Foreign companies posting staff to the Czech Republic—and local employers hiring third-country nationals—received welcome news as the Ministry of the Interior’s updated decree on EU Single Permits entered into force on 27 June. The change reduces the legal processing deadline from 90 to 60 calendar days for applications lodged on or after 1 May 2026.
![Statutory processing time for Czech Single Permit cut to 60 days]()
For HR teams navigating the new timeline, online visa facilitator VisaHQ can take over the paperwork, pre-check documentation and secure the earliest appointments; its Czech Republic hub (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) also tracks real-time policy changes and sends alerts so companies never miss a deadline.
According to policy-tracker Stamped Nomad, which verified the amendment with four independent sources, regional labour offices must now complete labour-market testing within ten working days instead of twenty, paving the way for much faster issuance of the combined work-and-residence card that non-EU nationals need to live and work in Czechia. The fee remains 2 500 CZK and the stricter completeness rule means incomplete files can be rejected outright rather than suspended for supplementation. Employers in the IT, engineering and shared-services sectors—where Czechia faces acute shortages—stand to benefit most. Relocation advisers say the shorter timeline will improve onboarding predictability and reduce reliance on costly short-term Schengen visas while applicants wait abroad. However, assignees must still budget extra time for biometric capture and card collection after approval. The ministry is expected to pilot a 30-day premium lane for strategic investors later this summer, while digital filing through the forthcoming ICAS foreigner portal is scheduled for Q4 2026. Companies are advised to audit existing pipelines: applications already submitted under the old 90-day rule may need to be withdrawn and refiled to qualify for the 60-day target. The Czech move mirrors wider EU efforts to streamline legal migration for skills and could raise the country’s competitiveness against neighbouring Poland and Slovakia, both of which operate 90-day permit clocks.
For HR teams navigating the new timeline, online visa facilitator VisaHQ can take over the paperwork, pre-check documentation and secure the earliest appointments; its Czech Republic hub (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) also tracks real-time policy changes and sends alerts so companies never miss a deadline.
According to policy-tracker Stamped Nomad, which verified the amendment with four independent sources, regional labour offices must now complete labour-market testing within ten working days instead of twenty, paving the way for much faster issuance of the combined work-and-residence card that non-EU nationals need to live and work in Czechia. The fee remains 2 500 CZK and the stricter completeness rule means incomplete files can be rejected outright rather than suspended for supplementation. Employers in the IT, engineering and shared-services sectors—where Czechia faces acute shortages—stand to benefit most. Relocation advisers say the shorter timeline will improve onboarding predictability and reduce reliance on costly short-term Schengen visas while applicants wait abroad. However, assignees must still budget extra time for biometric capture and card collection after approval. The ministry is expected to pilot a 30-day premium lane for strategic investors later this summer, while digital filing through the forthcoming ICAS foreigner portal is scheduled for Q4 2026. Companies are advised to audit existing pipelines: applications already submitted under the old 90-day rule may need to be withdrawn and refiled to qualify for the 60-day target. The Czech move mirrors wider EU efforts to streamline legal migration for skills and could raise the country’s competitiveness against neighbouring Poland and Slovakia, both of which operate 90-day permit clocks.
