What Expats.cz membership means for readers: A message from the editor

A few weeks ago, we launched our membership initiative. Since then, readers have shared encouraging feedback and thoughtful questions about what membership means. Below, I've outlined what continues to remain free and always will, and what you receive when you join our membership program.

Each week, we publish selected "For Members" articles. These are pieces that go deeper: stronger analysis, deeper context, and original reporting. Whether it's a comprehensive guide, a political explainer, or a feature that requires intensive interviewing and research, these are articles created to offer you more than a quick update.

If you’re not a member, you can still read three of these articles per month by signing in. Signing in allows us to understand which topics, guides, and explainers you want more of and helps to keep Expats.cz more relevant and useful to readers.

But most importantly, Expats.cz is not disappearing behind a paywall; food, events, lifestyle, daily news briefings, and breaking news will always remain free.

As a member, you get unlimited access to "For Members" articles, along with tools that make Expats.cz more useful to you, such as saved articles (my favorite feature!), personalised preferences, short AI summaries, and audio versions of selected stories.

You’ll also receive a weekly email digest from me with editorial insight, useful context, and a closer look at what we are following, discussing, and working on inside the newsroom.

This opens up a direct channel between you and our editorial team, allowing you to help shape our coverage. Your questions, suggestions, and feedback help us understand which guides, explainers, and stories deserve deeper attention. 

Members will also be first to hear about selected Expats.cz events, including free events with limited places, as well as exclusive partner offers from venues, theatres, cinemas, and cultural organizations. We are also developing a members-only social channel for later this year.

Membership helps us build more of what readers come to Expats.cz for: practical guidance, investigative reporting, useful explainers, events, new formats like investigative reporting, video, and audio, and a stronger connection to the Expats.cz community.

What matters most is that membership brings together people with real experience of living in Czechia. People who have navigated the systems, asked the same questions, found answers, and want to share that experience with you and connect you with others who can benefit from yours.

That happens at our events, but it also happens every time readers tell us what they need. Your feedback helps shape the stories we pursue, the guides we produce, and the questions we investigate – all in service of the community we are part of.

Whether you become a member or continue reading for free, you remain part of the Expats.cz community. There will still be plenty to read, follow, and share, and we’re very glad you’re here.

Do you have questions about membership? Write to us at members@expats.cz.