Following its signature by the president of the Czech Republic, the amendment to the law allowing the extension of the temporary protection of Ukrainian citizens was published and became effective.1 This legislation also contains new measures, such as the possibility of obtaining special long-term residence permits, as well as stricter rules for Russian citizens applying for Czech Republic citizenship.2
WHY THIS MATTERS
In the context of the Russian invasion in 2022 and the ongoing war, the Czech Republic, like other EU countries, has allowed the granting of temporary protection status to persons fleeing Ukraine. (For prior coverage, see GMS Flash Alert 2024-075, 3 April 2024.) During the three years of the war, almost 4.5 million refugees benefited from temporary protection in the EU out of which over 350,000 Ukrainians are registered under this status in the Czech Republic.3
The current temporary protection expires at the end of March 2025, so the possibility of extending it for another year is vital for its holders.
Furthermore, the new legislation sets rules for applying for the special long-term residence permit, which is of keen interest for those temporary protection holders who wish to stay in the Czech Republic in the future.
A provision in the new legislation which received some attention, and met with some opposition, is the tightening of the rules for obtaining Czech citizenship applicable to Russian citizens.
Extension of Temporary Protection until 2026
The process of extending temporary protection will be identical to previous years and will therefore consist of two steps. First, it is necessary to register on the website of the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic (Ministerstvo vnitra) where applicants will express their interest in extending their temporary protection status. After successful registration, they will be given an appointment to visit the ministry’s office where they will be issued with a new temporary protection visa sticker valid until March 2026. Online registration has already been launched and applicants must register by 15 March to apply for the extension.
Special Long-Term Residence
Temporary protection holders who extend their status in 2025 and fulfil other specific conditions will be able to apply for a special long-term residence permit. To obtain this permit, they must first communicate their interest and meet the conditions stipulated by the law, such as possessing a clean criminal record, demonstrating economic independence, and noting children’s school attendance, etc.
Registration for this long-term residence permit should open by mid-2025. It will be necessary that family members, meaning spouses and their minor children, also indicate their interest in special long-term residence all at once by registering on the ministry’s website. Once the authorities are satisfied that all family members have expressed their interest and have fuflilled all the aforementioned conditions, the family members can apply for the special long-term residence permit. Once this happens, applicants will register just like they did for the extension of temporary protection. Applicants will go through biometric scanning, and as long as all conditions and steps have been met, then the long-term residence permit will be issued.
In addition to the longer validity (5 years) of the residence permit, holders will also continue to have free access to the Czech labour market and will not have to undergo adaptation and integration courses.
Refugees not meeting the conditions will remain under temporary protection status until they fulfil the rules and only then will be able to transfer to long-term residence.
Stricter Conditions for Obtaining Czech Citizenship for Citizens of the Russian Federation
The legislation also contains an update tightening the rules for citizens of the Russian Federation to obtain Czech citizenship: it imposes the obligation to prove the renunciation of Russian citizenship. Given the complexity of the conditions for Russians living abroad to renounce their citizenship, the amendment has become the subject of an intense debate, with its opponents arguing its potentially discriminatory nature.
Nevertheless, the provision made it through the legislative process, despite the debate, and the final bill, which included this rule, was accepted and published. Although there have already been some public announcements that its opponents will challenge the rule in court, no official steps have been taken yet.
KPMG INSIGHTS
By introducing the special long-term residence permit for Ukrainian citizens, the Czech Republic offers security and stability for its holders, with the prospect of obtaining permanent residence. The extension of existing temporary protection is still available to all its current holders.
The Czech Republic continues with tightening its policy towards citizens of the Russian Federation. These new rules will make obtaining Czech citizenship much more difficult for Russian citizens since renunciation of Russian citizenship is not an easy thing. The extension of current residence permits or applying for permanent residence is, however, still possible.
Footnotes
1 For the details about extension of temporary protection, see: Prodlužování dočasné ochrany v roce 2025.
2 For information on the special long-term permit rules, see: Zvláštní dlouhodobý pobyt.
3 For more details on the statistics of the Temporary Protection holders, see Eurostat, Temporary protection for persons fleeing Ukraine - monthly statistics - Statistics Explained .
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The information contained in this newsletter was submitted by the KPMG International member firm in the Czech Republic.
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