The Czech Republic took a decisive step toward the full digitalisation of its immigration system after the Chamber of Deputies passed the new Foreigners Act on 14 September 2026. The bill, prepared by the Ministry of the Interior, will replace the current, often-criticised legislation with a modern framework that moves almost every stage of the residence-permit life-cycle online. Under the draft, every foreign national will be assigned a secure electronic account starting in 2029. Through this portal they will submit applications, receive official correspondence and track deadlines in real time. EU citizens staying longer than 90 days will, for the first time, be obliged to register electronically—closing a long-standing data gap that left municipalities without accurate figures and made it difficult to collect local taxes and fees. The law also strengthens national-security levers. Authorities will gain faster access to interconnected databases and broader powers to cancel a residence permit when the holder poses a proven threat to public order. Stricter liability rules for “guarantors” such as employers, universities and sports clubs are intended to curb abuse of invitation letters and fast-track schemes. Politically, the bill enjoys rare cross-party support. Interior Minister Lubomír Metnar argued that digitalisation is essential to manage a caseload that already exceeds 630 000 procedures a year, while former minister Vít Rakušan praised the reform as “the biggest clean-up of migration paperwork in two decades.” A late amendment aimed at narrowing differences between family members of Czech and other EU citizens was rejected, but observers expect the Senate to endorse the core text without delay. For multinational companies the impact will be felt in HR departments. Once the electronic platform goes live, foreign staff and their dependants will be able to file extensions and address data changes from anywhere, cutting visits to immigration offices. Employers, in turn, will need to adapt onboarding checklists and data-protection protocols to the new digital workflows. The Interior Ministry has promised targeted webinars for corporate users before the system becomes mandatory.
Source: Advokátní deník
