Czechia · Business & founder
Long-Term Visa and Residence Permit for the Purpose of Doing Business (Zivno)
Open
Last verified July 2026
Open. The standard trade licence route into Czechia.
By a wide margin, this is the cheapest legitimate route into Czechia. CZK 156,500 (roughly EUR 6,300) of proof of funds, against CZK 75m for the investment permit. For a self-employed professional who will genuinely operate from Prague, this is the sensible answer.
Qualifying routes
156.5k CZK
Trade licence (zivnostenske opravneni)
Proof of funds of CZK 156,500, plus registration in the Trade Licensing Register, Commercial Register, or a liberal-profession register
The facts
- Minimum investment
- 156.5k CZK
- Total landed cost
- CZK 156,500 proof of funds plus a CZK 5,000 consular fee. Running costs come to at least CZK 3,143/month for health insurance and CZK 5,720/month for social security.
- Route type
- Business & founder
- Timeline
- 2–3 months (60-day statutory processing)
- Physical presence
- Genuine business activity in Czechia
- Family
- SpouseMinor childrenVia family reunification
- Permanent residency
- 5 years of continuous residence. This route does accrue toward it.
- Citizenship
- 10 years, or 5 after permanent residence
- Language test
- B1 Czech plus civics exam
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- Trade licence or professional registrationProof of funds of CZK 156,500Accommodation and health insuranceClean criminal record
What can go wrong
- The initial long-term visa is capped at 1 year. You must then convert to the 2-year long-term residence permit, which is repeatedly renewable after that.
- You need a genuine trade licence and genuine activity. This gets checked closely at renewal.
- Mandatory social security and health insurance contributions apply from the start. They are a real ongoing cost, not a one-time fee.
- Czech language B1 plus a civics exam still stand between you and citizenship, 10 years out.