The Czech Senate today opened its 30-day review of a sweeping new Foreigners Entry and Residence Act that was passed by the Chamber of Deputies earlier this month. The 240-page bill (Parliamentary Print 144) replaces the current 1999 law on the stay of foreigners and for the first time hard-wires EU-wide systems such as the Entry/Exit System (EES) and forthcoming ETIAS travel authorisation into Czech legislation. Senators are expected to debate the measure at their 27th session, with a final vote due before 24 October 2026. If adopted, the act will create a mandatory online “Foreigner Account” through which third-country nationals will file visa and residence applications, upload supporting documents and receive official decisions electronically. Physical appointments at Ministry of the Interior offices would become the exception rather than the rule, cutting processing times that currently stretch to six months or more in Prague and Brno. Employers will also gain access to a secure portal to track application status and submit job contracts digitally. The bill transposes the EU’s upgraded border IT architecture. From October 2025 all non-EU travellers entering Czechia are already fingerprinted and photographed under the EES; the new act clarifies how those biometric data may be stored for up to 90 days and shared with law-enforcement agencies. Once ETIAS goes live for visa-exempt travellers in May 2027, Czech authorities will automatically pre-screen passenger data against security databases before arrival. Business groups have broadly welcomed the digital shift, saying it will make the country more competitive for high-skilled talent. “Moving the entire process online is a game-changer for companies that need to bring in engineers quickly,” said Jana Novotná, mobility lead at an American semiconductor firm in Brno. Immigration lawyers, however, warn that strict new deadlines—such as a five-day window to correct incomplete filings—could trip up applicants unfamiliar with Czech procedures. For international HR teams the practical implication is clear: start preparing for fully paperless workflows and budget for additional IT integration. Assuming the Senate approves the bill without major changes, the Ministry of the Interior plans a six-month pilot beginning January 2027 and full mandatory use from July 2027. Companies that sponsor large numbers of employee-card holders are advised to request test access to the new portal as soon as it becomes available.
