Taiwan among countries with free access to Czech labour market
In mid-February, the government approved an amendment to its regulation expanding the list of countries whose citizens do not need work permits to work in the Czech Republic. Taiwan is now joining the nine countries for which this exemption already applies. This change will make relocation easier for Taiwanese citizens who decide to work in the Czech Republic. However, this does not mean that they will not need any permit to stay in the Czech Republic.
Since 1 July of last year, citizens of Australia, Japan, Canada, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Great Britain, the United States of America, Singapore and Israel have had free access to the Czech labour market without any further conditions. The inclusion of Taiwan was envisaged from the very beginning, but it could not be on the original list because the exemption only allowed the inclusion of independent states, and the Czech Republic does not formally recognise Taiwan as an independent state. However, a recent amendment to the Employment Act also allows for the inclusion of separate jurisdictions, opening the possibility for relaxing the employment conditions for Taiwanese citizens.
Although Taiwanese citizens will no longer need a work permit, they still must obtain residence permits. Under a visa-free regime, they can stay in the Czech Republic for a maximum of 90 days, but this only applies to stays for non-gainful purposes, subject to specific exceptions. If they wish to work, they must obtain a suitable Schengen visa. For long-term employment, they need an employment card or a blue card, while, thanks to their free access to the labour market, they can obtain the employment card in the non-dual, i.e. residence-only, version. Blue cards continue to be exclusively dual - so the relaxation of rules does not bring significant simplification for applicants for this permit.
Despite the simplification of the rules, employers are still subject to the notification obligation. They must also keep in mind that even when employing a foreigner with free access to the labour market, they may commit illegal employment if the foreigner does not have the appropriate residence permit.