Citizens of other European Union member states will be obliged to register in the Czech Republic under a draft amendment to the law on foreign nationals submitted in January by the Interior Ministry, Minister Lubomir Metnar (ANO) told a press conference yesterday.
The Interior Minister said that the comprehensive review of immigration legislation, which may take effect from 2029, aimed to digitise residence procedures for foreign nationals and improve their registration.
According to the ministry, the new legislation should enable the government to more effectively monitor how many foreign nationals are coming to the Czech Republic, and why. The draft amendment is also intended to strengthen powers to revoke the residence permits of people convicted of crimes.
Metnar said that the amendment was based on several principles: stricter penalties for illegal residence, human trafficking and criminal activity, prevention of abuse of the social welfare system, and more effective monitoring of compliance with rules governing the residence of foreigners in the Czech Republic.
“The aim of these measures is to establish clear, comprehensible, and enforceable rules that will protect the safety of citizens and ensure a fair and functional system for those residing in the Czech Republic,” he stated.
According to data from the Interior Ministry, 1,131,197 foreigners with residence permits were living legally in the Czech Republic at the end of last year, accounting for 10.38% of the population. Compared to the previous year, their number increased by approximately 37,000 (3.4%). Ukrainians were the largest national group, followed by Slovaks, Vietnamese, and Russians. The figures do not include foreign nationals who are in the country on a short-term Schengen visa, or visa-free and unregistered EU citizens.
According to the ministry, the increase in the number of foreign nationals in the Czech Republic in recent years is mainly due to the granting of temporary protection to Ukrainians who left the country after the Russian invasion in February 2022. So far, 399,504 people have been granted temporary protection in the Czech Republic.
