The Czech Consulate General in Dresden shocked mobility managers on 2 January by announcing a de-facto “zero-quota” on standard Employee Card and Business Visa submissions. Only nationals from a shortlist of preferred countries (including the U.S. and U.K.) and participants in Czech government talent programmes are exempt.
The Foreign Ministry says the measure is temporary and designed to redirect consular staff towards humanitarian and family-reunification caseloads. Advisors, however, see economic calculus at work: Germany has become a launchpad for non-EU IT contractors servicing Czech clients, and Prague wants to ensure local labour needs are filled domestically. Appointment wait-times in Dresden had stretched to 15 months by late 2025.
![Czech Consulate in Dresden Halts Regular Employee Card & Business Visa Filings]()
For companies that planned to route new hires through Dresden the fallout is immediate. Most candidates will have to apply in their home countries, adding airfare, translation costs and several weeks to project timelines. Alternatives include using the newly doubled Digital Nomad visa quota (5,000 places in 2026) or converting to an in-country Employee Card—but the latter risks overstaying the 90-day Schengen window for many contractors.
VisaHQ’s global visa-processing platform can streamline the rerouting of Czech work-permit applications, offering live appointment data, tailored document checklists and secure courier handling for submissions in Vienna, Bratislava or any other mission worldwide. Mobility teams can explore these services at https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/
Action points: audit ongoing visa packs, redirect invitation letters to other missions and budget for extra lead time. Mobility suppliers report that Vienna and Bratislava currently have the shortest queues for Czech work visas, though capacity could tighten quickly as demand shifts.
The Foreign Ministry says the measure is temporary and designed to redirect consular staff towards humanitarian and family-reunification caseloads. Advisors, however, see economic calculus at work: Germany has become a launchpad for non-EU IT contractors servicing Czech clients, and Prague wants to ensure local labour needs are filled domestically. Appointment wait-times in Dresden had stretched to 15 months by late 2025.
For companies that planned to route new hires through Dresden the fallout is immediate. Most candidates will have to apply in their home countries, adding airfare, translation costs and several weeks to project timelines. Alternatives include using the newly doubled Digital Nomad visa quota (5,000 places in 2026) or converting to an in-country Employee Card—but the latter risks overstaying the 90-day Schengen window for many contractors.
VisaHQ’s global visa-processing platform can streamline the rerouting of Czech work-permit applications, offering live appointment data, tailored document checklists and secure courier handling for submissions in Vienna, Bratislava or any other mission worldwide. Mobility teams can explore these services at https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/
Action points: audit ongoing visa packs, redirect invitation letters to other missions and budget for extra lead time. Mobility suppliers report that Vienna and Bratislava currently have the shortest queues for Czech work visas, though capacity could tighten quickly as demand shifts.
