Foreign nationals who planned to visit the Department for Asylum and Migration Policy (OAMP) branch on Žukovského Street in Prague’s Ruzyně district on Monday, 5 October, will need to change their plans. The Ministry of the Interior announced on Sunday evening that the office will remain closed for the entire day after a weekend blaze damaged a supermarket located on the ground floor of the same building. Although the ministry did not specify the exact extent of the damage, officials said the precautionary closure is necessary to allow fire-safety inspections and cleaning works. The Ruzyně branch is one of the busiest OAMP units in the capital, processing residence-permit renewals, biometric card collections and visa endorsements for thousands of third-country nationals each month. Any appointments booked through the Foreigners’ Information Portal (FIS) for 5 October have been automatically cancelled; applicants are advised to log into the portal and pick a new slot. Clients whose appointments were arranged directly by the ministry—such as first-time applicants in priority schemes—will be contacted by OAMP staff with a replacement date once the branch re-opens. Walk-in visitors who normally queue at Ruzyně can instead use the OAMP offices in Prague-Chodov, but officials warn that capacity there is limited and priority will be given to urgent cases (for example, imminent travel or expiring residence permits). The temporary shutdown highlights the vulnerability of Czechia’s immigration infrastructure, which has been under sustained pressure since the post-pandemic rebound in international hiring and the continuing arrival of Ukrainian nationals under temporary protection. Employers should check the visa status of foreign staff scheduled to travel in the coming week and, where necessary, issue letters explaining any unavoidable delays in residence-card collection. Relocation providers can help by reallocating appointments to the Chodov branch or to regional OAMP units with shorter queues. The Ministry of the Interior expects to confirm by Tuesday evening whether the Žukovského office can reopen on Wednesday, 6 October. Updates will be posted on the ministry’s website and the Foreigners’ Information Portal; affected clients can also call the OAMP hotline at +420 974 832 421 for guidance.
Source: Vinegret.cz
