Special Work Visa
Route status
Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.
| In force since | Not established from a qualifying source The route page states an end date for applications rather than a start date. |
|---|---|
| Open only to nationals of | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Ukraine as of 2026-07-28[1] The route page: 'A long-term special work visa is a residence permit intended for the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldavia, Northern Macedonia and Ukraine.' Applications are lodged only at the Consulate General in Lviv or at the missions in Sarajevo, Tbilisi, Chisinau or Skopje. Recorded using the v1.1 eligible_nationalities field. |
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | Mimořádné pracovní vízum as of 2026-06-12[2] Act No. 326/1999 Coll. s. 31a(1) gives the visa this statutory name. |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | Special Work Visa as of 2026-07-28[1] The Ministry of the Interior's own English page heading. |
| Legal basis | Act No. 326/1999 Coll., s. 31a, with s. 30(1); the visa exists only while a government regulation under s. 31a(2) is in force; excluded from permanent-residence counting by s. 68(3)(d) as of 2026-06-12[2] s. 31a(1): the Ministry grants the special work visa only in accordance with the conditions set out in a government regulation issued under s. 31a(2), and an application may be lodged only if such a regulation has been issued. s. 31a(2) lets the government issue one where there is an extraordinary shortage of workers in a sector or occupation, or in the event of an extraordinary event. |
| Instrument type | national visa as of 2026-06-12[2] s. 31a(1): a visa for a stay longer than 90 days. |
Who can apply
| Nationals not served by this route | EU, EEA as of 2026-07-28[1][2] |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | Not established from a qualifying source No minimum age is stated. |
| Criminal-record condition | Yes as of 2026-06-12[2] s. 31a(3): the applicant must submit the work permit, a travel document and the items in s. 31(1)(d), (e) and (g) – accommodation, photographs and the criminal-record document. |
Permit terms
| Initial duration | up to 1 year as of 2026-07-28[1][2] s. 31a(4): granted with a validity and a permitted stay of at most 1 year, and its validity cannot be extended. The route page states the same. |
|---|---|
| How the initial term is set | fixed |
| Renewable | No as of 2026-07-28[1][2] s. 31a(4): 'dobu jeho platnosti nelze prodloužit'. |
| Maximum total duration | up to 1 year as of 2026-06-12[2] With no extension available, the statutory year is also the aggregate. |
| Work rights | own activity only as of 2026-07-28[1][2] s. 31a(1): the visa is granted to a foreigner who intends to stay for the purpose of employment and who has been issued a work permit under the Employment Act for that purpose. The route page states the consequence: work is lawful 'at the position for which you acquired the work visa'. |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | No as of 2026-07-28[1][2] s. 68(3)(d) expressly excludes time on a special work visa from the 5 years, and s. 31a(5) bars any in-country application for another title. The route page: 'During your residence with this visa, it is not permitted to apply for any other residence permit.' |
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Requirements
| Job offer required | Yes as of 2026-07-28[1][2] s. 31a(1) and (3): a work permit issued under the Employment Act for the job in question must already have been granted and must be submitted with the application. |
|---|---|
| Labour-market test | Yes as of 2026-06-12[2] s. 31a(1) presupposes a work permit under Act No. 435/2004 Coll., and the work permit – as distinct from the employee card – is the instrument the labour-market test attaches to. The scheme itself exists only where the government has found an extraordinary shortage in a sector (s. 31a(2)). |
| Qualification requirement | none as of 2026-07-28[1] The route page states no qualification condition; the filter is the sector and the nationality. The listed sectors are crop and animal production, gamekeeping and associated activities; forestry and logging; manufacture of food products; and manufacture of beverages. |
| Employer sponsorship | Yes as of 2026-07-28[1] The route page: the applicant and the employer must both be in the government-approved programme administered by the Ministry of Agriculture, and the employer must not be a labour agency. |
| Job-search route | No as of 2026-06-12[2] Not a job-search instrument. |
Process
| Where to apply from | from abroad only as of 2026-07-28[1][2] The route page: 'You must apply only in person at the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Lviv, at the diplomatic mission in Sarajevo, Tbilisi, Chisinau or in Skopje.' s. 31a(5) reinforces the one-way character: no application for any other Czech residence title may be lodged in Czechia by someone residing on this visa. |
|---|---|
| Statutory processing time | Not established from a qualifying source The route page states no decision period and s. 31a does not set one. The general long-term-visa clock in s. 169t was not read for this route. |
| Fees |
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| Quota |
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Physical presence
| none stated | to keep the permit as of 2026-07-28[1][2] Neither the governing provision nor the route page states a day count, a maximum absence or a reporting obligation for keeping this permit. What the Information Portal states instead is qualitative: 'You must fulfil the purpose of your stay for the whole duration of your residence permit.' s. 155b applies to long-term residence permits, not to visas, so the adaptation-integration course does not arise here. |
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Family inclusion
| Family members may be included | No as of 2026-06-12[2] s. 42a(7)(a) requires the sponsor to hold a long-term or permanent residence permit; a special work visa is neither, and s. 31a(5) bars any in-country application for another title. |
|---|---|
| Eligible relations | Not established from a qualifying source as of 2026-06-12[2] |
| Family may apply at the same time | No as of 2026-06-12[2] Follows from allowed = false. |
| Family members' work rights | Not applicable No dependants can be admitted on this instrument. |
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.
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Verification
| Sources cited | 2 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 2 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2026-06-12 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-07-28 |
| Reviewed on | 2026-08-26 |
| Schema version | 1.1 |
Sources
- [1] Special Work Visa
Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-07-28 · Accessed 2026-08-23 · Archived copy - [2] 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