Long-term Residence Permit for Sports Purposes
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | Povolení k dlouhodobému pobytu za účelem sportovním as of 2026-06-24[1] The Czech form of the Information Portal's own heading; the Aliens Act names no sports permit and the instrument is a long-term residence permit under the general s. 42(1) power. |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | Long-term Residence Permit for Sports Purposes as of 2026-06-24[1] The Ministry of the Interior's own English page heading. |
| Legal basis | Act No. 326/1999 Coll., s. 42(1) with s. 44(4)(j) as of 2026-06-24[1][4] The general long-term-residence ground; the route page confirms the conversion structure – the applicant must already hold a long-term visa for sports purposes or a long-term residence permit for any purpose. |
| Instrument type | residence permit as of 2026-06-24[1] A long-term residence permit. |
Who can apply
| Nationals not served by this route | EU, EEA as of 2026-06-24[1][4] |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | Not established from a qualifying source No minimum age is stated. The fee schedule contemplates applicants under 15. |
| Criminal-record condition | Not established from a qualifying source The route page lists no documents, and s. 46(1) applies only s. 31(1)(a) to (e) to a long-term residence permit. Recorded unknown rather than inferred. |
Permit terms
| Initial duration | up to 2 years as of 2026-06-24[1][4] The route page states 'For a maximum of 2 years'; in the Act the figure comes from the residual limb s. 44(4)(j). |
|---|---|
| How the initial term is set | fixed |
| Renewable | Yes as of 2026-06-24[1] 'You can extend a long-term residence repeatedly with a maximum extension period of 2 years.' |
| Renewal duration | up to 2 years as of 2026-06-24[1] Same ceiling on each extension. |
| Maximum total duration | Not established from a qualifying source No aggregate ceiling is stated. |
| Work rights | own activity only as of 2026-06-24[1][2] The permit authorises professional sports activity in a professional sports competition, which is what the route exists for. The Ministry's own guidance on the companion visa states that employment as such needs a separate employment permit, and that coaches, physiotherapists and amateur competitors are outside the route and must use the business visa or the employee card instead. |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | Yes as of 2026-06-12[4] s. 68(2)(a) counts time on a long-term residence permit; this permit is not on the s. 68(3) exclusion list. |
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Requirements
| Job offer required | Not established from a qualifying source The route page states that the permit is for carrying out sports activities in professional sports competitions but does not say whether a contract with a Czech club must be produced. The companion visa page states a remuneration floor, which implies a paying engagement, but neither page states the document. |
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| Salary threshold |
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| Labour-market test | No as of 2026-06-24[1] None is stated. |
| Qualification requirement | none as of 2026-06-24[1] No qualification condition. The filter is the character of the activity: professional competition only. |
| Employer sponsorship | Not established from a qualifying source The route page names no sponsoring club or federation and lists no documents. |
| Job-search route | No as of 2026-06-24[1] Not a job-search instrument. |
Process
| Where to apply from | in-country only as of 2026-06-24[1] The route page carries only a 'TO APPLY IN CZECHIA' tab: the applicant must already hold a long-term visa for sports purposes or a long-term residence permit for any purpose. |
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| Statutory processing time | up to 60 days as of 2026-06-24[1] 60 days; an extension is decided in 60 days. |
| Fees | |
| Quota |
Family inclusion
| Family members may be included | Yes as of 2026-06-12[4] s. 42a(7)(a): the family-reunification 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 be at least 20. This route is on none of the fast lists in s. 42a(7)(b)-(e), so the full 15-month qualifying period applies. |
|---|---|
| Eligible relations | spouse, minor child, parent, other dependent as of 2026-06-12[4] |
| Family may apply at the same time | No as of 2026-06-12[4] The 15-month qualifying period in s. 42a(7)(a) means the family cannot arrive with the principal. This route is not on any of the s. 42a(7)(b)-(e) fast lists. |
| Family members' work rights | full as of 2026-07-01[5] Act No. 435/2004 Coll. s. 98(l): a foreigner residing on a family-reunification permit whose sponsor holds a valid long-term residence permit needs no work permit, employee card or blue card. |
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.
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Verification
| Sources cited | 5 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 5 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2026-06-12 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-07-01 |
| Reviewed on | 2026-08-26 |
| Schema version | 1.1 |
Sources
- [1] Long-term Residence Permit for Sports Purposes
Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-24 · Accessed 2026-08-23 - [2] Visa for a Stay Longer than 90 Days for Sports Purposes
Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-22 · Accessed 2026-08-23 · Archived copy - [3] 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 - [4] 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 - [5] Zákon č. 435/2004 Sb., o zaměstnanosti (consolidated text in force from 1 July 2026)
Sbírka zákonů a mezinárodních smluv (e-Sbírka) · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-07-01 · Accessed 2026-08-23