Foreign nationals living and working in Czechia will have to navigate the holiday period without the Interior Ministry’s telephone support. An official notice confirms that the main client-centre hotline (974 801 801) went offline on 22 December for IT maintenance and staff leave and will remain unavailable until 2 January 2026. A separate hotline for holders of Temporary Protection from Ukraine (974 801 802) will operate only on 29–30 December before shutting down again.
The timing is problematic. January is peak season for renewals of employee cards, blue cards and intra-company transferee permits, and around 400 000 Ukrainian refugees must finalise their 2026 status by 31 March. Immigration lawyers stress that missing statutory deadlines because the hotline is down will not excuse late submissions and could expose employees to fines or loss of status.
For organisations seeking an extra layer of support during this blackout, VisaHQ offers an online platform where applicants can complete and monitor Czech visa and residence procedures and receive real-time guidance without relying on overstretched government help desks. More information is available at https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/.
![Interior Ministry Switches Off Immigration Hotlines Until 2 January, Disrupting Permit Renewals]()
During the blackout the ministry is redirecting urgent queries to two e-mail addresses and encouraging personal visits to regional offices, which stay open on working days. HR teams should therefore expect heavier foot traffic and longer queues, especially in Prague where appointment slots are already scarce. Companies with high volumes of renewals are booking slots in Brno, Ostrava and Plzeň, where wait times tend to be shorter.
Practical implications for employers: 1) Gather outstanding documents now; 2) use the online reservation portal to secure January appointments; 3) brief employees on alternative communication channels; and 4) consider engaging external relocation providers that can file applications even when government helplines are silent.
The episode underlines the need for diversified support channels. Firms that rely exclusively on government helplines should maintain relationships with legal counsel and private visa agents to avoid similar service gaps in the future.
The timing is problematic. January is peak season for renewals of employee cards, blue cards and intra-company transferee permits, and around 400 000 Ukrainian refugees must finalise their 2026 status by 31 March. Immigration lawyers stress that missing statutory deadlines because the hotline is down will not excuse late submissions and could expose employees to fines or loss of status.
For organisations seeking an extra layer of support during this blackout, VisaHQ offers an online platform where applicants can complete and monitor Czech visa and residence procedures and receive real-time guidance without relying on overstretched government help desks. More information is available at https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/.
During the blackout the ministry is redirecting urgent queries to two e-mail addresses and encouraging personal visits to regional offices, which stay open on working days. HR teams should therefore expect heavier foot traffic and longer queues, especially in Prague where appointment slots are already scarce. Companies with high volumes of renewals are booking slots in Brno, Ostrava and Plzeň, where wait times tend to be shorter.
Practical implications for employers: 1) Gather outstanding documents now; 2) use the online reservation portal to secure January appointments; 3) brief employees on alternative communication channels; and 4) consider engaging external relocation providers that can file applications even when government helplines are silent.
The episode underlines the need for diversified support channels. Firms that rely exclusively on government helplines should maintain relationships with legal counsel and private visa agents to avoid similar service gaps in the future.
