The Czech Ministry of the Interior has taken both of its main immigration helplines offline for almost two weeks, a move that could create a New-Year compliance crunch for employers and foreign residents.
According to an official notice, the general Client-Centre line (974 801 801) stopped answering calls on 22 December and will not resume until 2 January 2026, while the dedicated Temporary-Protection hotline for Ukrainian refugees (974 801 802) will operate only on 29–30 December. Officials blame staff leave and IT maintenance for the blackout, but critics say the shutdown comes at the worst possible moment: January is traditionally the peak month for renewing employee cards, EU Blue Cards and intra-company-transfer permits.
Legal advisers estimate that tens of thousands of applications must be filed in the first week of January to avoid statutory penalties. More than 400,000 holders of temporary protection from Ukraine also have to submit 2026 extension paperwork by 31 March. Because Czech law treats most filing deadlines as hard cut-offs, missing them due to an unreachable helpdesk will not qualify as force majeure; fines or even loss of status may follow.
![Czech Interior Ministry Switches Off Immigration Helplines for Holidays, Threatening January Permit Deadlines]()
Corporate HR teams report queues spilling onto the pavement at Prague’s Bohdalec branch of the Interior Ministry and are already diverting employees to Brno, Ostrava and Plzeň, where appointment slots are still available. Many companies are turning to third-party relocation providers or online visa platforms to bridge the advice gap; VisaHQ, for example, says Czech-related enquiries have surged since the telephone lines went dark.
VisaHQ’s digital portal can shoulder much of this workload. Through its Czech Republic services page (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) employers and individual foreigners can check document lists, generate up-to-date application forms, schedule secure courier pickup of passports and receive push notifications on status changes—all without waiting on hold. The platform’s network of Prague-based couriers can also lodge renewal packets in person, ensuring statutory deadlines are met even when ministry helplines are silent.
Practical tips for mobility managers include: pre-collecting renewal documents now, booking January appointments through the online reservation portal before it crashes under demand, briefing staff on alternative e-mail contacts ([email protected] and [email protected]) and maintaining relationships with private visa agents who can submit filings even when state helplines are silent. The episode is a stark reminder that redundancy in support channels is vital for any corporate mobility programme operating in Czechia.
According to an official notice, the general Client-Centre line (974 801 801) stopped answering calls on 22 December and will not resume until 2 January 2026, while the dedicated Temporary-Protection hotline for Ukrainian refugees (974 801 802) will operate only on 29–30 December. Officials blame staff leave and IT maintenance for the blackout, but critics say the shutdown comes at the worst possible moment: January is traditionally the peak month for renewing employee cards, EU Blue Cards and intra-company-transfer permits.
Legal advisers estimate that tens of thousands of applications must be filed in the first week of January to avoid statutory penalties. More than 400,000 holders of temporary protection from Ukraine also have to submit 2026 extension paperwork by 31 March. Because Czech law treats most filing deadlines as hard cut-offs, missing them due to an unreachable helpdesk will not qualify as force majeure; fines or even loss of status may follow.
Corporate HR teams report queues spilling onto the pavement at Prague’s Bohdalec branch of the Interior Ministry and are already diverting employees to Brno, Ostrava and Plzeň, where appointment slots are still available. Many companies are turning to third-party relocation providers or online visa platforms to bridge the advice gap; VisaHQ, for example, says Czech-related enquiries have surged since the telephone lines went dark.
VisaHQ’s digital portal can shoulder much of this workload. Through its Czech Republic services page (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) employers and individual foreigners can check document lists, generate up-to-date application forms, schedule secure courier pickup of passports and receive push notifications on status changes—all without waiting on hold. The platform’s network of Prague-based couriers can also lodge renewal packets in person, ensuring statutory deadlines are met even when ministry helplines are silent.
Practical tips for mobility managers include: pre-collecting renewal documents now, booking January appointments through the online reservation portal before it crashes under demand, briefing staff on alternative e-mail contacts ([email protected] and [email protected]) and maintaining relationships with private visa agents who can submit filings even when state helplines are silent. The episode is a stark reminder that redundancy in support channels is vital for any corporate mobility programme operating in Czechia.
