Mobility managers were caught off-guard on 2 January when the Czech Consulate General in Dresden quietly posted a notice declaring a de-facto “zero-quota” for standard Employee-Card and Business-Visa appointments. Only applicants from a short list of preferred nationalities—including the United States and the United Kingdom—or those sponsored under Czech government talent programmes can still book slots.
The Foreign Ministry framed the move as temporary, arguing that staff must be re-deployed to family-reunification and humanitarian cases following record asylum numbers in Germany last autumn. Immigration advisers, however, point to economic motives: Berlin has become a convenient staging ground for non-EU IT contractors who fly in under German Schengen visas and commute to Czech client sites.
For employers searching for work-arounds, VisaHQ can be a strategic ally. Its Czech Republic specialists (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) track real-time appointment availability across global consulates, advise on eligibility for Qualified Worker fast tracks, and handle document pre-checks to shave weeks off lead times—freeing mobility teams to focus on assignee readiness rather than paperwork.
![Czech Consulate in Dresden Suspends Ordinary Employee-Card and Business-Visa Filings]()
The suspension adds to already-severe capacity constraints. Before Christmas, first-time Employee-Card applicants faced waits of 15 months for a biometrics slot in Dresden, compared with six weeks in Kyiv and eight weeks in Manila. With Dresden now closed for most categories, employers will have to re-route candidates to Prague’s embassies in Ankara, Belgrade or Abu Dhabi, adding cost and travel time.
Relocation teams should triage active cases: high-priority assignees may qualify for the government-run Qualified Worker or Highly-Qualified Worker fast tracks, which remain exempt. Others may need to convert to remote work until appointments reopen. The ministry says it will review the policy at the end of January, but insiders suggest the freeze could last through spring.
Practical tips: 1) screen candidates’ passports for visa-free eligibility to avoid consular filings altogether; 2) pre-book alternative posts even if duplicates must later be cancelled; 3) budget extra lead-time for German transit checks (see related story below).
The Foreign Ministry framed the move as temporary, arguing that staff must be re-deployed to family-reunification and humanitarian cases following record asylum numbers in Germany last autumn. Immigration advisers, however, point to economic motives: Berlin has become a convenient staging ground for non-EU IT contractors who fly in under German Schengen visas and commute to Czech client sites.
For employers searching for work-arounds, VisaHQ can be a strategic ally. Its Czech Republic specialists (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) track real-time appointment availability across global consulates, advise on eligibility for Qualified Worker fast tracks, and handle document pre-checks to shave weeks off lead times—freeing mobility teams to focus on assignee readiness rather than paperwork.
The suspension adds to already-severe capacity constraints. Before Christmas, first-time Employee-Card applicants faced waits of 15 months for a biometrics slot in Dresden, compared with six weeks in Kyiv and eight weeks in Manila. With Dresden now closed for most categories, employers will have to re-route candidates to Prague’s embassies in Ankara, Belgrade or Abu Dhabi, adding cost and travel time.
Relocation teams should triage active cases: high-priority assignees may qualify for the government-run Qualified Worker or Highly-Qualified Worker fast tracks, which remain exempt. Others may need to convert to remote work until appointments reopen. The ministry says it will review the policy at the end of January, but insiders suggest the freeze could last through spring.
Practical tips: 1) screen candidates’ passports for visa-free eligibility to avoid consular filings altogether; 2) pre-book alternative posts even if duplicates must later be cancelled; 3) budget extra lead-time for German transit checks (see related story below).
