The Czech Ministry of the Interior’s fresh quarterly migration report shows that 1,131,197 foreign nationals were living legally in Czechia at the end of 2025, an increase of about 37,000 (3.4 %) year-on-year. Ukrainians remain by far the largest foreign community, followed by Slovaks, Vietnamese and Russians. Foreigners now make up 10.38 % of the country’s total population, with the highest concentration in Prague. (denikn.cz)
Officials attribute the continued rise primarily to the country’s generous use of the EU Temporary Protection Directive for people fleeing Russia’s war against Ukraine. As of 31 December 2025, 393,056 Ukrainians held valid temporary-protection status in Czechia—roughly 3.6 % of the entire population. At the war’s peak in 2022 the Czech authorities issued more than 470,000 such visas, making the country the EU’s biggest host of Ukrainian refugees per capita. (denikn.cz)
Beyond the humanitarian dimension, the new figures confirm the increasingly central role foreign labour plays in the Czech economy. Ukrainians fill critical shortages in manufacturing, construction and healthcare, while Slovaks dominate services and IT. Vietnamese entrepreneurs remain visible in retail and light industry, and Russian nationals—although only the fourth-largest group—still account for more than 37,000 residents despite tighter citizenship rules introduced in 2024.
![Number of legally-resident foreigners in Czechia tops 1.13 million]()
For those needing practical help navigating Czech entry requirements, VisaHQ offers end-to-end support with visa and residence-permit applications—from document preparation to appointment booking and renewals. Explore tailored solutions for Czechia at https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/
For employers the data signal a still-tight labour market and underline the importance of staying on top of work-permit renewals, quota programmes and integration requirements. Municipalities, meanwhile, use the numbers to plan school capacity, healthcare funding and language-training budgets. The ministry stresses that the statistics exclude short-stay Schengen visa-holders and unregistered EU citizens, meaning the real foreign presence is even higher.
Practically, companies sending staff to Prague should expect longer lead times at immigration offices early in the year as hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians renew protection stickers before the 31 March deadline. HR teams are advised to book appointment slots well in advance and remind employees of the need to update addresses within 30 days of any move.
Officials attribute the continued rise primarily to the country’s generous use of the EU Temporary Protection Directive for people fleeing Russia’s war against Ukraine. As of 31 December 2025, 393,056 Ukrainians held valid temporary-protection status in Czechia—roughly 3.6 % of the entire population. At the war’s peak in 2022 the Czech authorities issued more than 470,000 such visas, making the country the EU’s biggest host of Ukrainian refugees per capita. (denikn.cz)
Beyond the humanitarian dimension, the new figures confirm the increasingly central role foreign labour plays in the Czech economy. Ukrainians fill critical shortages in manufacturing, construction and healthcare, while Slovaks dominate services and IT. Vietnamese entrepreneurs remain visible in retail and light industry, and Russian nationals—although only the fourth-largest group—still account for more than 37,000 residents despite tighter citizenship rules introduced in 2024.
For those needing practical help navigating Czech entry requirements, VisaHQ offers end-to-end support with visa and residence-permit applications—from document preparation to appointment booking and renewals. Explore tailored solutions for Czechia at https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/
For employers the data signal a still-tight labour market and underline the importance of staying on top of work-permit renewals, quota programmes and integration requirements. Municipalities, meanwhile, use the numbers to plan school capacity, healthcare funding and language-training budgets. The ministry stresses that the statistics exclude short-stay Schengen visa-holders and unregistered EU citizens, meaning the real foreign presence is even higher.
Practically, companies sending staff to Prague should expect longer lead times at immigration offices early in the year as hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians renew protection stickers before the 31 March deadline. HR teams are advised to book appointment slots well in advance and remind employees of the need to update addresses within 30 days of any move.
