Long-term Residence Permit for the Purpose of Doing Business
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | Povoleni k dlouhodobemu pobytu za ucelem podnikani as of 2026-06-12[6] |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | Long-term Residence Permit for the Purpose of Doing Business as of 2026-07-27[1] Page title on the Ministry of the Interior's Information Portal for Foreigners. |
| Legal basis | Act No. 326/1999 Coll., on the Residence of Foreign Nationals in the Czech Republic, s. 42(1) read with s. 45(1); documents s. 46(7); issuance period s. 44(4)(j); extension s. 44a(1)(b); statutory decision period s. 169t(6)(a)(1) as of 2026-07-27[1][6] s. 42(1) lets a foreigner already residing on a long-term visa apply for a long-term residence permit where the intended stay exceeds 1 year and the purpose is unchanged. s. 45(1) governs the other entry: a foreigner who wants to reside for the purpose of business may apply for a change of purpose only if he holds a valid long-term residence permit and has resided in the territory for more than 5 years – 'Cizinec, ktery hodla na uzemi pobyvat za ucelem podnikani, muze o takovou zmenu pozadat, pokud je drzitelem platneho povoleni k dlouhodobemu pobytu a na uzemi pobyva po dobu delsi nez 5 let' – and that bar is expressly disapplied for the investment permit, for the s. 42(3) permit and for the s. 45(2) family cases. Amendment search: as for cz-investment, run against e-Sbirka's version list; consolidated text in force since 12 June 2026. |
| Instrument type | residence permit as of 2026-07-27[1][6] A 'povoleni k dlouhodobemu pobytu' evidenced by a biometric residence card. |
Who can apply
| Nationals not served by this route | EU, EEA as of 2026-07-27[1][4] The Information Portal frames the permit as being for third-country nationals; the MFA defines those as citizens of states outside the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Switzerland is excluded by treaty rather than by a bloc in this vocabulary. |
|---|---|
| Criminal-record condition | Not established from a qualifying source[1] |
Permit terms
| Initial duration | up to 2 years as of 2026-07-27[1][6] s. 44(4)(j): the Ministry issues a long-term residence permit with a validity of 'az na 2 roky v ostatnich pripadech, je-li k dosazeni ucelu potrebny pobyt na uzemi delsi nez 1 rok' – up to 2 years in the residual class, which is where the business purpose falls, none of the specific limbs (a) to (i) naming it. The Information Portal states the ceiling alone: 'For a maximum of 2 years.' |
|---|---|
| How the initial term is set | fixed |
| Renewable | Yes as of 2026-07-27[1][6] s. 44a(1)(b): the validity may be extended repeatedly, for at most the period set in s. 44(4)(j). The extension application must be lodged at the latest on the last day of the current permit's validity and at the earliest 120 days before it expires; residence stays lawful while the application is pending. |
| Renewal duration | up to 2 years as of 2026-06-12[6] s. 44a(1)(b) read with s. 44(4)(j). |
| Work rights | self-employment only as of 2026-07-27[1][6] |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | Yes as of 2026-06-12[6] s. 68(2)(a) of Act No. 326/1999 Coll. counts time on a long-term visa and on a long-term residence permit toward the 5 years of continuous residence that s. 68(1) requires for permanent residence, with no discount for this purpose of stay. |
|---|
Requirements
| Minimum capital | Not established from a qualifying source[1] Neither s. 46(7) nor the Information Portal's document list states a capital threshold for this permit. The financial condition is an income test, recorded on own_means_requirement, not a capital sum. Recorded unknown rather than not_applicable because no source positively states that no capital requirement exists. |
|---|---|
| Business plan required | No as of 2026-07-27[1] Read off the authority's own complete document list, which is framed as what the applicant will need and contains no business plan: application form, travel document, proof of accommodation, proof of funds for the residence, confirmation of registration in the relevant register (trade licensing register, commercial register or a liberal-profession register), proof of no outstanding debts, comprehensive medical insurance and a photograph, with a commercial-register extract and proof that the company has no outstanding debts added where the applicant is on a statutory body. Contrast cz-investment, where a business plan is required and listed. Only a medical report, foreign criminal-record documents, consent to disclosure for the tax office, a tax assessment notice and proof of insurance payment are added on request. |
| Endorsement required | No as of 2026-07-27[1][6] No committee, agency or accelerator vets the applicant. The Ministry of Industry and Trade opinion required by s. 42n(4) applies to the investment permit only; nothing equivalent appears in s. 46(7) or on this route page. |
| Innovation criterion | No as of 2026-07-27[1][6] Neither s. 46(7) nor the route page conditions the permit on novelty, innovation or scalability. The qualifying activity is any business activity, licensed trade, self-employment or statutory-body role. |
| Own means requirement | Recorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value[1][3][6] |
Process
| Where to apply from | in-country only as of 2026-07-27[1][6] Both routes into this permit presuppose lawful residence already: s. 42(1) requires the applicant to be residing on a long-term visa, and s. 45(1) requires a valid long-term residence permit plus more than 5 years' residence. The Information Portal states the same two entry conditions and offers only an 'APPLICATION' tab for the territory, with no consular route. The application is lodged in person at a Ministry of the Interior office; an extension may also be sent by post, data box or signed e-mail, or lodged through a representative. |
|---|---|
| Statutory processing time | up to 60 days as of 2026-07-27[1][6] s. 169t(6)(a)(1): 60 days from the day the application is lodged, where it is lodged in the territory. The Information Portal states the same figure for both the application and the extension: 'What is the time limit to process the application? 60 days.' The clock does not run while the proceedings are suspended. |
| Observed processing time | Not established from a qualifying source The Ministry of the Interior publishes no observed processing range for this permit. |
| Fees |
|
| Quota |
|
Family inclusion
| Family members may be included | Yes as of 2026-06-12[6] Act No. 326/1999 Coll. s. 42a(1): the spouse of a foreigner with permitted residence, that foreigner's minor child or the minor child of that foreigner's spouse, a minor placed in substitute family care / adopted / warded, and a lone foreigner over 65 (or of any age who cannot care for themselves for health reasons) reuniting with a parent or child, may apply for a long-term residence permit for the purpose of family reunification. |
|---|---|
| Eligible relations | spouse, minor child, parent, other dependent as of 2026-06-12[6] From s. 42a(1)(a)-(d). 'parent' and 'other_dependent' both come from s. 42a(1)(d), which covers a lone foreigner over 65 or, regardless of age, one who cannot care for themselves for health reasons, reuniting with a parent or a child. s. 42a(1) names manzel (spouse) only – no registered or unmarried partner appears in the provision, so registered_partner and unmarried_partner are deliberately NOT listed. Paragraphs (e)-(i) extend the list for relatives of recognised refugees; those are an asylum track and are not recorded here. |
| Family may apply at the same time | No as of 2026-06-12[6] s. 42a(7)(a): the permit is issued where the sponsor holds a long-term OR permanent residence permit AND has resided in the territory for at least 15 months; for the reunification of spouses each must also have reached the age of 20. The family therefore cannot arrive with the principal. The 15-month wait is disapplied for researchers and for holders of the s. 42(3) permit (s. 42a(7)(b)), and by s. 42a(7)(d) for holders of a Blue Card or of a permit under s. 42f, s. 42k, s. 42m or s. 42n, the investment permit. A s. 42(1) business permit is in none of those, so the wait applies to it. |
| Family members' work rights | Not established from a qualifying source |
Your next step
Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.
The next step is your own case. That assessment is legal work. Create profile for our assistance in this.
Profile benefits
- A 30-minute call with our consultant, who reads your profile first.
- An offer for legal support built around your case, covering the whole process.
Verification
| Sources cited | 6 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 6 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2026-06-12 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-07-27 |
| Reviewed on | 2026-08-26 |
| Schema version | 1.1 |
Sources
- [1] Long-term Residence Permit for the Purpose of Doing Business
Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic – Information Portal for Foreigners · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-07-27 · Accessed 2026-08-22 · Archived copy - [2] Fees – Third-country Nationals
Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic – Information Portal for Foreigners · fee schedule · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-22 - [3] Proof of Funds for the Stay (Finances)
Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic – Information Portal for Foreigners · official guidance · Tier 1 · Published 2026-05-28 · Accessed 2026-08-22 · Archived copy - [4] Entrepreneurship – long-term visa for the purpose of entrepreneurship
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-22 - [5] Narizeni vlady o maximalnim poctu zadosti – zamestnani a podnikani (Government Regulation No. 220/2019 Coll., as amended, with the per-mission tables)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-30 · Accessed 2026-08-22 · Archived copy - [6] Zakon c. 326/1999 Sb., o pobytu cizincu na uzemi Ceske republiky a o zmene nekterych zakonu – consolidated text
Ministerstvo vnitra CR / e-Sbirka · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-12 · Accessed 2026-08-22