If you’ve been granted a long-term or permanent residence permit in the Czech Republic this year (2021), and you aren’t an EU citizen, there’s a high probability that the duty to attend the Adaptation and Integration Course called “Welcome to the Czech Republic” applies to you.
The Czech Ministry of the Interior has established this obligation for specific groups of foreigners from outside of the EU, whose residence permit came into force from January 1, 2021, or later.
In Prague, the course is organized by the Integration Centre Prague (ICP), a non-profit organization. ICP is one of the eighteen Centres for Support of Integration of Foreigners in the Czech Republic, which organize these integration seminars all around the Czech Republic.
What are the courses about?
The course is aimed at helping foreigners in the matters they encounter in their day-to-day life. It helps them get oriented in the new environment and culture. What are the first steps to take upon arrival to the Czech Republic? How does the Czech education and healthcare system work?
The course participants will learn this and other information related to how the Czech society works and what the rights and duties of immigrants are. The foreigners will also receive information on important institutions, and particularly about the services provided by Centres for Support of Integration of Foreigners and other non-profit organizations from which they can get high-quality help free of charge.
Who’s it for?
The course is intended for majority of citizens from non-EU states, whose long-term or permanent residence permit came into legal force after 1. 1. 2021. This new obligation does not apply, for example, to EU citizens and their family members holding a temporary residence permit, or to foreigners residing in the Czech Republic based on a visa.
You will find the exact list of groups of foreigners, to whom this obligation applies, as well as the exceptions defined by law at the Ministry of the Interior website.
Why register now?
The deadline for attending the course is one year of the date when the residence permit came into force (was received). It means that if you received your biometric card at the beginning of this year, you should take the course soon. In case a foreigner fails to attend the course within the given deadline, s/he risks being subject to a fine of up to CZK 10,000.
Basic information about the courses
The Adaptation and Integration Course lasts 4 hours. The course is taught by certified lecturers in Czech and interpreted into English, Arabic, French, Mongolian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese. To attend the course, you need to register in advance at the https://frs.gov.cz/ platform. The registration process includes creating a profile in the FRS system, paying the 1500 CZK fee per participant, receiving the payment confirmation and finally enrolling for the specific course.
After completing the course, the foreigner will receive a certificate proving the fulfillment of this duty. You can find more information at the main platform vitejtevcr.cz, then there is also a website with basic information about the course and a guide on how to enroll available for participants at aik.icpraha.com.
Have questions or need help?
The ICP team is looking forward to seeing you at the courses. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us by email or phone. You can also come personally every Tuesday and Thursday and we can help you with your issue. You will find our contacts here.
