Ministry of the Interior
Department of Asylum and
Migration Policy
International Protection Unit
P.O.Box 21/OAM
Nad Štolou 3
170 34 Prague 7
tel: 974 833 132
974 833 134
e-mail: omosekret@mvcr.cz
Any person arriving in the Czech Republic may apply for international protection if they are persecuted in their country of origin; international protection is granted either in the form of asylum or subsidiary protection. During the international protection procedure, the Ministry of the Interior will investigate whether you were a subject of persecution in your country of origin for one of the following reasons:
→ exercise of political rights and freedoms,
→ race,
→ gender,
→ religion,
→ nationality,
→ belonging to a particular social group
→ holding certain political opinions in the country of your citizenship or, if you are a stateless person, in the country of your last permanent residence.
Anyone who proves that they have been persecuted in their country for the reasons stated above will be granted asylum in the Czech Republic. Asylum may also be granted for the purpose of reunification with a family member (spouse, minor child or parent of a minor child) who has already been granted asylum. In exceptional cases, asylum may be granted on humanitarian grounds, but there is no legal entitlement to this form of asylum.
If the Ministry does not sufficiently establish the grounds for granting asylum, but the applicant proves that they would be in danger of being sentenced to death or executed, of being subjected to torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment if they would return to their home country, if they would face a serious threat to life or human dignity in situations of international or domestic armed conflict, or if the departure of the foreign national would be contrary to the international obligations of the Czech Republic, such individuals may be granted subsidiary protection. Subsidiary protection may also be granted on the grounds of reunification with a family member (spouse, minor child or a parent of a minor child) who has already been granted subsidiary protection.
Unlike asylum, subsidiary protection is granted for a fixed period, after which the reasons for which it was granted are reviewed. If those reasons persist, subsidiary protection will be extended.
You must apply for an extension no later than 30 days before the expiry of the period for which subsidiary protection was granted.
The international protection procedure begins with an application brought before the police or to the Ministry of the Interior directly. First, you will be placed in a reception facility until the basic entry procedures have been completed (identification, initial interview, medical check-up, etc.).
The reception facilities can be found in:
During the procedure, you will be interviewed in detail, and there may be more than one interview. During the interviews, it is important that you provide accurate information about the reasons for leaving your home country. If you have any documentary or other evidence that supports the information you have provided, please submit it to the Ministry. The international protection procedure will be conducted in your mother tongue or in a language in which you are able to communicate. Throughout the proceedings you are entitled to an interpreter, you can choose a lawyer and legal advice will be provided to you free of charge.
Once all the entry procedures have been completed, you may be transferred to a residential facility, where you may remain for the duration of the proceedings on your application for international protection. You are entitled to accommodation, food, other services and, under the conditions set out in the Asylum Act, an allowance. You may leave the facility if you can arrange your own accommodation.
After the first six months, if your procedure is not completed, you may legally find a job. You may be employed if you obtain a work permit issued by the regional branch of the Labour Office of the Czech Republic. It is illegal to be employed earlier than six months after you have applied for international protection.
The residential facilities can be found in:
Once you have been granted international protection, you will enjoy the same rights as the holder of a permanent residence permit for the period specified in the decision. This is the highest residency status a foreigner can achieve before becoming a Czech citizen. You have the same rights and obligations as Czech citizens, with a few exceptions. Your further stay in the Czech Republic will be governed by the requirements of Czech Act No. 325/1999 Sb., the Asylum Act, as amended, and Act No. 326/1999 Sb., regulating residence of aliens in the Czech Republic, as amended (the Aliens Act), but you are also obliged to comply with other Czech laws.
Furthermore, if you have been granted asylum or subsidiary protection but you are unable to arrange your own housing, you may apply for temporary accommodation in an integration facility for asylum holders. You may spend up to 18 months in this type of facility. Accommodation in an integration facility for asylum holders is provided at a fee; the purpose of staying there is mainly to learn the Czech language, find employment and arrange independent housing.
Integration facilities for asylum holders can be found in:
Once you have been granted international protection, you can apply to the State Integration Program (SIP), which is a support tool aimed at helping holders of both forms of international protection to get through the initial period of their life in the Czech Republic. This will help you find your way around and get to know life in a new environment. The aim of the SIP is mainly to assist in securing housing, entering the labour market, providing education and other social and legal counselling and assistance. At the same time, it will help you to begin learning the Czech language. Participation in the program is voluntary and you may apply as soon as you receive the decision granting you international protection. Enrollment is application-based only. If you decide to join the program, you must comply with its rules.
If you decide to participate in the SIP, after you have submitted your application, you will be contacted by a social worker from the general provider of integration services, i.e. SIP implementing organization, who will explain to you all the possibilities offered in this program. You will also be assigned a specific worker, depending on your place of residence, who will accompany and support you during the 12 months of the program.
A social worker will work together with you to develop an individual integration plan, which includes an overview of your needs and activities for the implementation of the SIP. This may include helping you to find sustainable housing, employment, school, social and medical care, etc. The individual integration plan always covers the entire household for a period of 12 months. The scope of support provided under the plan is designed to consider the needs of each household member, but its implementation requires an active approach on your part as well. During the implementation of the plan, the social worker will be your advisor and guide whose role is to provide support so that after the implementation of the plan, i.e. after 12 months, you will be able to orient yourself in the Czech Republic and be able to live your everyday life independently.
You can also take a free Czech language course organized by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and run by a professional organization dedicated to language training for foreigners. Once you have been granted international protection, you will be contacted by their staff to enroll you in the language course.
The Czech language course is completely free of charge and includes 400 lessons, which should enable you to master the basics of the Czech language or help you improve if you have already begun learning the language. Courses are mainly organized in groups, where students are grouped according to their native language and existing knowledge of Czech, based on an initial placement test. If necessary, you can study online or, in exceptional cases, in the form of one-on-one training.
You can also gain or expand your knowledge about the Czech Republic, life in the Czech Republic or your rights and obligations by attending New Home in the Czech Republic, an integration workshop delivered in a one-day, completely free-of-charge format covering all useful information you may need for a successful start of your new life.
Once you have been granted international protection, you will enjoy the same rights as the holder of a permanent residence permit for the period specified in the decision. This is the highest residency status a foreigner can achieve before becoming a Czech citizen. You have the same rights and obligations as Czech citizens, with a few exceptions. Your further stay in the Czech Republic will be governed by the requirements of Czech Act No. 325/1999 Sb., the Asylum Act, as amended, and Act No. 326/1999 Sb., regulating residence of aliens in the Czech Republic, as amended (the Aliens Act), but you are also obliged to comply with other Czech laws.
Furthermore, if you have been granted asylum or subsidiary protection but you are unable to arrange your own housing, you may apply for temporary accommodation in an integration facility for asylum holders. You may spend up to 18 months in this type of facility. Accommodation in an integration facility for asylum holders is provided at a fee; the purpose of staying there is mainly to learn the Czech language, find employment and arrange independent housing.
Integration facilities for asylum holders can be found in:
Once you have been granted international protection, you can apply to the State Integration Program (SIP), which is a support tool aimed at helping holders of both forms of international protection to get through the initial period of their life in the Czech Republic. This will help you find your way around and get to know life in a new environment. The aim of the SIP is mainly to assist in securing housing, entering the labour market, providing education and other social and legal counselling and assistance. At the same time, it will help you to begin learning the Czech language. Participation in the program is voluntary and you may apply as soon as you receive the decision granting you international protection. Enrollment is application-based only. If you decide to join the program, you must comply with its rules.
If you decide to participate in the SIP, after you have submitted your application, you will be contacted by a social worker from the general provider of integration services, i.e. SIP implementing organization, who will explain to you all the possibilities offered in this program. You will also be assigned a specific worker, depending on your place of residence, who will accompany and support you during the 12 months of the program.
A social worker will work together with you to develop an individual integration plan, which includes an overview of your needs and activities for the implementation of the SIP. This may include helping you to find sustainable housing, employment, school, social and medical care, etc. The individual integration plan always covers the entire household for a period of 12 months. The scope of support provided under the plan is designed to consider the needs of each household member, but its implementation requires an active approach on your part as well. During the implementation of the plan, the social worker will be your advisor and guide whose role is to provide support so that after the implementation of the plan, i.e. after 12 months, you will be able to orient yourself in the Czech Republic and be able to live your everyday life independently.
You can also take a free Czech language course organized by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and run by a professional organization dedicated to language training for foreigners. Once you have been granted international protection, you will be contacted by their staff to enroll you in the language course.
The Czech language course is completely free of charge and includes 400 lessons, which should enable you to master the basics of the Czech language or help you improve if you have already begun learning the language. Courses are mainly organized in groups, where students are grouped according to their native language and existing knowledge of Czech, based on an initial placement test. If necessary, you can study online or, in exceptional cases, in the form of one-on-one training.
You can also gain or expand your knowledge about the Czech Republic, life in the Czech Republic or your rights and obligations by attending New Home in the Czech Republic, an integration workshop delivered in a one-day, completely free-of-charge format covering all useful information you may need for a successful start of your new life.
Department of Asylum and
Migration Policy
International Protection Unit
P.O.Box 21/OAM
Nad Štolou 3
170 34 Prague 7
tel: 974 833 132
974 833 134
e-mail: omosekret@mvcr.cz