times an official national average salary.
The period of time you are entitled to an unemployment benefit varies depending on the age of the claimant:
- less than 50 years old → 5 months
- between 50 and 55 years old → 8 months
- more than 55 years old → 11 months
The period of time you are entitled to an unemployment benefit is dependent on the validity of your residence permit while being unemployed. Therefore, the employee card holders can only be supported for 2 months (as they have exactly 2 months to find a new job), the blue card holders will be supported for 3 months, etc.
- What's the procedure?
After entering the building, you should first go to the information desk. It is better to be with someone who speaks Czech as not all of the employees speak English. You hand in the forms. Once they make sure everything is filled-in correctly, you will be assigned an official (usually an English-speaking one) who will then create an official file for you and register you in the system. In case you cannot provide all of the necessary documents right away, it is possible to bring them later on.
During the covid restrictions, all applications are accepted via email too: podatelna.bm@uradprace.cz.
Once all of the necessary documents are provided, the employment office officially accepts your application and issues a document proving your registration at the Employment office. This document is automatically sent to your public health insurance office. The office also issues Protokol rozhodnutí podpory – an official document stating that you are entitled to an unemployment benefit – which you are asked to pick up in person usually within 7 – 10 workdays (although officially the office has up to 30 days to process your application). Once you have this document, if you (still) belong to the public health insurance system, you should take it to the public health insurance office who arrange that your health insurance paid by the government during the whole period you are receiving your unemployment benefit and, in certain cases, also 10 afterwards. The Employment office will also inform the Social security office.
10. For situations when one’s health insurance can be covered by the government although the person is not receiving / eligible for an unemployment benefit but is registered at the Employment office, scroll down to ‘General information’.
- What are my obligations after the registration?
Once registered with an employment office, you will be asked to arrange a meeting with your official after approximately 2 – 3 months after your first visit. Another obligation of yours will be to actively look for a job.
If you manage to find a job or you set up / renew your trade license before the official termination of your unemployment benefit, you are required to contact the employment office and report your new position / business within 8 calendar days. It is possible to do so a) in person with the original of your new work contract / trade license, or b) via letter mail / email with a copy / a scan of your new work contract / trade license attached to it.
In return you will be issued Potvrzení o registraci na Úradu práce – an official document proving the period of time that you were registered at an employment office and receiving your unemployment benefit. You will be asked, once again, to visit the public health insurance office (still within the above-mentioned eight-day period of time) and announce that from a certain day your health insurance will be paid by your new employer11 or yourself as a self-employed person.
The employment office should contact the Social security office on your behalf. This document might also come in handy when dealing with the Social security systems in and outside of the Czech Republic.
If you decide you do not wish to be registered at an employment office anymore, you can announce it in person or via letter mail (not an email). If you do not do so, once the period of your unemployment benefits finishes, you will eventually be unregistered anyway.
11. TIP: Together with Potvrzení o registraci na Úřadu práce you can also bring Hromadné oznámení zaměstnávatele (You can find it here – download a document called Tiskopis). This form should be stamped and signed by your new employer. By doing this you can avoid a gap between the moment when your health insurance stops being paid by the government and the moment when your new employer officially reports you to the public health insurance office as one of their employees.
- Is it possible to export unemployment benefit?
No.
Export of an unemployment benefit is only possible for EU citizens.
General info
When choosing what describes your situation the best above, please click on what your previous status was: either employed, or self-employed (businessperson)
and if you are EU citizen (including EU family member with a Temporary residence certificate) or nonEU citizen.
After you quit your job or closed your business, there is a time to take a break before getting ready for a new challenge. You can A) live from your savings, or B) apply for unemployment benefits at the Labor office.
Unemployment benefit is a state subvention guaranteed to both Czech and foreign nationals who were employed or self-employed in the Czech Republic for a required period of time (at least 12 months) and meet some other criteria. The financial support paid to the unemployed is between 45% to 65% of their previous salary for a period of time between 5-11 months (depending on age). Note as well, that the benefit is paid together with you severance (should you receive it), at the same time.
Don’t forget, that it is mandatory to continue your health insurance at all times! In scenario A) you pay your health insurance on your own (2,187 CZK a month in 2022). In scenario B) once your unemployment benefits were approved, you can ask the insurance company to have the government cover your insurance. (In certain situations1 , the health insurance of those that are not / no longer eligible for the unemployment benefit but are registered at the employment office can be covered by the government.)
Third-country nationals should also bear in mind the fact that in case an employment is the official purpose of their stay in the Czech Republic (code “27” on the Employee card), they only have 60 days after the termination of their work contract to find a new job and inform the Immigration office about new employer. During this period, they are also obliged to arrange a commercial health insurance as they fall out of the public health system. They are also allowed to register at an employment office in order to look for a job, but they are not entitled to unemployment benefits until they receive a permanent residence.
The Employment office in Brno is located at Polní 1011/37 (tram stop Vojtova) which is also the biggest employment office in the whole country. It is open daily but Fridays are only available to new applicants or those who have made an appointment in advance. You can submit your requests, forms and documents to podatelna.bm@uradprace.cz, but expect to answer an invitation for a personal meeting where originals of documents need to be submitted too.
1. Such situations are: a/ foreign citizens with permanent residency (trvalý pobyt); b/ unemployed EU citizens (and sometimes their spouses and partners) who are eligible for the unemployment benefit. Their health insurance is covered as long as the unemployment benefit lasts, then they have to prove their factual residence (faktické bydliště in order to be able to continue having their health insurance covered while unemployed; c/ unemployed EU citizens who are not eligible for the unemployment benefit but can prove their factual residence (faktické bydliště) in Brno to their public health insurance office. The type and number of documents needed vary based on the length of the stay and life-situation of the applicant; d/ unemployed nonEU spouses of economically active EU citizens. For further details check our infoguide on health insurance or contact the BEC team.