Moving to Czechia from the United Kingdom: the post-Brexit rules

Until the end of 2020 a British citizen could decide on a Friday to live in Prague and be registered by the following week. The same passport now buys three months at a stretch and a clear instruction: if you intend to stay longer, arrange the right to do so before you arrive. Everything else below follows from that change.

It describes how the system works for British citizens in 2026. It does not decide any individual case, and permit rules are among the things that change most often, so each step names the body to ask.

Where you stand: three groups

Which rules apply depends on when you arrived and why.

Already living in Czechia by 31 December 2020. You are a beneficiary of the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement. Holders were asked to exchange their old papers for a biometric residence card marked "Article 50 TEU", and the exchange deadline was 31 August 2022. If that is you, keep the card valid and ask the Ministry of the Interior (MV) about renewal (as of 2026; check MV).

Arriving now for a stay of up to 90 days. You need no visa, but you are bound by the Schengen limit of 90 days in any 180, counted across all Schengen states and not just Czechia. Our explainer on the 90/180 rule shows how the days add up.

Arriving now to live and work. You need a long-term visa or long-term residence permit for a defined purpose, usually applied for at a Czech embassy before you move. This is the group the rest of this guide is about.

Choosing a purpose

Czech residence law grants permits for purposes, not for people. The question to settle first is therefore what you will be doing.

• Employment. An employee card is a combined residence and work permit tied to a vacancy listed in the central register, issued by MV. The job must pay at least the minimum wage (CZK 22,400 a month in 2026) for at least 15 hours a week. For highly qualified jobs, the EU Blue Card has its own salary threshold, which MV publishes (as of 2026; check MV). Our guide to employee cards and Blue Cards compares them.
• Business. A trade licence and the matching long-term visa or permit. The order of the steps matters; see how to get a trade licence as a freelancer and our guide to the permit for self-employed people.
• Remote work. The government's Digital Nomad programme, run with CzechInvest, includes the United Kingdom among eight listed countries. It is not a separate visa type: it works through a trade licence or an employee card with a long-term visa, is aimed mainly at IT and similar skilled work, and carries an income condition that you should check with CzechInvest (as of 2026).
• Family and study. Separate purposes with their own documents; MV lists them.

For the full range, see Czech visa types explained and how to get a long-term residence permit.

The practical sequence

British applicants tend to underestimate the document stage. A UK criminal record certificate, for example, is issued on UK timescales, and a Czech translation by a court-appointed translator cannot start until the paper exists. Start these first.

Arrival: addresses, insurance, money

Reporting your address. Third-country nationals report their place of stay within 3 working days of arrival, which a hotel does for guests. Once you hold a permit, later changes of address go to MV and not to the police (generally within 30 working days; check MV). Our guide to registering your address covers the visit.

Health insurance. An employee of a Czech employer is insured through the public system from the first day of work. Self-employed people, digital nomads on a trade licence and others without a Czech employer are generally outside the public system until permanent residence, and must hold comprehensive commercial health insurance that meets the Foreigners Act (as of 2026; check the Ministry of the Interior). Read how Czech health insurance works for foreigners before you buy a policy, and check your UK travel insurance carefully: a trip policy is not a residence policy.

Bank account. You will need one quickly, for rent and salary. See how to open a Czech bank account as a foreigner.

Driving. Rules for exchanging or using a non-EU licence after you become resident vary by country and change, so ask the Ministry of Transport or the Prague Magistrate before you rely on a UK licence (as of 2026).

Family and what you leave behind

A partner and children come under their own purposes: family reunification or a purpose of their own, with documents for each person. Children who are legally resident have access to schools on the same terms as Czech children, and the final year before compulsory school is free in public kindergartens, including for foreign children staying more than 90 days. Before you leave the UK, check what happens to your pensions, savings and National Insurance record with GOV.UK and HMRC, because Czech residence changes your tax position once you meet the residency tests.

Tax

Moving does not end your UK tax questions. You are tax resident in Czechia if you have a permanent home there or stay at least 183 days in a calendar year, and a person can be resident in two countries at once under their domestic rules. The UK and Czechia have a double taxation convention, signed in 1990, that decides how overlaps are resolved (as of 2026; check the Financial Administration and HMRC). Our articles on Czech tax residency and double tax treaties explain the tests. Pensions, UK rental income and savings are the usual complications, and they justify an hour with an adviser who knows both systems.

Housing

Most newcomers rent first. The landlord's deposit is capped at three months' rent, and our guide to renting a flat in Czechia as a foreigner explains the lease. A second reason to rent first is that the permit process rewards stability: a lease you can confirm is worth more than a promise of a flat.

If you later want to buy, nothing in Czech law bars a British citizen from owning property. The residence question is separate, and our piece on buying property in Prague as a British citizen keeps the two apart. Mortgage rules for non-residents are covered in the Hypoteky.com guide to mortgages for foreigners, and its overview of buying property in Czechia as a foreigner is a sensible next read.

Frequently asked questions

Can I work in Czechia on the 90-day visa-free stay?

No. The visa-free stay is for tourism and short visits. Work needs a work permission tied to a residence status, such as an employee card.

Do British citizens need a visa for a holiday?

No visa is needed for stays within 90 days in any 180 days, but the stay is counted across the whole Schengen area (as of 2026; check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

Is the UK on the Digital Nomad list?

Yes, the United Kingdom is among the listed countries as reported in October 2026. The programme works through a trade licence or an employee card, so check the conditions with CzechInvest and the Ministry of the Interior.

Which office decides my permit?

The Ministry of the Interior (OAMP). The foreign police do not issue permits.

A practical next step

Write the purpose of your move in one sentence, then open the Ministry of the Interior's page for that purpose and list its documents. Order the slowest one first. For most British applicants that is the criminal record certificate.

This is a general explainer, not legal, tax or mortgage advice.