Living in the Czech Republic

EU Exit updates

To keep up to date with information about EU Exit:

• sign up for email alerts to this guidance
• read essential information for UK nationals in the EU
• follow the British Embassy Prague on Facebook and Twitter
• attend one of our citizen outreach meetings

Residency and visas

You may want to check the entry requirements for the Czech Republic.

You need to secure a Czech residence permit before the UK leaves the EU if you want to guarantee your stay in the Czech Republic.

You should register your stay with the Czech Foreign Police (in Czech) first. You will need this confirmation of your registration with the Foreign Police when you apply for Czech residency status.

Read our guidance on moving or retiring abroad.

Residency and visas after the UK leaves the EU

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal you will need to enter the Czech immigration scheme. To do this, you should make an appointment with the Czech immigration scheme.

If you have a certificate of temporary residence, you will need to apply for either a long-term residence permit or a permanent residence permit before the end of 2020.

If you have a permanent residence permit, you will need to change your current documents for a new biometric card by the end of 2020.

You can look at this flowchart from the Czech Ministry of Interior which explains the process.

In the event of changes to residency rules or registration processes after the UK leaves the EU, we will update this guidance as soon as information is available.

Passports and travel

You can apply for or renew your British passport from the Czech Republic. If you cannot get a passport in time for your trip, you may need to get an emergency travel document or ‘emergency passport’.

You can look at our travel advice for the Czech Republic and sign up for up-to-date information on local laws and customs, safety and emergencies.

Passports and travel after the UK leaves the EU

You should check your passport is valid for travel.

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, there will be new travel rules.

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the European Commission has said you may not need visas for short stays in the Schengen area or the EU. You may be able to stay for up to 90 days in any EU country, within an 180 day period.

If the UK leaves the EU with a deal, nothing will change until the end of 2020. In this time you can continue to travel freely in the Schengen area with your UK passport. What happens after 2020 will form the next part of negotiations.

Healthcare

You need to make sure you are correctly registered for healthcare as a resident in the Czech Republic.

If you live in the Czech Republic and receive an exportable UK pension, contribution-based Employment Support Allowance or another exportable benefit, you may currently be entitled to state healthcare paid for by the UK. You will need to apply for a certificate of entitlement known as an S1 certificate.

If you are resident in the Czech Republic, you should not be using a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from the UK to access healthcare in the Czech Republic.

• you may use an EHIC to access state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in another European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland
• the EHIC covers treatment that is medically necessary until your planned return home
• an EHIC is not a replacement for comprehensive travel insurance
• for more information you can read our travel advice pages and advice on foreign travel insurance

You should read the NHS guidance on healthcare in the Czech Republic.

You can read the NHS guidance on healthcare and studying abroad.

You can find an English-speaking doctor in the Czech Republic.

You should also check your prescriptions are legal in the Czech Republic.

Healthcare after the UK leaves the EU

If the UK leaves the EU with a deal, your current rights on access to healthcare in the Czech Republic will remain the same until 31 December 2020, as long as you remain a resident in the Czech Republic.

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, you will still be able to access the Czech healthcare system if:

• you are employed by a Czech employer
• you have a permanent residence permit
• you are self-employed, as long as your circumstances don’t change

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, your S1 form will no longer be recognised by Czech authorities if you do not have a permanent residency permit. You should take action now to decide what steps you need to take to ensure access to healthcare if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. UK nationals will be able to return to UK for treatment.

For more information, read the Czech Health Insurance Bureau’s website for guidance on access to the Czech healthcare system after the UK leaves the EU.

Your EHIC may not be valid in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal. The UK has offered to maintain the EHIC scheme should the UK leave the EU without a deal, however this is reliant on the Czech Republic continuing to accept UK EHICs.

Working in the Czech Republic

If you are registered as a resident in the Czech Republic, you have the right to work in the Czech Republic. Read our guidance on working in another EU country.

You may need to apply for one of both of the following:

• UK criminal records certificate
• extract from the Czech Criminal Register

Working in the Czech Republic after the UK leaves the EU

If the UK leaves with a deal, your right to work will not change until the end of implementation period.

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, you may need to apply for a work permit if you are switching jobs and do not hold a permanent residency permit.If you’re planning to start a business, provide a service, or do a job in a regulated profession after the UK leaves the EU, you can read our further guidance.

If you gained your professional qualification in the UK before the UK leaves the EU it will continue to be recognised by Czech authorities.

Money and tax

If you work in the Czech Republic, you have the same tax rights and duties as Czech citizens.

The UK has a double-taxation agreement with the Czech Republic to ensure people do not pay tax on the same income in both countries.

You can read guidance about:

• telling HMRC if you leave the UK to live abroad
• rates of tax on your UK income if you live abroad
• paying income tax in the Czech Republic

We recommend you get professional advice on paying tax in the Czech Republic.

Declaration of overseas assets

If you are resident in the Czech Republic you must declare all overseas assets, which may include bank accounts, securities, insurance, annuities and property. The declaration is separate to the annual tax return, and there are severe penalties and criminal charges for not doing this.

National Insurance

You may be able to pay National Insurance while abroad in order to protect your State Pension and entitlement to other benefits and allowances.

Money and tax after the UK leaves the EU

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, it may become more expensive to use your UK bank card in the EU. If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, you can read more about using a bank card, insurance or other financial service in the EU.

The UK leaving the EU will not change existing double taxation arrangements for UK nationals living in the Czech Republic. You should direct individual taxpayer questions about double taxation to the relevant tax authority.

Pensions

You will need to tell the UK government offices that deal with your benefits, pension and tax if you are moving or retiring abroad.

If you retire in the Czech Republic, you can claim:

• your UK State Pension or new UK State Pension. Please contact the International Pension Centre to claim
• your Czech and UK State Pension from the Czech Social Security Administration if you worked in the Czech Republic
• pensions from working in other EU countries

Life certificates for UK State Pensions

If you get a ‘life certificate’ from the UK Pension Service, you need to respond as soon as possible – your payments may be suspended if you don’t.

Pensions after the UK leaves the EU

The UK government will continue to pay the UK state pension to those eligible in the EU after the UK leaves the EU.

If the UK leaves the EU with a deal and you work and pay social security contributions in the Czech Republic, you will still be able to add your UK social security contributions towards your Czech pension. This will happen even if you claim your pension after the end of the implementation period.

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, you can read our guidance on pensions.

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the Czech government will take into account periods of work in the UK before EU Exit when calculating your Czech pension.

The UK government will uprate your UK state pension for the fiscal year 2019/2020 in any scenario.

Benefits

You may still be able to claim some UK benefits like child and disability benefits if you live in the Czech Republic. You should:

• read our guidance on which benefits you can claim if you live abroad
• use our tool to check which benefits you can claim while you live abroad

If you are abroad for more than four weeks, many income-related benefits such as pension credit and housing benefit cannot be paid to you.

Czech benefits

You may be entitled to Czech benefits. To find out if you are entitled to Czech benefits and how to claim, you can read the European Union’s guidance on claiming benefits in an EU country like the Czech Republic.

You can request proof of the time you have worked in the UK from HMRC if you are asked for this.

Benefits after the UK leaves the EU

The UK Government will continue to pay child benefits, and disability benefits to eligible people in the EU after the UK leaves the EU.

If the UK leaves the EU with a deal and you work and pay social security contributions in the Czech Republic, your UK social security contributions will be taken into account when applying for Czech contributions-based benefits. This will happen even if you claim contributions-based benefits after the end of the implementation period.

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal you should:

• read our guidance on benefits and pensions in a no deal scenario
• keep all records of employment and insurance in the Czech Republic
• tell the relevant Czech authorities if you have a connection to another EU member state, like through a family member or previous employment
• look at the guidance by the Czech Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs for more information on how to keep access to your benefits

Driving in the Czech Republic

If you are resident in the Czech Republic, you should exchange your UK licence for a Czech one (in Czech). You can do this at any municipality with extended competence (in Czech). You can still use your Czech licence in the UK for short visits, or exchange it for a UK licence without taking a test if you return to live in the UK.

For information on driving in the Czech Republic, read our guidance on:

• what you need to drive abroad
• driving rules in the Czech Republic

Bringing a UK-registered vehicle into the Czech Republic

Read our guidance on taking a vehicle out of the UK.

If you spend more than 185 days in the Czech Republic with your UK-registered car, you must register your vehicle with Czech authorities.

Driving after the UK leaves the EU

If the UK leaves the EU with a deal, driving licence rules will stay the same during the implementation period.

Please read our guidance on driving in the EU after the UK leaves the EU.

Voting

You may be able to vote in some UK elections. You can:

• check if you are able to vote
• register as an overseas voter if you would like to vote

If you are resident in the Czech Republic, you can vote in municipal and European parliamentary elections. You cannot vote in national parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic.

Voting after the UK leaves the EU

Once the UK leaves the EU, UK nationals will no longer be eligible to vote in local or European Parliament elections.

Births, deaths and marriages

If your child is born in the Czech Republic, you will need register the birth with local authorities and register the birth abroad.

If someone dies in the Czech Republic you can:

• read our guidance on what to do after someone dies abroad
• read guidance for UK nationals on bereavements in the Czech Republic
• consult a list of English-speaking funeral directors in the Czech Republic

Find out how you can get married abroad.

You will need to make a declaration in the Register of Vital Records (matrika) in the municipality where you plan to get married.

Find out about notarial and documentary services for British nationals in the Czech Republic.

You may also need:

• English-speaking translators and interpreters in the Czech Republic
• English-speaking lawyers in the Czech Republic

Accommodation and buying property

Read guidance on how to buy a property abroad.

Pets

When the UK leaves the EU, you will still be able to travel to and from the UK with a cat, dog or ferret but the rules will change. You can read guidance on pet travel to Europe after UK leaves the EU.

While the UK is still a Member State you’ll be able to travel with your pet to the EU under the current pet travel rules using your current EU pet passport. If you’re travelling with your pet for the first time you’ll have to visit your vet to get a pet passport.

Read guidance on returning your cat, dog or ferret to the UK. For moving pet horses and other equines read guidance on export horses and ponies: special rules.

Emergencies

You can dial the European emergency number on 112 or:

• 158 for police
• 156 for local police
• 155 for health emergencies
• 150 for firefighters

If you are the victim of crime, have been arrested, or are affected by a crisis abroad, contact the British Embassy Prague.

Returning to the UK

Check if your tax status will change if you return to the UK.

Tell the UK and Czech authorities if you are returning to the UK permanently. To help prove you are now living in the UK, you should deregister with Czech authorities.

If you receive UK State Pension or benefits payments, you must tell the International Pension Centre.

If you get healthcare in the Czech Republic through the S1 form, you must contact the Overseas Healthcare Team on +44 (0)191 218 1999 to make sure your S1 form is cancelled at the right time.

Read our guidance on bringing your pet to the UK and importing vehicles to the UK.

Disclaimer

This information is provided as a guide only. Definitive information should be obtained from the Czech authorities. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is not liable for any inaccuracies in this information.