Czech long term residence - family reunion (reunification)

For whom the family reunion (reunification) is designated

A foreigner who wants family reunion (reunification) and who:

• Is a spouse of a foreign national in possession of a long-term or permanent residence permit.

• Is a minor child or adult dependent child of a foreign national in possession of a long-term or permanent residence permit.

• Is the minor child or adult dependent child of the spouse of a foreign national in possession of a long-term or permanent residence permit

• Is a minor child adopted by a foreign national in possession of a long-term or permanent residence permit or his/her spouse in accordance with a decision taken by the competent authority, or a minor child in foster care of a foreign national in possession of a long-term or permanent residence permit or his/her spouse; or the minor’s guardian or the spouse of the guardian is a foreign national with a long-term or permanent residence permit for the Czech Republic and the minor will be taken care of in the Czech Republic

• Is any one of the parents of minor children who have been granted asylum under a special legal regulation; if such minor children do not have parents, then any other relative in the direct ascending line, and if such a relative does not exist a guardian of such minor children, shall be entitled to file an application

• Is a solitary foreign national who is older than 65 years or, regardless of age, foreign national who is objectively unable to provide for their own needs on account of their state of heath if it concerns family reunification with a parent or a child with a long-term or permanent residence permit in the Czech Republic.

• Has resided in another EU member state as a family member of a holder of an EU blue card.

Validity

A period corresponding to the validity of the residence permit issued to the person with whom you are to be reunited (min. 1 year), 2 years in the case of family reunification with a holder of a permanent residence permit.

Where to apply?

At Embassy of the Czech Republic within the appropriate territorial jurisdiction: in the state of which you are a citizen or, if applicable, the state that issued your travel document, OR in the state where you have long-term or permanent residence OR at the Ministry of Interior: if you are residing in the territory of the Czech Republic on a visa for a stay of over 90 days or a long-term residence permit for some other purpose.

Deadline for the applicant

The applicant is obliged to submit the application for long-term residence within the fixed period of time starting 120 days and expiring a day prior to the expiration of his/her long-term visa /if applicable.

Deadline for issuing a decision

The deadline is 270 days. However, in the case of family reunification with a holder of an EU Blue Card it is 180 days.

Administrative fee

CZK 2,500 (CZK 1,000 for minors under the age of 15) is payable once the decision of the Ministry of Interior is issued – see further.

Person you are reuniting with must have:

• A long-term or permanent residence permit and has resided in the Czech Republic for at least 15 months; with regards to the reunification of spouses – the individuals must at least be 20 years of age; or

• An employee card and has resided in the Czech Republic for at least six (6) months; or

• An EU Blue Card; or

• Intra Corporate Transfer Card (ICT);

• Asylum; or

• Turned 65 years in age, or regardless of age have a health condition determining that s/he is unable to provide for his/her needs if it concerns family reunification with a parent or a child with a residence permit in the Czech Republic.

Health insurance

Is required comprehensive travel medical insurance. Travel medical insurance should cover the whole time of stay in the Czech Republic, i.e. the whole time the visa will be issued for. The insurance can be purchased online, we recommend VZP or Slavia.

The applicant has two options with regards to the health insurance:

a) Wait for the visa application to be approved and submit the insurance contract including confirmation of payment after he/she gets a notification of approval i.e. when collecting the visa at the embassy (recommended)

b) Purchase the health insurance in advance and submit the insurance contract and proof of payment together with the application for a long-term visa as one of its attachments

Filing an application for a long-term residence permit

Requirements:

a) A valid travel document (passport)

b) A document confirming availability of accommodation (lease agreement covering the whole period of transfer OR confirmation of accommodation – a form will be provided)

c) Current photographs (x2), not applicable if a pictorial record has been taken of you

d) Documentary evidence of the family relationship (birth certificate/marriage certificate)

e) Parental consent or consent of any statutory representative or guardian with the residence of a child in the Czech Republic if the child is not going to live with its parent. Statutory representative or guardian: this shall not apply if the applicant proves that he/she is unable to submit such a document due to reasons beyond his/her control if s/he already resides in the Czech Republic.

f) Proof of finance: a document proving that the aggregate monthly household income of the family reunification will not be lower than the sum of:

a. the amount of the subsistence minimums of all family members and

b. the highest amount of normative costs for housing, which the foreign national can credibly prove as an amount of reasonably justified costs for the accommodation of the family.

c. a foreigner is on request obliged to submit the declaration of release obligation of secrecy of the Tax Office, in full range of data, in purpose of verification aggregate monthly income of the family; if a foreigner submitted the document to the request of income of the family member, he/she is on request also obliged to submit its declaration of release obligation of secrecy.

g) Family member of a holder of an EU Blue Card – a document or a residence permit that was granted to him/her as a family member of a holder of an EU Blue Card by another EU Member State

h) Upon request, a document similar to an extract from the Penal Register

i) Upon request, a medical report stating that the foreign national does not suffer from any serious disease.

All documents have to be submitted to the Ministry of Interior in originals or notarized copies (the latter is preferred) and in the Czech language or with official translation in to the Czech language, eventually an Apostille has to be attached to the official documents!

The requirements for the application shall not be older than 180 days except for the travel document, birth certificate, marriage certificate and the photograph of the foreign national if it corresponds to his/her actual appearance.

Granting a long-term visa for the purpose of collecting a long-term residence permit

a) The foreigner applying from the outside the Czech Republic – must present at the embassy and provide a travel medical insurance document and proof of payment of the insurance.
b) The foreigner applying in the territory of the Czech Republic (or has arrived to the territory of the Czech Republic otherwise than with a D/VR) - those documents submitted right away.

Arriving in the Czech Republic

Arrival of the applicant to the Czech Republic and visiting the Department for Asylum and Migration Policy within three (3) days.

Visiting the Department for Asylum and Migration Policy

Visiting the Department for Asylum and Migration Policy to collect the biometric card (within the set deadline but no later than sixty (60) days after the acquisition of your biometric data)

1) Applying for personal identification number

2) BIOMETRIC DATA – deadline for issuing a card: sixty (60) days.

The foreigner must bring a valid travel document

Foreigner will pay a CZK 2,500 for the issuance of the card.

For more information, contact us at:

JUDr. Mojmír Ježek, Ph.D.

ECOVIS ježek, advokátní kancelář s.r.o.
Betlémské nám. 6
110 00 Praha 1
e-mail: mojmir.jezek@ecovislegal.cz
www.ecovislegal.cz

About ECOVIS ježek advokátní kancelář s.r.o.
The Czech law office in Prague ECOVIS ježek practices mainly in the area of Czech commercial law, Czech real estate law, representation at Czech courts, administrative bodies and arbitration courts, as well as Czech finance and banking law, and provides full-fledged advice in all areas, making it a suitable alternative for clients of international law offices. The international dimension of the Czech legal services provided is ensured through past experience and through co-operation with leading legal offices in most European countries, the US, and other jurisdictions. The Czech lawyers of the ECOVIS ježek team have many years of experience from leading international law offices and tax companies, in providing legal advice to multinational corporations, large Czech companies, but also to medium-sized companies and individual clients. For more information, go to www.ecovislegal.cz/en.