Anyone thinking of a move to Czechia starts with the same picture. Most people picture the Czech Republic through Prague: a Gothic skyline, cheap beer, trams rattling past Art Nouveau facades. The paperwork looks different. If you plan to move to Czechia for good, know that it is not hard, but it is unglamorous, it is in Czech, and the order in which you do things matters. This guide to moving to the Czech Republic puts the steps in that order, for an EU citizen settling for more than a few months.
What do you need to enter and live in the Czech Republic?
If you hold an EU, EEA or Swiss passport or identity card, nothing more than that document. The Ministry of the Interior's information portal for foreigners is clear that EU citizens need neither a visa nor a residence permit to stay. Your right to live in the country is that of any EU citizen who works, studies, is self-employed or can support themselves and has health cover.
The country belongs to the Schengen area but keeps its own currency, the koruna (crown, CZK or Kč). Pay in crowns, even where shops accept euros: the rate on the till is rarely in your favour. More on that in living in the Czech Republic.
Which steps come first when moving to the Czech Republic?
Think of five desks, and of an order that avoids doing the same thing twice.
- The foreign police. If you stay more than 30 days, you report your place of stay to the cizinecká policie (foreign police) office covering your address, within 30 days of entering the country. If a hotel, hostel or student residence has already done it, you need not. Renting a flat privately means it is on you. Forgetting is an administrative offence with a fine of up to 3,000 CZK, according to the police.
- The Ministry of the Interior. After three months, you may apply for the osvědčení o registraci (registration certificate of an EU citizen). It is optional, costs 200 CZK and takes up to 30 days. Details in residence in the Czech Republic for EU citizens.
- Your personal number. The rodné číslo arrives through that same file. See the rodné číslo guide.
- A health insurer. Public insurance is for people with permanent residence, employees of Czech employers and EU citizens working in the country. Others need private cover. See healthcare in the Czech Republic.
- A bank and a phone number. Both make everything else easier. See a bank account in the Czech Republic.
If you are unsure which of these applies to you, because you are retired, freelance, or arriving from the UK, Moovy can go through your situation and tell you what to file first and what to bring. It will not file anything for you, but it can save you a wasted trip to a counter.
Why report to the police if the certificate is optional?
Because they are two different things. The police report is an obligation and the registration certificate is a choice. The police report only records where you live. The certificate, issued by the Ministry of the Interior, proves your right of residence, brings you your rodné číslo and lasts ten years.
The Ministry's new law on the residence of foreigners introduces compulsory registration for EU citizens. The Chamber of Deputies approved it on 11 September 2026 and it now goes to the Senate; the Ministry expects it to take effect on 1 January 2029. Until then the certificate stays optional, but applying now spares you a later rush.
What does the registration certificate file contain?
The application goes to the office of the Ministry of the Interior that covers your address. You can apply in person, by post, by data box (the official electronic mailbox) or by email with a recognised electronic signature, but not from abroad. The file normally contains:
- the application form and your identity card or passport;
- one recent photograph;
- proof of accommodation in the Czech Republic;
- proof of purpose if you work, are self-employed or study;
- proof of health insurance, unless you come to work or to be self-employed.
Documents (apart from your passport, civil status records and photo) must not be older than 180 days.
How do you get your numbers, bank and phone sorted?
The rodné číslo is requested by the Ministry itself, during your certificate file. Wait for it before you chase your bank for anything that needs it. The tax number, the DIČ, exists only if you register with the tax office; for a private person it is simply "CZ" followed by the rodné číslo.
For the bank, bring two forms of identification and a Czech SIM card; many banks want a local phone number for online access. A prepaid SIM is sold without ID, so you can buy one on arrival. Your first salary will arrive in crowns, so a crown account is the practical choice.
What are the common mistakes in the first weeks?
- Waiting until you need the number. A mortgage or a lease can stall without a rodné číslo. Start the certificate file early.
- Counting the 30 days from the wrong date. The police deadline runs from the day you enter the country, not from the day you sign your lease.
- Arriving without proof of insurance. If you are not employed, the certificate file asks for it.
- Paying in euros. Crowns and a card are cheaper.
- Forgetting that the offices work in Czech. Forms exist in English, but replies come in Czech. Bring a Czech speaker for the first visits.
How much time should you plan for the first weeks?
Counters in Czech towns are not slow, but they are strict about documents. Count on one visit to the foreign police in your first month and one trip to the Ministry of the Interior to lodge the certificate file, plus one more to collect the card once it is ready. The Ministry has up to 30 days to decide, and the clock stops if your file is incomplete. In practice, a clean file means you wait about a month. If you move in September, when universities and schools restart and everyone else is also arranging papers, start in the first week rather than the third.
Your calendar also matters. Each office publishes its own opening hours, and some work by appointment, so check the office page before travelling. Banks close at weekends and on public holidays, and large shops are shut on several holidays, including 28 October and 26 December. Plan your first grocery run accordingly; the guide to daily life in the Czech Republic lists them.
Is it worth hiring someone to help with moving to the Czech Republic?
Not necessarily. For an EU citizen with a job or a regular income, the process is documented on official pages and the fees are small: 200 CZK for the certificate, nothing for the rodné číslo that is attributed during that file. An agent can save you time if you do not speak Czech, but you should know what you are paying for. A fee for "getting your number" is a fee for a service that the Ministry gives free of charge when it handles your certificate. If you prefer help, choose someone who explains each step and shows you the official page, and keep your documents in your own hands.
A friend or a colleague who speaks Czech and can come along to the first appointment is often worth more than a paid service, because the officers are happy to explain once someone has understood the question.
What changes if you come from outside the EU?
Citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland follow the EU route. British citizens who arrived after 31 December 2020 are third-country nationals: see moving to the Czech Republic from the UK. Rules change, so check ipc.gov.cz before each step.