Czech Republic: Work Commencement Notification Timeline Tightened

The situation

Effective October 1, 2025, employers will be required to notify the Czech Labour Office at least one day prior to a foreign worker’s commencement of employment; whereas currently, such notification can be provided by – at the latest – on the employee’s first day of work. 

A closer look

• Penalty. Breach of this rule may result in a fine of CZK 100,000.
  
  Update September 25, 2025:  The government has raised the penalty to CZK 300,000. 
• Other requirements unchanged. Separate notification obligations – including for changes or termination of employment, and residence permit renewals – remain unchanged.

Impact

Employers will need to adjust onboarding processes to ensure compliance with the new requirement for advance notification. This will require revision of internal timelines, and the incorporation of extra lead time for work start dates to avoid last-minute compliance issues. Employers with frequent or high-volume foreign hires should consider automating reminders or workflow checks to ensure timely compliance.

Background

This provision seeks to prevent situations in which, during an inspection, an individual is found working on the premises and the employer subsequently claims that the inspection date marks the individual’s first day of employment.

Looking ahead

Czech immigration reforms scheduled for 2026, at the earliest, include:

• a proposal (scheduled for 2026, at the earliest) to make the EU Residency permit obligatory for any EU citizen residing in the country for more than 90 days; and
• an online platform for the processing of permit applications, with most stages of the application to be performed digitally. 

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].