Those who obtain it will be guaranteed the right to stay in the country for the next five years and may later apply for permanent residence.
However, not all applicants will receive this status, as the Ministry of the Interior has established strict conditions. The ministry will now begin vetting applicants.
“During April, holders of temporary protection could express interest in special long-term residence. More than 82,000 people did so,” said Interior Ministry spokesperson Hana Malá.
Any Ukrainian war refugee could apply, and according to the most recent data from the Ministry of the Interior, there are exactly 371,077 such individuals in the country. Currently, all of them hold temporary protection status, which is only extended for one year at a time—most recently in late March. Additionally, it remains unclear what the conditions will be for refugees in the event of a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Interior Minister Vít Rakušan (STAN) has repeatedly stated that refugees will be allowed to remain in the Czech Republic if they wish. However, EU-wide rules still need to be established, as temporary protection is governed at the Union level.
Back in mid-February, Rakušan told Novinky: “We are preparing documents jointly with Poland, which currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union. We want this to be finalized in the coming months.”
The Ministry of the Interior confirmed that the future of temporary protection will be discussed at the meeting of EU justice and interior ministers, scheduled for June 12.
Those who receive special long-term residence will have the right to stay in the Czech Republic for the next five years and may apply for permanent residency—regardless of the EU’s eventual decision on temporary protection.
However, applicants must meet strict criteria. Among other things, they must earn at least 440,000 Czech crowns per year (about 36,600 CZK per month). This threshold increases with each additional family member. For example, a mother with one child must earn 45,800 CZK monthly, while a parent with two children needs 55,000 CZK.
This high income threshold has been criticized by economists and, for example, the government’s Human Rights Commissioner, Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková. “It is estimated that only a very small percentage of temporary protection holders fall into these income categories. Most often, it applies only to families with multiple economically active members,” the commissioner said in her comments on the government decree. According to Laurenčíková, for single parents the special long-term residence status will likely be “entirely unattainable.”
The ministry argued that the number of refugees in the Czech Republic is high and administrative resources are limited. The strict criteria are meant to ensure the government can manage the application process. “We are expecting at most 20% of those with temporary protection to qualify,” Malá previously said. At current numbers, that would mean 74,000 Ukrainians might receive the special long-term residence permit.
However, critics believe the actual number will be much lower. “Except for specialists in Prague or other big cities, people will not be able to meet these conditions. If they have an average job in a smaller town, they’re out of luck,” said Martin Rozumek, Director of the Organization for Aid to Refugees. The rules apply nationwide, with no distinction made between residents of major cities and those living in smaller towns.
