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Employment Basics

Last update: January 2026

Employment Contract

I have found a job and want to sign an employment contract.

Employment contracts must always be drawn up in writting! Once you and your employer sign an employment contract, your employment relationship begins. Always ask your employer to provide you with your own copy of the employment contract, and never sign a contract you do not understand! Be sure to keep all your documentation!

You can also work under agreements outside standard employment: the agreement to perform work (in Czech abbreviated as DPČ) and the agreement to complete a job (in Czech abbreviated as DPP). These agreements are suitable if you work less than full-time and want to take on a temporary job to earn some extra money. If your wage under a DPČ or DPP does not reach a certain level, your employer is not obliged to pay advance payments for your health and social insurance (see below)!

Are you a foreign national and do you need your employment contract translated and explained, or checked before you sign it? Make use of the free legal counselling provided by integration centres and non-governmental non-profit organisations.

What does a contract have to include?

The employment contract has to include: 1) the type of work – what you will do for your employer, 2) the place of work, and 3) the day you start working. If any of these essential elements are missing, the contract is invalid and does not establish an employment relationship. This rule applies to Czech citizens as well as foreign nationals.

It is also in your interest to have the following information included in the contract:

  • working time – from when until when you will work,
  • your pay and the payday,
  • probationary period (if any),
  • how you will be compensated for overtime,
  • the number of days of your annual leave,
  • conditions under which you may be sent on business trips, etc.

Fixed-Term/Indefinite Term Contract

Another piece of information given in contracts is for how long they are valid. If such information is missing, the contract is considered to be valid for an indefinite period. The employer may give you a fixed-term contract only three times in a row, each time for a maximum of three years. After that, you have to be given an indefinite-term contract (with the exception of seasonal workers).

Working Time

A full-time job in the CR amounts to 40 hours a week. You may also agree with your employer to work part-time, in which case your wage is reduced accordingly.

Shift Work

The start and end of working hours and the schedule of individual shifts are determined by the employer. The employer is obliged to draw up a written weekly working time schedule and, as a rule, provide it to the employees two weeks in advance.

If the employees rotate every 12 hours within a 24-hour period, this is called a two-shift work system. If they rotate every 8 hours within a 24-hour period, this is called a three-shift work system.

The length of one shift may not exceed 12 hours (for minor workers, the limit is 8 hours).

The three-shift work pattern is common in factories. In shops, employees may work short and long weeks.

Wage

An employment contract usually states a gross wage, which is the wage before the income tax and health and social insurance deductions. In 2026, the minimum gross wage for a full-time job is CZK 22,400. The specific wage amount, including deductions, is stated on your payslip. According to law, you must not be paid less than the minimum wage. Wages are usually paid once a month. You are always paid retrospectively for the preceding month.

If your employer officially pays you only part of your wage, there is a risk that you will not be able to prove that your total income is sufficient for the extension of your residence permit. To meet the legal requirements as an Employee Card holder, you must earn at least the minimum wage. If you are a permanent resident of the Czech Republic, your income will also affect your pension entitlements.

Probationary Period

In the employment contract, you and your employer may, but do not have to, agree on a probationary period. During the probationary period, you can decide whether you are satisfied with your new job. It cannot last for more than 4 months (8 months for managers). If you are not satisfied with your job, you may terminate your employment at any time during the probationary period. However, the employer may also terminate your employment at any time during the probationary period without giving any reason.

During the probationary period, you may receive an initial wage, which will be increased once the probationary period is over.

Some employers insist that you “try working” for them first (or to complete an initial training programme) without a formal contract or any pay. Such practices are unlawful!

Job Loss and Change

When can I be dismissed by my employer?

If your employer wants to dismiss you, they can do so only under very specific circumstances. For example, you may be given notice if your job position becomes redundant, if you fail to meet the qualification requirements for your job, or if you repeatedly violate your working conditions and have already been formally warned about it twice in writing (e.g. for repeatedly arriving late to work). Your employment may be terminated immediately only if you grossly violate workplace rules (e.g. if you come to work drunk). Your employment may also be terminated upon the expiration or withdrawal of your residence permit.

If you are made redundant through no fault of your own (e.g. due to reorganisation), you are entitled to severance pay.


Work practices and routines in the Czech Republic may differ significantly from those in your country of origin. Arriving at work on time is crucial for maintaining a good relationship with your employer, and being late may affect your employer’s willingness to continue employing you. Consumption of alcohol is generally not allowed at work. Ask your employer or your colleagues about any additional workplace rules and customs.

How can I, as a foreigner in the CR, terminate my employment?

If you want to leave your job, you do not need a special reason to do so. All you need is to sign an agreement of termination of employment, in which you and your employer agree on your final day of employment. If your employer does not agree to your leaving, you can terminate your employment by giving notice. If you decide to give notice, there is a 2-month notice period before you can actually leave your job.

Since 1 July 2025, the notice period begins on the date the notice is delivered to the other party. The notice period is reduced to one month if the employee violates work discipline or fails to meet the employer’s legal prerequisites or requirements for performing the job.

If you want to change your job, plan everything ahead. If you do not yet have permanent residence in the CR, remember that losing your job may mean losing the purpose of stay in the Czech Republic as defined by the residence legislation! If you need help, seek free social counselling of the Integration Centre Prague or NGOs.

Changing Jobs and Foreigners’ Responsibilities towards the Ministry of the Interior of the CR

If you are a foreign national and an Employee Card holder and want to change your employer, you must report the change to the Ministry of the Interior of the CR (Department for Asylum and Migration Policy). Report the change by filling in a specific form (all boxes of the form must be completed) and providing the required documents (document certifying your previous employment and the date of its termination, a new employment contract, and a declaration from your new employer confirming that you have the required job qualifications). You may start working at the new job only after the Ministry approves the change.

The notification must be submitted no later than 30 days before the change takes place. It must be submitted while you are still employed in the job you plan to leave. If the original employment has already been terminated, the notification must be submitted no later than 60 days from the day of its termination. The Ministry is obliged to deliver a notification to you and your employer stating whether the change has been approved or not without undue delay (at the latest within 30 days).  In this situation, the Ministry does not issue a formal decision on the approval; they just inform you whether your notification met all the requirements and whether you may therefore work at the new job. If you do not receive this information from the Ministry of the Interior, you may not start working for the new employer! In this case, seek free legal counselling immediately, as this situation might result in the loss of your residence permit and a requirement to leave the Czech Republic.

There are two conditions you must meet before you can start working at the new position: 1) The date of commencement of the new job stated in the form has arrived, and, at the same time, 2) you or your employer have been informed by the Ministry that the job change has been approved.

As a foreign national, you must pay for commercial health insurance for the entire period of unemployment!

Foreign nationals with free access to the labour market do not report the change of jobs, they only inform the Ministry about the job change (using a different form and without waiting for the Ministry’s approval) within 3 days of the actual change.

Blue Card holders who change their employer or job position must notify the Ministry of the Interior of the change within 3 days.

Detailed information about changes in employment for foreign nationals is available on the official information portal of the Ministry of the Interior of the CR.

Registration at the Labour Office

If you are unemployed or if you lose your job and meet the statutory conditions, you may register at the Labour Office, which provides unemployment benefits and retraining courses and helps connect jobseekers with employers.

You have to register at the Labour Office responsible for your place of residence.

More information can be found on the website of the Labour Office.

What am I entitled to as an employee?

For overtime work, work at night, during weekends, and on public holidays, you are entitled to additional pay from your employer. Alternatively, you may agree on compensatory time off.

By law, as an employee, you are entitled to 4 weeks of annual leave, during which you are paid your contractual wage (after having worked for 60 days).

You may also agree with your employer to work part-time. In that case, your wage corresponds to the number of hours you work.

If you are unable to go to work due to illness, your doctor will issue a certificate of incapacity to work. You are entitled to sick pay, meaning that you will receive a portion of your wage for the duration of your incapacity.

Employers are obliged to allow women to take maternity leave, which lasts 28 weeks.

If your child becomes ill, you can stay at home to take care of them. You are also entitled to paid leave when accompanying a close relative to and from a medical or educational facility.

Do not be afraid to ask about all your rights and entitlements as a foreigner employed in the CR. You are entitled to the same treatment as other employees.

Further information about your employment rights is available on www.cizinci.cz.

Employees’ Health and Social Insurance

Your employer is obliged to pay health and social insurance contributions on your behalf. Part of the contribution is deducted from your wage, while the remainder is paid directly by the employer. All employees – Czech citizens as well as foreign nationals – are covered by the public health insurance system.

Check with your health insurance company whether your employer is paying health insurance contributions for you. It is the employer’s legal obligation!
Always carry your health insurance card with you!

Agreements Outside Standard Employment

In addition to full-time employment, which is established through an employment contract, Czech citizens as well as foreigners may also work part-time under the following types of agreements.

Agreement to complete a job (a widely used Czech abbreviation is DPP)

Under a DPP, you may work for up to 300 hours per year for one employer. If your monthly income from DPP work exceeds 11,500 CZK, you must also pay health and social insurance contributions in addition to income tax.

Agreement to perform work (a widely used Czech abbreviation is DPČ)

Under a DPČ, the scope of work is limited to a maximum of half of a full working week (i.e. 20 hours per week) for one employer. Health and social insurance contributions are paid in the same way as in standard employment, provided your monthly income exceeds CZK 4,500.

Under both these types of agreements, you are also entitled to annual leave. However, if the agreement is terminated for any reason, you are not entitled to severance pay.

Further information in Czech is available on the website of the State Labour Inspectorate Office.

Last update: 4 March 2025