The Czech Republic has launched a new digital nomad visa in an attempt to attract more foreign highly skilled workers to the country.
The visa was officially launched in July of this year and it will now allow all freelancers as well as foreigners working remotely to work from its territory for a period of one year, VisaGuide.World reports.
By launching this new visa, the Czech Republic’s authorities said that they are hoping to attract more highly skilled workers, especially skilled IT professionals.
“Among other things, we want to create an interesting environment for the operation and development of foreign technology teams in the Czech Republic, which is why we are coming up with a new program that targets digital nomads in particular,” the Minister of Industry and Trade of Czechia, Jozef Síkela, said, commenting on the move.
However, it has been stressed that the visa is available to nationals of only eight countries: Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
As the authorities have explained, nationals of all the countries mentioned above wanting to work remotely from the Czech Republic need to hold a university degree or three years of work experience in the industry of IT.
Moreover, remote workers in the Czech Republic working for a company in a foreign country are required to meet the minimum income requirements of $2,734 (CZK 60,530) per month. Such an amount is 1.5 times the average salary in Czechia.
Moreover, the foreign company that digital nomads in the Czech Republic will be working for needs to have at least 50 employees.
The price for a Czech Republic’s digital nomad visa is $112 (CZK 2,500) and the visa will initially be valid for a year.
Regarding the processing time of the visa, the authorities have said that the documents will be processed within 45 days from the date of submission.
Once the one-year period is over, digital nomads must apply for a residence permit, which will allow them to stay in the country for another two years.
Moreover, it had been stressed that spouses, registered partners, minors, as well as dependent children can also get a residence permit when applying with someone qualified for the digital nomad visa.
“Program participants and their family members will have the possibility to apply for a residence permit at the embassies of the Czech Republic abroad. The application will be processed within 45 days from the date of submission,” the statement of the Ministry of Industry and Trade reads.
The new digital nomad visa of the Czech Republic is expected to be a big success. With the country being placed as one of the best places to live in, numerous digital nomads are expected to go after its visa.
