I study and want to work

If you have a long-term visa or residency with codes 23 or 24 AND you are a full-time student in an accredited field of study AND and have a valid certificate of study, you don‘t need an extra work permit, because you have free access to the labour market. 

If you are a  full-time student in a one-year language course, you need to see if you can find your course here. If not, you do not have free access to the labour market.

It is recommended to look at our guide first: https://www.brnoexpatcentre.eu/im-an-expat/getting-a-job/

You can also contact your university’s career centre:

VUT: https://www.lli.vutbr.cz/karierni-poradenstvi

MENDELU:  https://icv.mendelu.cz/en/counselling-centre/

MUNI: https://kariera.muni.cz/

You can also contact the Skill Centre, which helps foreigners to apply their knowledge and education and prevent them from working below the level of their education.

There is no limit on how many hours per week or month you can work if you have free access to the labour market. However, please don‘t forget that the legal reason for having a student visa or long-term residency with purpose of study is studying, not working. If you’re fulfilling all your study obligations properly, you have nothing to worry about and you can work as much as you like.

If you have free access to the labour market (you are a full-time student in an accredited field of study AND and have a valid certificate of study, you can work on “HPP”, “DPP” or “DPČ”. There is no restriction.

The types of employment contracts that exist in the Czech Republic are:

HPP (hlavní pracovní poměr) – Full time job: classic employment contract, you can work a maximum of 40 hours per week and the minimum wage is CZK 17,300.

DPP (dohoda o provedení práce) – Agreement to Complete a Job: it can’t exceed 300 hours in one calendar year. The “DPP” is ideal for occasional work or small-scale work. Its main advantage is that if the employee’s salary does not exceed CZK 10,000 neither the employee nor the employer deducts health and social insurance contributions from the salary.

DPČ (dohoda o pracovní činnosti) – Agreement to Perform Work: it is intended to cover work of a longer-term nature. Unlike the “DPP”, the Labour Code does not set a limit on the total number of hours worked per year but specifies that an employee may work a maximum of 20 hours per week on average per year or duration of the “DPČ” for one employer.

If you don’t have free access to the labour market, you need to get a work permit and this is possible to get only for work on “HPP” or “DPČ”.

Yes, it is possible, but you have to find a job first and apply for a dual employee card at the Immigration office in Brno before you lose your student status.

You need:

• Valid residence card and passport
• Proof of accommodation
• Employment contract
• Vacancy number released by the Labour Authority (ask your employer)
• Valid medical insurance
• One photo

More information can be found here.

If you have a stable job before you graduate and you want to continue working there after you graduate, you can apply for a dual employee card at the Immigration office in Brno which contains a residence permit and a work permit. This is the safest way for an employer to employ a student as there is still a chance that you won’t finish university or you won’t pass the state exams.

You need:

• Valid residence card and passport
• Proof of accommodation
• Employment contract
• Vacancy number released by the Labour Authority (ask your employer)
• Valid medical insurance
• One photo

More information can be found here.

If you graduate successfully, just send a certified copy of your diploma to the Immigration Office. That’s how your a dual employee card becomes a non-dual one with a free access to the labour market.

You already have a job – apply as soon as possible (max. 3 months after your graduation but before your current permit expires) for a non-dual employee card.

If you have successfully completed your studies, you have free access to the labour market for the rest of your life in the Czech Republic, but you need a residence permit to stay in the Czech Republic.

You don’t have to wait for a non dual employee card approval to start working. The advantage of this type of residency is that you save money on commercial insurance and you don’t need to provide proof of finance.

You need:

• a valid residence card
• proof of accommodation (double check that the contract was not signed more than 6 months ago. If it was, ask your landlord to write an affidavit on the last page of a contract that the contract is still valid).
• employment contract or contract for future contract
• diploma; it it is enough to submit only confirmation of graduation or completion of studies
• commercial medical insurance only for the period before your employment begins
  
• and one photo

You don’t have a job yet – apply for a long-term residency permit with a purpose of seeking a job or starting a business.

Disadvantages of this type of residency is that you have to provide proof of finance: either for the duration of the stay or a regular monthly income and commercial health insurance for 9 months.

You can work legally from the moment you apply, you don‘t need to wait for approval.

It is issued with a validity of 9 months and can’t be extended. Within those 9 months you have to apply for a non-dual employee card.

You still have free access to the labour market, so you can change employers and try out what jobs suit you or you can start a business here. There is not limit on how often you can change employers with such a residency!

You need:

• Valid residence card and passport
• Proof of accommodation
• Proof of finance (min 3 500 CZK) + rent/month)
• Diploma or confirmation of graduation or completions of studies
• Prepaid commercial medical insurance for foreigners for 9 months
• One photo

You can make an appointment via frs.gov.cz

If you work on a “HPP” or “DPČ”, and the gross salary is over 4 000 CZK in a given month, you are automatically enrolled in public health insurance (VZP). Therefore, you do not need to provide private health insurance when you extend your long-term visa or residency with a purpose of study.

However, the next day you are out of job, or your salary in some months is below 4 000 CZK, you are out of the public health insurance system and you have to, again, prepay the private health insurance for foreigners.

Income tax is 15% of the gross salary. It is automatically deducted by your employer.

There is tax relief for everybody up to 30 840 CZK every year (ie. 2 570 each month) you are entitled to.

And an additional 4 020 CZK (ie. 335 each month) tax relief for students every year. 

To get the discount, ask your employer to apply the tax relief each month, or you can ask for it after the end of the year – at the end, you get the same money back.