Czechia plans digital overhaul of immigration paperwork from 2029

Long waits and paper-based applications could become a much smaller part of dealing with Czech immigration authorities under legislation approved by the Chamber of Deputies last week.

A new foreigners' residence bill would move much of Czechia's immigration administration online from 2029, giving foreign nationals dedicated digital accounts for communicating with authorities, submitting residence applications and receiving official documents.

The Interior Ministry says the overhaul is intended to replace a system that has long been criticized as fragmented and confusing while speeding up administrative procedures. The legislation has cleared the lower house of parliament but is not yet law. It must still be approved by the Senate and signed by the president.

From January 2029, the Interior Ministry plans to begin creating individual digital accounts for foreign nationals covered by the legislation.

Residents would use those accounts to communicate with immigration authorities and submit applications for residence permits. Official correspondence and documents would also be delivered electronically.

The new information system is intended to connect relevant government databases, allowing officials to verify information more efficiently and keep more comprehensive records of foreign nationals living in Czechia.

Interior Minister Lubomír Metnar said the changes should make residence procedures more efficient while strengthening Czechia's security.

The digital overhaul was originally prepared during the previous parliamentary term and has support across the current and former leadership of the Interior Ministry. Former Interior Minister Vít Rakušan has also argued that moving migration administration online should eliminate unnecessary delays.

The ministry stresses that digitization does not make it easier to qualify for Czech residency. Rather, it changes how applications and records are handled.

The new system is part of a broader rewrite of Czech immigration rules that also gives authorities greater powers to cancel residence permits.

Officials would have stronger grounds to revoke residency from people convicted of crimes or considered threats to public order or internal security. The ministry argues that better-connected digital records should also allow those procedures to move more quickly.

Employers, schools, sports clubs and other organizations that invite foreign nationals to Czechia would face additional reporting responsibilities.

The legislation also seeks to address attempts to avoid deportation through allegedly fictitious relationships. The Interior Ministry says authorities have encountered cases in which people staying illegally claim relationships with Czech partners in an effort to remain in the country, sometimes repeatedly submitting new claims after earlier applications are rejected.

A separate part of the legislation would require EU citizens living in Czechia for more than 90 days to register with authorities. That provision is scheduled to take effect later, in 2030. Asylum seekers and people applying for temporary protection would not be covered by the new system.

For foreign residents accustomed to handling Czech immigration matters through paperwork and in-person procedures, the biggest practical change would arrive Jan. 1, 2029, when the new law and its digital immigration system are currently scheduled to take effect.