After passing — Czech Republic Czech Realia Test (Zkouška z českých reálií)

From passing the test to the citizenship application

Results appear online at ÚJOP UK 30 days after the exam, and the certificate (osvědčení) is posted to you within 7 weeks. According to ÚJOP UK, the certificate does not expire.

Where to apply: in person at the regional office (krajský úřad) for your place of permanent residence; in Prague, at your district office (Praha 1–22). The office sends your file to the Ministry of the Interior, which decides.
Main documents: birth certificate, marriage or divorce documents, criminal record extracts, a free-form CV in Czech, the language and realia certificates, proof of income, and tax-office and customs certificates (no older than 30 days) showing you owe nothing. Foreign documents need an apostille or superlegalisation and an official Czech translation.
Conditions are checked again: permanent residence, real presence in the country, a clean record, income and taxes for the last 3 years, and no heavy reliance on social benefits.
Fee (2026): CZK 2,000 per adult; CZK 500 for a minor or an asylum holder. The office can lower it in special cases. It is not refunded if you are refused.

Decision and citizenship oath

The office has 30 days to send your application to the Ministry, and the Ministry decides within 180 days of receiving it. It can pause the procedure and ask for missing documents.
If you are refused, you can file an appeal (rozklad) within 15 days.
If you are approved, you are invited to take the citizenship oath (státoobčanský slib) in a public ceremony before the director of the regional office (in Prague, before the secretary of your district office). You must take it within 12 months of the invitation, or the Ministry cancels the decision.
You become a Czech citizen on the day you take the oath and receive the Listina o udělení státního občanství (certificate of grant of citizenship).

ID card and passport

Register your birth (and marriage) first. A birth or marriage abroad is recorded in the special registry (zvláštní matrika) in Brno. You can apply at the regional office where you took the oath or at any registry office. There is no fee, and the entry is usually made within 30 days.
ID card (občanský průkaz): every citizen aged 15 or older with permanent residence must have one. Bring your birth certificate and proof of citizenship. Right after the oath you can get a temporary card valid for 3 months without a birth certificate. Apply at any municipal office with extended powers (in Prague, Praha 1–22). The standard card is made within 30 days and has no fee in the Ministry's fee list; issue within 5 working days or 24 hours costs extra (2026).
Passport (cestovní pas): apply at the same offices. It takes 30 days and costs CZK 600, or CZK 100 under age 15 (2026). It is valid for 10 years (5 years under 15). Express issue costs up to CZK 6,000.

Your previous citizenship

Since 1 January 2014 Czech law allows multiple citizenship (Act No. 186/2013 Coll.), so you do not have to give up your old nationality. Your other country may still withdraw its citizenship, so check its rules before the oath.

Tax and social security

Little changes. Czech income tax depends on residence, not nationality. Your pension record at ČSSZ and your public health insurance continue as before. As an EU citizen you can live and work anywhere in the EU, and EU coordination rules protect your insurance periods when you move.

Voting and other rights

You can vote and stand as a candidate in elections to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, regional, municipal, presidential and European Parliament elections. The voting age is 18.
From abroad, you can vote in Chamber and presidential elections at a Czech embassy if you register at least 40 days before the vote.
Military duty (branná povinnost) applies to all citizens aged 18 to 60, men and women. There is no compulsory service in peacetime; citizens are called up only if a state of threat or war is declared.

Effect on children

Children under 18 can be included in a parent's application. A child over 15 must consent, and if only one parent applies, the other parent must agree.
A child becomes a citizen on the day the parent receives the child's certificate. Children under 15 do not take the oath.
Children born later are Czech citizens by birth if at least one parent is Czech on the day of birth, wherever they are born. If the child is born abroad, register the birth in the special registry.

Frequently asked questions

Does the realia certificate expire? No. ÚJOP UK states that its validity is not limited in time.

Can I travel while the application is pending? Short absences are tolerated: generally up to 2 months in a row, or up to 6 months for serious reasons such as study or illness. Ask your regional office before long trips.

What happens to my residence card? After the oath you use Czech documents. Ask the office at your ceremony what to do with your residence card, and apply for your ID card soon.

How long does the whole process take? By law up to 30 days at the regional office plus 180 days at the Ministry. Pauses for missing documents add time.

From passing the test to the citizenship application

Results appear online at ÚJOP UK 30 days after the exam, and the certificate (osvědčení) is posted to you within 7 weeks. According to ÚJOP UK, the certificate does not expire.

Where to apply: in person at the regional office (krajský úřad) for your place of permanent residence; in Prague, at your district office (Praha 1–22). The office sends your file to the Ministry of the Interior, which decides.

Main documents: birth certificate, marriage or divorce documents, criminal record extracts, a free-form CV in Czech, the language and realia certificates, proof of income, and tax-office and customs certificates (no older than 30 days) showing you owe nothing. Foreign documents need an apostille or superlegalisation and an official Czech translation.

Conditions are checked again: permanent residence, real presence in the country, a clean record, income and taxes for the last 3 years, and no heavy reliance on social benefits.

Fee (2026): CZK 2,000 per adult; CZK 500 for a minor or an asylum holder. The office can lower it in special cases. It is not refunded if you are refused.

Decision and citizenship oath

The office has 30 days to send your application to the Ministry, and the Ministry decides within 180 days of receiving it. It can pause the procedure and ask for missing documents.

If you are refused, you can file an appeal (rozklad) within 15 days.

If you are approved, you are invited to take the citizenship oath (státoobčanský slib) in a public ceremony before the director of the regional office (in Prague, before the secretary of your district office). You must take it within 12 months of the invitation, or the Ministry cancels the decision.

You become a Czech citizen on the day you take the oath and receive the Listina o udělení státního občanství (certificate of grant of citizenship).

ID card and passport

Register your birth (and marriage) first. A birth or marriage abroad is recorded in the special registry (zvláštní matrika) in Brno. You can apply at the regional office where you took the oath or at any registry office. There is no fee, and the entry is usually made within 30 days.

ID card (občanský průkaz): every citizen aged 15 or older with permanent residence must have one. Bring your birth certificate and proof of citizenship. Right after the oath you can get a temporary card valid for 3 months without a birth certificate. Apply at any municipal office with extended powers (in Prague, Praha 1–22). The standard card is made within 30 days and has no fee in the Ministry's fee list; issue within 5 working days or 24 hours costs extra (2026).

Passport (cestovní pas): apply at the same offices. It takes 30 days and costs CZK 600, or CZK 100 under age 15 (2026). It is valid for 10 years (5 years under 15). Express issue costs up to CZK 6,000.

Voting and other rights

You can vote and stand as a candidate in elections to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, regional, municipal, presidential and European Parliament elections. The voting age is 18.

From abroad, you can vote in Chamber and presidential elections at a Czech embassy if you register at least 40 days before the vote.

Military duty (branná povinnost) applies to all citizens aged 18 to 60, men and women. There is no compulsory service in peacetime; citizens are called up only if a state of threat or war is declared.

Effect on children

Children under 18 can be included in a parent's application. A child over 15 must consent, and if only one parent applies, the other parent must agree.

A child becomes a citizen on the day the parent receives the child's certificate. Children under 15 do not take the oath.

Children born later are Czech citizens by birth if at least one parent is Czech on the day of birth, wherever they are born. If the child is born abroad, register the birth in the special registry.

Frequently asked questions

Does the realia certificate expire? No. ÚJOP UK states that its validity is not limited in time.

What happens to my residence card? After the oath you use Czech documents. Ask the office at your ceremony what to do with your residence card, and apply for your ID card soon.

How long does the whole process take? By law up to 30 days at the regional office plus 180 days at the Ministry. Pauses for missing documents add time.

Useful links

Ministry of the Interior, granting citizenship: mv.gov.cz

ID cards: mv.gov.cz

Passports: mv.gov.cz

Special registry in Brno: mv.gov.cz

Citizenship by birth: mv.gov.cz

Voting from abroad: portal.gov.cz

Act No. 186/2013 Coll. on citizenship: e-sbirka.cz

Results and certificates (ÚJOP UK): ujop.cuni.cz