BREXIT
PLEASE NOTE: In connection with the amendment to the Act on the Residence of Foreigners effective from August 2nd, 2021, the website is currently under construction and is being continuously updated. Thank you for your understanding.
Latest updates and important notifications
Agreement on trade and cooperation between EU and UK was among the instruments signed on December 30th, 2020. This Agreement is provisionally applied since January 1st, 2021 back to back with the end of transitional period pursuant to Withdrawal Agreement, which terminated on December 31st, 2020. The Agreement regulates also police cooperation and judicial cooperation in criminal matters.
As far as protection of personal data is concerned, the Agreement contains transitional provision, which allows, for up to six next months, transfer of personal data from the EU to the UK, unless there is substantial change of domestic British rules or the European Commission adopts decision on adequate protection of personal data in the UK. For this transitional period, the transfers of personal data to United Kingdom are not regarded as transfers to third countries and therefore are not constrained by limitations stipulated by EU rules, in particular General Data Protection Regulation (2016/679/EU). Thus, the legal situation for controllers and processors does not change for the time being.
It should be noted that this agreement does not address the issue of the regime citizens of the United Kingdom and of the Member States of the European Union present in each other’s territory before January 1st, 2021. Therefore, for this situation the arrangements made in the withdrawal agreement and information already given in the past in this section (BREXIT) apply.
- The transition period ended on December 31st, 2020. The Ministry of the Interior therefore calls upon all citizens of the United Kingdom and their family members who wish to enjoy the benefits arising from the withdrawal agreement to apply as soon as possible for a registration certificate or temporary residence permit or, for those who have lived in the Czech Republic for more than 5 years, a biometric permanent residence permit or card.
The Ministry of the Interior also recommends that such citizens take note of the new regime applicable since January 1st, 2021 and related aspects, including restrictions on mobility due to Covid-19 (see here for more information).
- On August 2nd, 2021, an amendment to Act No. 326/1999 Coll. on the Residence of Foreign Nationals came into force, taking into account changes introduced by the withdrawal agreement and addressing the format of the new biometric residence permits for citizens of the United Kingdom and their family members. This amendment lays down the obligation of all citizens of the United Kingdom and their family members to whom the withdrawal agreement applies to exchange their current residence document for the new biometric permit by August 31st, 2022. Such exchange of documents means the issuance of a new permit with the same validity and the same expiry date as the original document. Exchange of documents takes place free of charge. In case of a replacement related to the extension of the validity period of the card, the foreigner must now also pay an administrative fee for accepting such an application (in the amount of CZK 200).
Download (pdf, 40 kB)