From today, 22 December, foreigners living in Czechia will find it harder to reach the Interior Ministry’s Client Centre and Temporary-Protection help-lines. According to an official notice on the Information Portal for Foreigners, the primary hotline (974 801 801) will be offline until 2 January 2026, while the Ukraine-specific line (974 801 802) will operate only on 22 December and 29–30 December before closing again through the New Year.
The ministry is redirecting urgent queries to two e-mail addresses—pobyty@mv.gov.cz for general residence questions and ukrajina@mv.gov.cz for holders of temporary protection. Physical branch offices remain open on business days but expect heavier foot traffic as callers switch to walk-in service.
![Interior Ministry Helplines for Foreigners Go Quiet Over Christmas]()
The reduced hours come at a sensitive moment. Many expatriates renew employee cards and blue cards in January, while some 400,000 Ukrainian refugees must finalise their 2026 status by 31 March. Immigration lawyers warn that missing a filing deadline because telephone support is unavailable does not excuse late submissions; penalties can include fines or a forced switch to a 90-day tourist stay.
Companies relying on the hot-lines to schedule biometric appointments should plan around the blackout. Global-mobility specialists recommend that HR teams collect outstanding documents now, use the ministry’s online reservation portal, and—where feasible—book appointments outside Prague, where queues are shorter.
The ministry says the shutdown is needed to allow IT maintenance and staff holidays and insists that critical asylum and deportation functions remain fully staffed. Nevertheless, corporate relocation managers should alert foreign employees to the gap and provide alternative support channels.
The ministry is redirecting urgent queries to two e-mail addresses—pobyty@mv.gov.cz for general residence questions and ukrajina@mv.gov.cz for holders of temporary protection. Physical branch offices remain open on business days but expect heavier foot traffic as callers switch to walk-in service.
The reduced hours come at a sensitive moment. Many expatriates renew employee cards and blue cards in January, while some 400,000 Ukrainian refugees must finalise their 2026 status by 31 March. Immigration lawyers warn that missing a filing deadline because telephone support is unavailable does not excuse late submissions; penalties can include fines or a forced switch to a 90-day tourist stay.
Companies relying on the hot-lines to schedule biometric appointments should plan around the blackout. Global-mobility specialists recommend that HR teams collect outstanding documents now, use the ministry’s online reservation portal, and—where feasible—book appointments outside Prague, where queues are shorter.
The ministry says the shutdown is needed to allow IT maintenance and staff holidays and insists that critical asylum and deportation functions remain fully staffed. Nevertheless, corporate relocation managers should alert foreign employees to the gap and provide alternative support channels.
