Extension of the Temporary Protection

In September 2023, we informed you that the Government of the Czech Republic was considering the extension of temporary protection in the sense of the right to stay in the Czech Republic. There has been a shift in this matter, as at the end of December, an amendment to Act No. 65/2022 Coll., on certain measures in connection with the armed conflict on the territory of Ukraine caused by the invasion of the Russian Federation troops, was published in the Collection of Laws. As a reminder, we briefly outline its content below.

The amendment in question allows for the extension of temporary protection through an electronic form (available here: https://frs.gov.cz/docasna-ochrana/). Extension of temporary protection is now only possible through the electronic form and no other procedure is considered. Foreigners who do not register for an extension of temporary protection under this law by March 15, 2024 will have their temporary protection expire on March 31, 2024. Temporary protection can be identified by the code on the visa tag: D/DO/667, 668, 669, D/DO/767, 768, 769, D/DO/867, 868, 869. Temporary protection cannot be extended if it has already passed its expiry date, has expired in the meantime according to the law or has been withdrawn by decision of an administrative authority.

After registration, you must present yourself for the visa tag to be affixed on the date selected during the online registration (until 30 September 2024), otherwise the temporary protection will expire. If the foreigner presents himself for the visa sticker, the temporary protection will be extended until 31 March 2025.

Holders of so-called “special” visas for the purpose of tolerating stay on the territory of the Czech Republic issued in connection with the armed conflict in Ukraine issued at the beginning of the conflict from 24 February 2022 to 20 March 2022, i.e. before the entry into force of Act No. 65/2022 Coll., automatically became holders of temporary protection as of 21 March 2022. Therefore, these foreigners are also required to undergo the registration process as well as the visa tagging process as mentioned above. This visa is marked with a visa label or stamp with the code D/VS/U.

However, a different situation arises in the case of holders of visas for the purpose of tolerating stay on the territory of the Czech Republic issued in connection with the armed conflict in Ukraine. They will not have the above-mentioned obligations. Their visas will be extended automatically and will be considered valid until 31 March 2025 without them having to do anything. However, if they wish, it will also be possible for them to be issued with an extended visa sticker if they make an appointment with the relevant Ministry of the Interior office for this purpose. These visas are labelled D/SD/91 or D/VS/91 (but here the reason for issuing the visa is crucial) or D/VC/91.