Czech Republic’s Ministry of Interior is proposing a new law that would require EU citizens to register if their stay in the country exceeds 90 days. The aim of this proposed law is to make the rules for foreign nationals staying in the country more transparent and easier to understand. The current law is dated back to 1999 and has undergone numerous amendments, making it difficult to navigate. The proposed changes will introduce a mandatory registration requirement for EU citizens staying in the country for more than 90 days, with subsequent registration in the resident register. Currently, EU citizens do not have to register anywhere.

According to the Ministry of Interior, significant shortcomings have become apparent in recent years, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Many EU citizens were not registered and were unaware of their presence, with an estimated 200,000 people unaccounted for. Unregistered residents pose a problem for municipalities, as they cannot collect fees from them or count their children in schools.

To address this issue, the proposed law will create the “guarantor” institute, which will unify entities that can demonstrate the purpose of the stay, such as scientific institutions or employers. The institution guarantees that the foreign national has a sense for their stay. Guarantors will have certain obligations, such as informing the migration and asylum policy department of any changes.

With the introduction of digitalization, the Ministry of Interior plans to create a new electronic system to create foreign national accounts for all applicants and their guarantors. These accounts will allow applicants to submit documents online, such as contracts. The creation of this electronic system will cost CZK 300 million and will be financed by the National Renewal Plan. EU resources will fund the preparation phase, while Czech sources will cover the system’s operation.

The proposed changes aim to make the current law on foreign nationals’ stay in the Czech Republic more transparent, particularly for EU citizens. The new law will require EU citizens to register if they plan to stay in the country for more than 90 days. With the introduction of the “guarantor” institute and the electronic system, the Ministry of Interior aims to ensure that EU citizens are accounted for and that they can easily navigate the registration process.

Overall, the proposed law seeks to address the issues associated with unregistered residents and make the process more efficient and easier to manage for both EU citizens and municipalities.

Article by Prague Forum