Czech RepublicFamily

Czech Republic family reunification permit

Long-term residence permit for family reunification

In short

Spouses, minor children and certain other relatives of a non-EU national living in Czechia apply for a long-term residence permit for family reunification. The sponsor must normally have lived in Czechia for over 15 months, or over six months with an employee card, and the family’s income must exceed the subsistence minimum plus housing costs; the legal decision period is up to 270 days.

Apply on Ministry of the Interior – application status (frs.gov.cz) checked 23 October 2026

Key facts

Maximum stay
Same validity as the sponsor’s permit, at least one year; two years if the sponsor holds permanent residence.
Validity
Approved applicants receive a 60-day visa to travel and collect the card.
Fee
CZK 2,500Fee for applications lodged at a Czech mission abroad; in Czechia CZK 2,500, or CZK 1,000 for children under 15.
Funds required
CZK 8,750 per monthExample only: subsistence minimum of a two-adult household (CZK 5,000 + 3,750). The family’s total monthly income must exceed the sum of members’ subsistence minimums plus the housing cost allowance or the actual justified housing costs.
Processing time
Up to 270 days for applications from abroad; 90 days for relatives of EU Blue Card holders.
Work
Family members of residence permit holders have access to work under Czech employment rules applying to their status.
Family
Covers spouses (same-sex partners included), minor children and stepchildren and certain dependent relatives.
Path to permanent residence
Counts towards five years of continuous residence for permanent residence.
Where to apply
In person at the Czech embassy or consulate responsible for your place of residence, after registering for an appointment as that mission instructs.

Sponsor conditions

For a spouse or child, the sponsor must either hold a long-term or permanent residence permit and have lived in Czechia for more than 15 months, with both spouses at least 20 years old, or hold an employee card and have lived in Czechia for more than six months. Relatives of EU Blue Card holders benefit from a shorter 90-day decision period. If the sponsor does not yet meet these conditions, the Ministry points to a long-term visa or permit for family purposes instead.

Documents

The key document is the civil status record proving the relationship, usually a marriage certificate or the child’s birth certificate, with apostille and Czech translation. You add accommodation, proof of the family’s income such as bank statements or regular income certificates, the sponsor’s residence document, parental consent for children, and a criminal record extract for applicants over 15. On request the authorities may ask for a waiver of tax secrecy to verify income.

Supporting documents must be in Czech or officially translated, foreign public documents need an apostille, and papers may not be older than 180 days, except passports, civil status records and diplomas. The passport and the purpose document, for example a trade licence extract or a birth or marriage certificate, are shown in original.

Required documents

Travel

  • Valid passport (original), application form and two photos

Money

  • Proof of the family’s monthly income (bank statements, salary or regular income certificates)

Family

  • Marriage certificate or child’s birth certificate (original, apostilled, Czech translation)
  • Copy of the sponsor’s Czech residence permit

Insurance

  • Travel medical insurance in Czech translation, shown when collecting the visa

Other

  • Proof of accommodation for the family in Czechia
  • Applicants over 15: criminal record extract

Supporting documents (where they apply)

Family

  • Children: consent of both parents, or of the parent not applying

Income test

The family’s total monthly income must not be lower than the sum of the members’ subsistence minimums plus the housing cost allowance under section 26 of the State Social Support Act, or the actual justified housing costs. MPSV currently sets the subsistence minimum at CZK 5,000 for the first person in a household, CZK 3,750 for each further adult, and CZK 2,480, 3,050 or 3,490 for dependent children under 6, aged 6–15 and aged 15–26. One-off income, child benefit and unemployment benefits do not count.

Refusal and appeal

Appeals against refused long-term visas or residence permits are sent directly to the Ministry of the Interior, Department for Asylum and Migration Policy, within the deadline in the decision, not through the consulate.

How to apply, step by step

  1. Check that the sponsor meets the residence condition (15 months, or six months with an employee card).
  2. Calculate the family’s income against the subsistence minimums plus housing costs.
  3. Obtain apostilled civil status records and translate all documents into Czech.
  4. Register for an appointment with the Czech mission, then lodge the green form in person and pay CZK 2,500.
  5. Track the case on frs.gov.cz; the decision can take up to 270 days.
  6. After approval, collect the visa with insurance, travel and collect the residence card in Czechia.

Frequently asked questions

My husband has an employee card. When can I join him?

Once he has lived in Czechia for more than six months on the employee card, you can apply for family reunification.

Why does the decision take so long?

The legal limit for applications from abroad is 270 days, and the period stops while proceedings are suspended for missing documents. Complete files avoid extra delay.

Can adult children join through family reunification?

Adult dependent children are generally outside the family reunification permit; they need another basis of stay such as study.

What if my spouse is a Czech or EU citizen?

Then a different route applies: the temporary residence permit of an EU citizen’s family member, with a much lower fee.

Official sources

Summarised from the official sources above. Rules, fees and processing times change: confirm with the embassy or the official portal before you apply.

Other visa types for Czech Republic

Visits and short stays

Business and self-employment

  • Business visa Maximum stay: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area.
  • Self-employed and freelancer visa Maximum stay: Up to one year; extendable or convertible into a long-term residence permit for business in Czechia.
  • Investor visa Maximum stay: Issued for up to two years; renewable in Czechia.

Study and training

Work

  • Job seeker visa Maximum stay: Up to nine months, no extension.
  • Work visa Maximum stay: For the length of the contract, at most two years per card; renewable in Czechia.
  • Skilled worker visa Maximum stay: Depends on the permit obtained (employee card up to two years, Blue Card up to three).
  • EU Blue Card Maximum stay: Contract length plus three months, at most three years; renewable.
  • Intra-company transfer visa Maximum stay: Duration of the transfer: at most three years for managers and specialists, one year for trainees.
  • Seasonal work visa Maximum stay: Long-term seasonal visa: at most nine months in total, extensions included.
  • Digital nomad visa Maximum stay: Long-term visa for up to one year, then a long-term residence permit for the same purpose in Czechia.

Family

  • Spouse and partner visa Maximum stay: Residence card for the expected length of the EU citizen’s stay, at most five years.

Residence

  • Permanent residence Maximum stay: Permanent; the residence card itself is renewed periodically.

Faster processing

Protection

  • Asylum and international protection Processing time: Time limits follow the amended Asylum Act and the EU Asylum Procedure Regulation applicable since 12 June 2026; manifestly unfounded claims go through an accelerated procedure.

Czech Republic visa guide