Moving from the CIS to the Czech Republic, own experience
A couple of months ago on Habré there was an article about job search in the Czech Republic, and in the comments there was an interest in how to start a tractor and what to do for it. This note I want to clarify some issues and, perhaps, to help make a decision for those who doubt.
One of the central squares of Prague (Staroměstské náměstí)
I live in Prague and this is my first experience of living abroad. Before that, I traveled a bit around Ukraine and tried to live in different cities: Donetsk, where I was born, Simferopol, Dnepropetrovsk, Kiev. I don’t know which city I’ll be home in 5 years from now, but I can confidently say that no money will make me return to the CIS.
Hradčany district, Prague Castle (Pražský Hrad)
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For residents of the CIS, there are only two main ways - education in Czech educational institutions (the goal is education) or employment in a Czech company (goal - work). Both scenarios suggest that you will receive a long-term visa (more than 90 days) in your own country, through the Czech Embassy.
Everyone who is reading this article is incredibly lucky, because during the last 5 years, enrolling in the embassy was possible only in one way - through the VisaPoint system. During this time, it became a real myth and a significant part of people could not even pass this test. Why? I explain. Places to record appeared in a chaotic manner (or did not appear at all), at an arbitrary time of day, and most people tried to catch them to no avail (with their hands, feet, and other limbs) for a week. I “got” two entries (for myself and my wife), buying them for $ 50, it was cheaper than spending time writing a bot that would monitor the recording. However, not everyone is lucky as me. I know Ne the number of people who paid $ 200-500 (in Kazakhstan it came to (!) $ 1200) without having received the cherished registration for the reception.
The write problem disappeared along with the closure of the Visapoint. At the moment, the recording goes directly through the Embassy of the Czech Republic, via email.
Having agreed on the date of filing the application (it will be appointed in about a month), you must prepare a package of documents, which will consist of:
In addition, you need to be ready to have an interview, which, although it will be in your native language, but its transcript is compiled in Czech. That it will offer you and sign. It will be great if an interpreter is present at the interview. Thereby you will significantly reduce the chances of being misunderstood and nonsense written in the transcript.
Often, the interview is conducted after some time, after the submission of documents and you will additionally be invited to pass it. Waiting for a decision on your issue may take a period of 90-120 days. Almost all friends knew that the filing procedure was successful, the first time. And only some had to submit documents twice, and the first refusal was received on their own stupidity (flaws in documents or a bad interview protocol).
Zakat in the city of Melnik
In the state universities of the Czech Republic, education in the Czech language is free. Foreigner You or a citizen of the Czech Republic - the right to enroll and train in exactly the same way.
Most Russian-speaking tractor drivers moved to the Czech Republic in this way - first they learned the language in courses, then entered the university (bachelor’s degree), and at the end had free access to the labor market. Moreover, the rules for employment of foreigners are different from hiring Czechs, but if you graduated from a Czech university, you will be equated to a citizen of the country.
An alternative is the passage of the magistracy in the Czech Republic, which lasts two years. For admission you need to go through the process of nostrification of the diploma and pass the entrance exams, which differ from one university to another. If someone is interested in the process of nostrification, then I can reveal it in the following notes. Now it’s enough to understand that this process is not complicated and it can be performed remotely. At a cost of $ 300 (shipping, translation + state fee for filing documents).
There is also a way for those who are not ready to change their current job and want to continue working remotely, but at the same time live in the Czech Republic. You can get a visa for the purpose of “Study” on the basis of taking long language courses. This is usually a visa for 9-10 months (520 hours or more).
g. Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic
Business centers - Chodov, Prague
International companies Czech Republic attracts primarily because of the ease of doing business, low taxes and the presence of good universities, which prepare specialists. Despite this, there is a stable shortage of personnel and many are ready to hire expatriates in large numbers and pay a competitive salary. That is why many companies do not require knowledge of the Czech language, but English will be required at a very good level. In the Czech Republic there are also a number of companies that are focused on the German market and then they will want to hear from you a good level, not only English, but also German.
The main cities in which most companies are concentrated are Prague, Brno.
Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic and a paradise for tourists. The city has 1.3 million people, ⅕ of whom are foreign residents, and half of them live here for permanent residence.
The advantages of living in Prague:
Minuses:
Brno is the second largest city of the Czech Republic (about 380,000 people), called the Czech Silicon Valley.
Also to the pluses include:
Minuses
The disadvantages include the fact that companies represented in this city, often startups. Nevertheless, I had to meet a rating in which Brno was ahead of Prague in terms of the quality of life for IT managers and was in the top 30 cities in the world in this indicator.
For employment the company will need to undergo a series of procedures:
Only after a number of these procedures, a foreigner can apply for a work card, and the time for consideration varies from 60 to 120 days. For many companies, this is a deterrent because everyone wants to close vacancies here and now.
Therefore, senior-level specialists will have a definite advantage, who are especially hard to hire and who are willing to wait. Even Junior specialists have the chances of finding work in the Czech Republic (with appropriate salaries ), but these chances will increase significantly if you look for work already in place, having a long-term visa (for example, training).
This article is aimed at those who have already thought about moving and know why it is needed. I did not intend to disclose the topic of the advantages of living in the Czech Republic, since I wanted to focus on the technical aspects of the move and the conditions. If someone is interested to learn more about life in the country, write it in the comments or in a personal and I will try to prepare additional material for you.
One of the central squares of Prague (Staroměstské náměstí)
Introduction
I live in Prague and this is my first experience of living abroad. Before that, I traveled a bit around Ukraine and tried to live in different cities: Donetsk, where I was born, Simferopol, Dnepropetrovsk, Kiev. I don’t know which city I’ll be home in 5 years from now, but I can confidently say that no money will make me return to the CIS.
Hradčany district, Prague Castle (Pražský Hrad)
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The procedure for opening a visa
What do you need to know about moving to the Czech Republic?
Type of visa + purpose of stay
For residents of the CIS, there are only two main ways - education in Czech educational institutions (the goal is education) or employment in a Czech company (goal - work). Both scenarios suggest that you will receive a long-term visa (more than 90 days) in your own country, through the Czech Embassy.
Appointment at the Embassy of the Czech Republic
Everyone who is reading this article is incredibly lucky, because during the last 5 years, enrolling in the embassy was possible only in one way - through the VisaPoint system. During this time, it became a real myth and a significant part of people could not even pass this test. Why? I explain. Places to record appeared in a chaotic manner (or did not appear at all), at an arbitrary time of day, and most people tried to catch them to no avail (with their hands, feet, and other limbs) for a week. I “got” two entries (for myself and my wife), buying them for $ 50, it was cheaper than spending time writing a bot that would monitor the recording. However, not everyone is lucky as me. I know Ne the number of people who paid $ 200-500 (in Kazakhstan it came to (!) $ 1200) without having received the cherished registration for the reception.
The write problem disappeared along with the closure of the Visapoint. At the moment, the recording goes directly through the Embassy of the Czech Republic, via email.
Preparation of documents
Having agreed on the date of filing the application (it will be appointed in about a month), you must prepare a package of documents, which will consist of:
- confirmation of the purpose of stay (working contract or agreement on studying in an educational institution);
- confirmation of the availability of housing in the CR (lease or tenancy agreement);
- confirmation from the bank about the availability of funds in the account (for students);
- documents translated by a Czech legal interpreter (diploma, marriage certificate, certificate of good conduct, etc.);
- other documents that depend on the case.
In addition, you need to be ready to have an interview, which, although it will be in your native language, but its transcript is compiled in Czech. That it will offer you and sign. It will be great if an interpreter is present at the interview. Thereby you will significantly reduce the chances of being misunderstood and nonsense written in the transcript.
Often, the interview is conducted after some time, after the submission of documents and you will additionally be invited to pass it. Waiting for a decision on your issue may take a period of 90-120 days. Almost all friends knew that the filing procedure was successful, the first time. And only some had to submit documents twice, and the first refusal was received on their own stupidity (flaws in documents or a bad interview protocol).
Zakat in the city of Melnik
Who is the study visa for?
In the state universities of the Czech Republic, education in the Czech language is free. Foreigner You or a citizen of the Czech Republic - the right to enroll and train in exactly the same way.
Most Russian-speaking tractor drivers moved to the Czech Republic in this way - first they learned the language in courses, then entered the university (bachelor’s degree), and at the end had free access to the labor market. Moreover, the rules for employment of foreigners are different from hiring Czechs, but if you graduated from a Czech university, you will be equated to a citizen of the country.
An alternative is the passage of the magistracy in the Czech Republic, which lasts two years. For admission you need to go through the process of nostrification of the diploma and pass the entrance exams, which differ from one university to another. If someone is interested in the process of nostrification, then I can reveal it in the following notes. Now it’s enough to understand that this process is not complicated and it can be performed remotely. At a cost of $ 300 (shipping, translation + state fee for filing documents).
There is also a way for those who are not ready to change their current job and want to continue working remotely, but at the same time live in the Czech Republic. You can get a visa for the purpose of “Study” on the basis of taking long language courses. This is usually a visa for 9-10 months (520 hours or more).
The advantage of this option:
- knowledge of the language will expand your employment opportunities;
- Staying in the Czech Republic will give time to select a suitable vacancy (read who does what, look like interviews, knock out the “fat” offer);
The disadvantages include:
- combining work with study can be quite difficult (you need a good rate or the opportunity to work directly at school);
- failure to attend classes (failure to comply with the purpose of stay) may lead to the deprivation of a visa through the police;
- If you do not consider the option of a long stay in the Czech Republic, then the Czech language is absolutely useless for you (for the everyday level, it is enough to teach him for 1-2 months).
g. Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic
Work: from startups to Microsoft

Business centers - Chodov, Prague
International companies Czech Republic attracts primarily because of the ease of doing business, low taxes and the presence of good universities, which prepare specialists. Despite this, there is a stable shortage of personnel and many are ready to hire expatriates in large numbers and pay a competitive salary. That is why many companies do not require knowledge of the Czech language, but English will be required at a very good level. In the Czech Republic there are also a number of companies that are focused on the German market and then they will want to hear from you a good level, not only English, but also German.
The main cities in which most companies are concentrated are Prague, Brno.
Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic and a paradise for tourists. The city has 1.3 million people, ⅕ of whom are foreign residents, and half of them live here for permanent residence.
The advantages of living in Prague:
- the capital (and that says it all);
- a large number of international corporations;
- 3 hours to Berlin;
- Developed infrastructure + standard of living.
Minuses:
- A large number of tourists in the central part of the city.
Brno is the second largest city of the Czech Republic (about 380,000 people), called the Czech Silicon Valley.
Also to the pluses include:
- 1.5 hours drive to Vienna;
- lack of crowds of tourists;
- prices are lower than in Prague;
- progressive society of students and younger people.
Minuses
The disadvantages include the fact that companies represented in this city, often startups. Nevertheless, I had to meet a rating in which Brno was ahead of Prague in terms of the quality of life for IT managers and was in the top 30 cities in the world in this indicator.
Employment Procedure
For employment the company will need to undergo a series of procedures:
- Create a job at the labor exchange, and it will be available to foreigners only after 30 days;
- Select a suitable candidate;
- Enter into a contract.
Only after a number of these procedures, a foreigner can apply for a work card, and the time for consideration varies from 60 to 120 days. For many companies, this is a deterrent because everyone wants to close vacancies here and now.
Therefore, senior-level specialists will have a definite advantage, who are especially hard to hire and who are willing to wait. Even Junior specialists have the chances of finding work in the Czech Republic (with appropriate salaries ), but these chances will increase significantly if you look for work already in place, having a long-term visa (for example, training).
Conclusion
This article is aimed at those who have already thought about moving and know why it is needed. I did not intend to disclose the topic of the advantages of living in the Czech Republic, since I wanted to focus on the technical aspects of the move and the conditions. If someone is interested to learn more about life in the country, write it in the comments or in a personal and I will try to prepare additional material for you.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/354128/
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