For a long time, a Briton moving to Prague was just another EU citizen with an unusual accent. Then 1 January 2021 happened. Today moving to the Czech Republic from the UK is a third-country move, with a visa or a permit at the centre, and a few exceptions for people who already lived there. The good news: dual citizenship is accepted, the rules are published, and thousands of Britons make it work. This guide separates the two worlds.
Are you a "Withdrawal Agreement" Briton or a new arrival?
The Ministry of the Interior's portal for foreigners puts British citizens in two groups.
- Withdrawal Agreement: you were residing in the Czech Republic by 31 December 2020 and the Agreement applies to you. You have almost the same rights as EU citizens.
- Third-country nationals: you have never lived in the Czech Republic, or you interrupted your residence for more than six months (or one year for substantial reasons such as pregnancy, serious illness, studies or an employer-required posting abroad). You have the same rights, obligations and procedures as any other third-country national.
If you are in the first group, you keep your status as long as your residence is not interrupted. If you are in the second, keep reading.
How long can you stay when moving to the Czech Republic from the UK without a visa?
As a UK citizen, you can stay in the Schengen area without a visa for 90 days in any period of 180 days, as a visitor. You cannot work, and the stay cannot be extended. You must report your place of stay to the foreign police within 3 working days of entering the country, according to the police, unless your accommodation provider does it for you.
Time spent in the Czech Republic on a residence permit or long-stay visa does not count toward that 90-day limit, according to GOV.UK. But the visa-free route is for visiting, not for settling, and officers check the calendar.
What visa or permit does a Brexit Czech residence need?
For a Brexit Czech residence, meaning a stay of more than three months, a Briton who arrived after 2020 needs a long-stay visa or a residence permit, applied for at a Czech embassy abroad, usually in the country that issued your passport. The type depends on the purpose, as GOV.UK summarises: work, study, family residence, investment or business, research, medical treatment. Each has its own file and its own fee, and decisions are not instant, so start months before your move.
The purpose you choose changes the documents, the delay and your right to work. If you are weighing "employee card or business licence?", or "family reunification or work?", Moovy can compare the routes for your case and show what each file asks. It does not apply for you; the embassy and the Ministry decide.
Can you work as a Briton in the Czech Republic?
Not without the right document. EURES agrees: third-country nationals normally need an authorisation, such as an employee card or an EU Blue Card, except for those covered by the Withdrawal Agreement. With these cards, a short-term agreement alone is not enough. You need a real employment contract of at least 15 hours a week, paid at least at the minimum wage. More in working in the Czech Republic.
If you want to be self-employed, you first need a residence permit that allows it.
What about healthcare for British citizens?
The Czech rules apply, not British ones. You are in the public system if you have permanent residence or work for an employer based in the country. If neither applies, commercial insurance is compulsory.
Since 1 January 2021, the social security protocol in the UK–EU trade deal restores much of the old coordination, according to the VZP: one country of insurance at a time, the A1 form to fix the applicable law, and the S1 and S2 still usable. GOV.UK says that if you receive a UK State Pension you may apply for an S1 through NHS Overseas Healthcare Services and have it registered with a Czech insurer; otherwise you need private insurance covering at least €60,000 of healthcare costs. A GHIC or EHIC only covers temporary stays. The whole system is explained in healthcare in the Czech Republic.
Can you keep your UK driving licence?
GOV.UK says you can drive in the Czech Republic for up to three months on a licence issued in the UK, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man. If you stay, it advises you to exchange the licence before those three months end, because processing takes time.
The Czech Ministry of Transport ties the obligation to your residence. In its Brexit FAQ, it says that if you arrived after 1 January 2021 and are granted permanent residence, or temporary residence of more than one year, you must exchange your UK licence within three months of the residence being granted. With a shorter residence you may keep driving on the UK licence, and you can exchange it only if you prove normal residence, meaning at least 185 days in a calendar year. EURES sets the exchange threshold for a temporary residence at more than 185 days instead of one year. Because the two official pages differ, ask the municipality about your case, and in practice start the exchange within your first three months, as GOV.UK advises.
UK, Gibraltar, Jersey and Guernsey licences are exchanged without a driving test; Isle of Man licences need one. The exchange is made at a municipality with extended powers. If you moved before 1 January 2021 and have Withdrawal Agreement rights, you do not have to exchange, though you may.
What changes for banking, tax and schools?
A legal resident of the EU can ask for a basic payment account; a Briton without legal residence in the EU cannot claim that right, and each bank decides. Once you are a resident, your income is taxed under Czech rules and the double-taxation treaty with the UK of 1991 settles overlaps. Your children can enrol in a Czech state school as soon as they are authorised to stay for more than 90 days, and the free Czech lessons apply as for any other foreign child.
Can you become a permanent resident or a Czech citizen?
GOV.UK states that you may apply for permanent residency after five years of legal, continuous residence. The Czech Republic recognises dual citizenship, so you do not need to renounce your British citizenship to become Czech. Check the Ministry of the Interior's page for the exact conditions before you apply, as they change.
What does a long-term visa mean for your first months?
A Czech long-term visa or permit is not the end of the story. Once you arrive, you still report your address to the foreign police and you collect or register your residence document with the Ministry of the Interior. The Ministry's list of obligations applies from the day you arrive. A British citizen with a long-term visa does not get a rodné číslo automatically, because a visa does not show it; visit the Ministry and ask. A residence permit, by contrast, normally comes with the number. The routes are described in the rodné číslo guide.
Keep in mind how the Ministry treats time. Residence permits and visas have their own validity and renewal rules. Britons with Withdrawal Agreement rights hold one of two documents, according to the Ministry of the Interior: a registration certificate valid for five years, which cannot be extended, or, if they meet the continuous residence condition, a biometric permanent residence permit valid for ten years (five for children under 15). GOV.UK says the same in its own words: make sure you hold a biometric permanent residence permit for UK citizens, and renew or extend your card or permit every 5 or 10 years, depending on which one you have. If you are unsure which one you hold, check its validity date and ask the Ministry.
Which British situations come up most often?
- A remote worker with a UK employer. A visa for a stay of over 90 days is needed, and the tax residence question starts after 183 days or when you have a home in the country; ask the tax office or an adviser before you settle.
- A retiree. The S1 route is for those with a UK State Pension; check it with the NHS Overseas team and the Czech insurer.
- A British partner of an EU citizen. Family-member routes exist, because the EU partner exercises free movement. Ask the Ministry which card applies.
- A Briton with a Czech parent or ancestor. Citizenship rules are separate; ask the Ministry of the Interior and the consulate.
In every case, the date you first lived in the country is the dividing line, so keep proof of it: lease, utility bills, tax returns.
What should you do before leaving the UK?
- Decide the purpose of your move and choose the visa or permit accordingly.
- Contact the Czech embassy early to understand the file and the waiting time.
- Collect documents that will need translation or an apostille: birth and marriage certificates, police certificates, diplomas.
- Ask HMRC and the DWP about pensions, and keep your S1 route in mind.
- Keep your UK driving licence and plan the exchange.
Moving to the Czech Republic from the UK is therefore a project of months, not weeks. Rules and fees change, so check the Ministry of the Interior's portal and the GOV.UK page at the time you apply.