The Czech Ministry of the Interior’s latest quarterly Migration Report confirms that the number of legally-registered foreign nationals in the country reached 1,131,197 on 31 December 2025. That figure—which equates to 10.38 % of the total population—marks a year-on-year increase of more than 37,000 people and underscores how central foreign labour and humanitarian arrivals have become to the Czech economy. Over half of all foreign residents (612,953) hold Ukrainian nationality, reflecting the continued influx of people fleeing Russia’s invasion.
Behind the headline number lies an increasingly complex residency landscape. Roughly 394,000 foreigners now hold permanent residence, while 344,000 have long-term but non-permanent status. A further 393,000 Ukrainians are present under the EU-wide Temporary Protection scheme, which gives them the right to live and work in Czechia until at least March 2026. Business-immigration advisers say the data reinforce how competition for housing, schooling and healthcare in Prague and Central Bohemia is intensifying, and that employers must factor longer lead-times into relocation budgets.
The report also highlights a 14.6 % jump in “illegal migration” cases during 2025, driven mostly by over-stay and paperwork violations rather than unauthorised border crossings. Nationals of Ukraine, Moldova and Vietnam accounted for nearly two-thirds of those incidents. Transitory migration, by contrast, dropped sharply as pressure eased on the Western Balkan route—evidence that tighter border checks by Germany and Slovakia are reshaping trafficking patterns.
![Czech Republic Tops 1.13 Million Foreign Residents as Digital Controls Expand]()
For organisations and individuals needing support with Czech visas, residence permits or posted-worker filings, VisaHQ provides an online platform and personalised guidance. Their Czech Republic portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) consolidates the latest requirements, processing times and document checklists, helping applicants stay compliant as rules evolve.
Looking ahead, Czechia is doubling down on digital enforcement. Since October the EU’s new biometric Entry/Exit System (EES) has been live at Prague’s Václav Havel Airport, replacing manual passport stamps for third-country visitors. The Interior Ministry is also rolling out a Foreigners Information System that will eventually link residence-permit data with labour, tax and benefits databases, giving authorities real-time insight into compliance.
For mobility managers the message is clear: while demand for talent remains robust, administrative scrutiny is increasing. Companies should ensure that posted-worker notifications, A1 social-security certificates and integration-course attendance are logged correctly in the new portals. Ukrainian staff should be briefed on the current 2026 expiry of Temporary Protection and on the likely shift to standard employee-card processes thereafter.
Behind the headline number lies an increasingly complex residency landscape. Roughly 394,000 foreigners now hold permanent residence, while 344,000 have long-term but non-permanent status. A further 393,000 Ukrainians are present under the EU-wide Temporary Protection scheme, which gives them the right to live and work in Czechia until at least March 2026. Business-immigration advisers say the data reinforce how competition for housing, schooling and healthcare in Prague and Central Bohemia is intensifying, and that employers must factor longer lead-times into relocation budgets.
The report also highlights a 14.6 % jump in “illegal migration” cases during 2025, driven mostly by over-stay and paperwork violations rather than unauthorised border crossings. Nationals of Ukraine, Moldova and Vietnam accounted for nearly two-thirds of those incidents. Transitory migration, by contrast, dropped sharply as pressure eased on the Western Balkan route—evidence that tighter border checks by Germany and Slovakia are reshaping trafficking patterns.
For organisations and individuals needing support with Czech visas, residence permits or posted-worker filings, VisaHQ provides an online platform and personalised guidance. Their Czech Republic portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) consolidates the latest requirements, processing times and document checklists, helping applicants stay compliant as rules evolve.
Looking ahead, Czechia is doubling down on digital enforcement. Since October the EU’s new biometric Entry/Exit System (EES) has been live at Prague’s Václav Havel Airport, replacing manual passport stamps for third-country visitors. The Interior Ministry is also rolling out a Foreigners Information System that will eventually link residence-permit data with labour, tax and benefits databases, giving authorities real-time insight into compliance.
For mobility managers the message is clear: while demand for talent remains robust, administrative scrutiny is increasing. Companies should ensure that posted-worker notifications, A1 social-security certificates and integration-course attendance are logged correctly in the new portals. Ukrainian staff should be briefed on the current 2026 expiry of Temporary Protection and on the likely shift to standard employee-card processes thereafter.
