International protection
asylum and subsidiary protection · Official name: Mezinárodní ochrana (azyl, doplňková ochrana)
People who fear persecution or serious harm at home can ask Czechia for international protection. The Ministry of the Interior (Department of Asylum and Migration Policy) decides. It can grant asylum, which protects against persecution, or subsidiary protection for people who do not meet the asylum grounds but would face a real risk of serious harm if returned. Since June 2026 the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum also applies.
Life in Czechia
Finance
3
Currency
Czech Koruna
CZK
Czech Koruna
Cost of living
67
Price level · US = 100
World Bank price levels, 2025
Tax
15–23%
Income tax (national)
VAT 21%
23% on the tax base above 36 times the average wage (CZK 1,762,812 for 2026); a basic taxpayer credit applies.
Living
1
Happiness
#19 of 145 countries
World Happiness Report 2025
Who it’s for
People in Czechia, or at its border or airport, who fear persecution or serious harm in their home country.
Eligibility
Persecution or serious harm
Asylum protects foreigners from persecution in their country of origin on grounds such as belonging to a racial, ethnic or religious minority, or sexual orientation, as defined in the Asylum Act. Subsidiary protection is granted to people who do not meet the asylum grounds but who would face a real risk of serious harm (such as the death penalty, torture or inhuman or degrading treatment) if returned to their country of nationality or, for stateless people, last permanent residence.
Apply in Czechia
International protection can be given to foreigners who are in the Czech Republic. The claim is made in Czechia (for example at a reception centre, to the police or at the airport), not from abroad.
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- 2 documents
- 1 fee
- 3 steps
- Processing times and conditions
Official sources
Other routes to Czechia
- Visit & tourismSchengen tourist & business visa
- StudyLong-term residence permit for studies
- Work permitsEmployee Card
- 3 more routes with Premium
Asylum & protection in other countries
- GermanyAsylum in Germany
- DenmarkAsylum in Denmark
- EcuadorRefugee or stateless status
- EstoniaInternational protection (refugee status, subsidiary protection) and temporary protection for Ukrainians
- EgyptAsylum in Egypt - transition from UNHCR registration to the Permanent Committee for Refugee Affairs
- FinlandInternational protection (asylum) in Finland
