Czech Senate backs digital residency system and mandatory EU registration

Foreign residents in Czechia are a step closer to handling residency applications online, while EU citizens face a new registration requirement under legislation approved by the Senate this week.

The new foreigners’ residence law would introduce electronic accounts for applications and official correspondence from January 2029. Mandatory registration for EU citizens staying longer than 90 days would follow in 2030, affecting at least 200,000 people.

The bill now goes to the president for signature. The Senate vote does not introduce an immediate registration deadline or change how residents submit applications today.

Under the legislation, the Interior Ministry would establish accounts through which foreign residents could communicate with the authorities and submit residency applications. Official documents would also be delivered electronically.

The ministry says the system should speed up procedures, improve recordkeeping and replace an existing legal framework long criticized as difficult to navigate.

Interior Minister Lubomír Metnar stressed that the overhaul does not relax the conditions for obtaining residence permission. It will not cover applications for asylum or temporary protection.

The law began taking shape during the previous parliamentary term and received support from the current opposition as well as the government.

The ministry says demand for residency services continues to grow. Beyond applications themselves, officials handle more than 630,000 additional proceedings annually, including address changes and requests for personal identification numbers or travel documents.

Residents looking for information about existing procedures can consult the Interior Ministry’s Information Portal for Foreigners.

For EU nationals, the most significant change is compulsory registration for stays exceeding 90 days. The registration covered by the proposal is currently voluntary. Failure to meet the new obligation could carry a fine of up to CZK 10,000.

The ministry argues that more complete records would help municipalities and public authorities account for residents who currently do not appear in the relevant registers.

According to the ministry, gaps in registration complicate municipal funding, local fee collection and the recording of administrative offenses. They can also make dealings with authorities more difficult for foreign residents themselves.

The legislation includes changes beyond digital administration. It would strengthen the authorities’ ability to cancel residence permission for people who commit crimes or threaten public order and internal security.

It also adjusts the framework for government quotas governing immigration from outside the EU and increases the responsibilities of organizations sponsoring foreign residents, including employers, schools and sports clubs.

Another stated aim is to address repeated applications based on allegedly fabricated relationships used to resist removal from Czechia.

For residents, the key distinction is timing: electronic residency procedures are planned for 2029, while the new EU registration obligation would begin a year later, subject to completion of the legislative process.