Living in the Czech Republic
Everything you need to know about life in the Czech Republic — culture, language, healthcare, transport and useful local services.
Why Brno?
Brno is a vibrant student and research city of roughly 400,000 inhabitants. Affordable rent, excellent public transport, a dense café and restaurant scene and a growing international community make it well suited for researchers relocating with or without families. International schools, English-speaking GPs and a regional airport with European connections complete the picture.
Safe and welcoming student-friendly city
Brno combines an outstanding quality of life with excellent value. Enjoy fast, reliable, and affordable public transport, and take advantage of its strategic Central European location with Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest all within easy reach.
Science and Education center
Brno is one of Central Europe’s leading hubs for science, innovation, and education. Home to renowned universities, research centres, and a thriving technology ecosystem, the city attracts talented students, researchers, entrepreneurs, and global companies. Brno offers a dynamic environment where knowledge, innovation, and opportunity come together.
Living in the heart of Europe
Brno combines an outstanding quality of life with excellent value. Enjoy fast, reliable, and affordable public transport, and take advantage of its strategic Central European location with Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest all within easy reach.
What do you need to sort out?
Foreign Police
Must Be Arranged Immediately After Arrival!
All foreigners (both EU citizens and those from countries outside the EU) are legally obliged to register their place of accommodation with the Foreign Police. EU citizens and their family members must register their place of residence in the Czech Republic with the Foreign Police within 30 days. Foreigners from countries outside the EU and EFTA must register with the Foreign Police within 3 working days of arrival.
Where can I find a foreign police?
- Here in Brno, the Foreign Police is located at 2 addresses: Cejl 62b, 602 00 Brno or Tuřanka 115b, 627 00 Brno. Just bring your passport or national identity card with you and fill in a short form. No additional documentation is required. Make sure you know your exact address and the name of the accommodation provider. Once you have registered with the Foreign Police, you need to visit the Immigration Office (the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy – OAMP).
How long will my visa be valid?
- The long-term residence permit can be prolonged for two years maximum. The length of the permit depends on the length or hosting agreement/contract. You can apply for the extension 60 days in advance at the earliest and one day before the expiration day at the latest.
What if I move or my circumstances change?
- Once you have your residence card, be sure to report any changes to your residence address, name, marital status or purpose of residence within 30 days.
How can I apply for a visa extension?
- To get an appointment at the immigration office, you can either do it online or by calling to +420 543 213 313 or +420 543 214 316.
What documents will I need to extend a visa?
- A travel document (passport)
- Hosting Agreement (provided by FNUSA-ICRC)
- A written commitment by the research organisation that it will cover the costs relating to your residence as researcher in the Czech Republic after the residence permit expires (provided by FNUSA-ICRC)
- Proof of Accomodation (nostrified) /rental contract (does not have to be nostrified) – provided by your flat landlord
- Stamp (kolek) in the amount of 2500 Kč – possible to buy at the immigration office on the first floor at the end of the hall or at the post offices
- A completed application form (green) – ticked extension of validity column
- Extension of the Employment Contract (original)
Bank Account in the Czech Republic
How to choose bank and open a bank account? FAQ about payouts, payments, and transactions—all in one place.
Medical Care
Health care in the Czech Republic is high-quality, affordable and professional. In some areas and fields rated one of the best in Europe and sometimes cutting-edge worldwide. In case you intend to stay in the Czech Republic for a longer period, it is important to find a reliable doctor (general practitioner, also known as “praktický lékař” in Czech) as soon as possible and register with him/her.
- Your health insurance company is obliged to tell you who are their contracted doctors and medical facilities near your place of residence
- You can find the list of English-speaking specialists from the Brno Expat Centre
What to Expect at a General Practitioner’s (GP) Appointment?
- The doctor than becomes your “family doctor”, keeps your file (as well as your family members’ files if wanted and registered), does preventive checkups and when necessary, refers you to a specialist (at a clinic or hospital) for further examination or treatment.
What If I Need to Go to the Hospital?
- Hospital treatment is usually fully covered by your public health insurance. The same goes for a dentist, gynecologist or pediatrician.
What About the Emergency Department and Urgent Care?
- You can always visit the nearest doctor when you are sick, and they have to accept any patient in need under the Hippocratic Oath.
- Out of office hours, you can always go to the Emergency Hospital (Úrazová nemocnice) at Ponávka 6 or to the Children’s Hospital at Černopolní 9. Emergency service is also available in FNUSA (Saint Anne’s University Hospital)
- There is non-stop Pharmacy opposite the Main Train Station at Bašty 2.
- If it’s a life-threatening emergency, call 112 or 155 immediately!
Health Insurance
To have a valid health insurance for the whole stay in the Czech Republic is obligatory. Also, it’s one of the requirements for obtaining visa, therefore we recommend that you purchase an appropriate health insurance as one of the first steps before arriving to the Czech Republic. In case you arrive earlier than your employment begins, you must have alternative (travel, commercial or other) health insurance.
The Foreign Police may require proof of health insurance as a necessary requirement for your legal residence. As an employee of the FNUSA-ICRC, you will be covered by Czech public health insurance, and you will be provided with medical care free of charge.
Where can I obtain health insurance?
- Although there are more types of health insurance provided by various companies, as a foreigner we suggest you get insured at Všeobecná zdravotní pojišťovna – VZP (The General Health Insurance Company), which is the largest health insurance company in the Czech Republic.
What does Czech health insurance cover?
- preventive care, diagnostic care
- ambulant and hospital care, including rehabilitation and care of chronic diseases
- dental care – only the basic material and treatment is covered
- medicines and medical aids – partially paid by you
- patient transport
- spa care
- Only a small part of healthcare, such as a cosmetic surgery without any health reason is excluded from the health insurance.
- You are obliged to pay the regulatory fee of 90 CZK for emergency care that was provided by the first aid medical service including first aid medical service provided by the dentists.
How is health insurance deducted from your salary?
- All employees or employers based in the territory of the Czech Republic participate in the health insurance system.
- Employees are automatically covered by public health insurance for the whole duration of their employment, and the contribution altogether is 13.5% of the employee’s gross income (paid together by the employee and employer – the employee pays 4.5% and the employer 9%).
- The employer should then pay regular insurance premiums on the employee’s behalf.
- If you are employed on a special kind of contract called Agreement to Complete a Job (DPP – Dohoda o provedení práce) and you get less than 10.000 Kč (CZK)/month, by law the health insurance is not paid, and you need to purchase your own.
Accomodation
We’ll help you find the ideal private apartment or house, whether you’re looking to rent or purchase.
Czech phone number
- For short-term stays, we recommend using a prepaid SIM card
- If you are staying for several months, a monthly mobile plan may be a more cost-effective choic
What do I need to get a Czech phone number?
- Each provider has multiple shops around the city. Bring your:
- Passport
- Additional identity document (driving licence or national identity card)
- Residence permit (unless you are an EU citizen)
- Some providers may also require your tenancy agreement.
Which mobile provider do you recommend?
Can I change my mobile plan?
- Yes. We recommendation starting with a prepaid card during your probationary period, and once you know which carrier you want to use, migrating your number to a monthly plan under the same provider. It is also possible to change providers and keep the same number without any problem. Any provider should guide you through the process.
Waste collection fee
All foreigners who intend to stay in Brno for more than 3 months are obliged to pay the waste collection fee. The waste fee is payable annually by the end of May, and it covers the current year.
Driving licence
If you have a valid driving licence issued by a foreign country, you may drive in the Czech Republic using that driving licence only (if it has been issued according to EU standards) or with your licence plus an additional international driving licence (if your licence has not been issued according to EU standards) until the end of the year of validity of the relevant documents. If you want to replace, renew or apply for a Czech driving licence, you must prove that you have been residing in the Czech Republic for more than 185 days.
Car registration
If you want to use your vehicle in for more than 185 days, the vehicle you have brought must be registered in the Czech Republic. This can only be done in person at the Brno Transport Department. For that, you need to have a biometric card and a “birth number”. Prior to registration, a technical roadworthiness inspection must be carried out and a limited liability insurance must be taken out.
Living in Brno with Family?
Are you moving to the Czech Republic with your family? If so, be sure to check with the embassy and ask for information about long-term residence for the purpose of family reunification if you are a third-country national. If you are an EU national, you only need to apply for temporary residence for your family members. However, be sure that all family members who will be staying with you in the Czech Republic are listed in the accommodation contract. In addition, information about the Czech Republic’s education system and leisure activities both in and outside Brno may also be useful for you.
Tax return
Being an employee imposes various obligations both on you and your employer. The deadline for filing an income tax return for the previous fiscal (=calendar) year is 1 April. Taxes are only paid once a year. At the FNUSA ICRC, we will be happy to help you with your tax return and complete it for you, or we can recommend online tutorials in English to guide you safely through the process.
Do you have a question?
