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I am a Greek citizen and I am planning to move to Czechia. I am planning to keep my job (I work for a Greek company) and work remotely from there.

I know I can stay up to 3 months and then I will need to get a residence permit. My question is: Will I be able to get a residence permit to stay for more than 3 months if I present to them my Greek employer's contract or do I need to work for a Czech company?

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  • Important: you will owe Czech tax not Greek, and your company will need to comply with Czech employment law not Greek. IANAL.
    – Jack Aidley
    Sep 29 at 17:45

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First of all, EU citizens are allowed to stay in Czechia indefinitely without any formal registration of temporary residence. (UPDATE: EU citizens in Czechia are required to report their presence to the police, either personally or via their landlord, within 30 days, if they intend to stay longer than 30 days; this, however, is a separate concept, distinct from the temporary residence permit registration.)

Temporary residence is also not needed for renting accomodation. However, such unregistered foreigners won't be able to buy a house / appartment, register a car, get a parking space for residents, and similar.

EU citizens can of course register, if they want to. Since August 2021, they don't need a formal purpose of their stay, such as study or employment (source). That means you don't have to be employed by a Czech company. Actually, you don't have to be employed at all.

However, there are at least two other problems to consider:

  • Working remotely from another country has tax implications (yes, also within the EU!). I strongly suspect your Greek employer and Greek tax authorities won't approve of it. Please check with them. If you're self-employed (e.g. a freelance software developer working for a Greek company), that's easier, but you'll have to register your business in Czechia and pay taxes there.

  • You need some form of public health insurance (not the same as travel insurance). Your Greek insurance won't cover much more than emergencies. If you're employed by a Czech company or have your own registered business there, you have to purchase Czech health insurance and cancel your Greek one. It's also possible to purchase health insurance if you're not employed and have no registered business in Czechia, but you'll have to contact the state-owned health insurance company VZP to get more details.

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    While it is true, that a temporary residency is not required anymore, you (or your landlord) are still required to register you with the foreign police (link) within 30 days of your arrival.
    – Squirrel
    Sep 29 at 14:40
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    @papakias Regarding a residence permit, what websites tell you that? It's important to know that each EU country sets its policies for long-term stay of foreigners separately. What's mandatory in one country is not mandatory in another. Regarding health insurance, I'm not an expert on that. You can ask directly in your Greek health insurance company whether or not are they willing to pay your medical bills in CZ during a long-term stay. If yes, problem solved. If not, you'd have to get a Czech insurance policy (which makes life in CZ a lot easier anyway).
    – Johnnyjanko
    Sep 29 at 15:34
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    @papakias I think you confuse a permit (which is something one would have to ask for, and they could refuse, and it what non-EU citizens need) with registration, which is just a declaration. You tell them you will be living there, that starts the ball for all sorts of processes (including taxes), but they can't say no. However as described by Johnnyjanko, there are important considerations for taxes and health insurance. You (or your employer) need to pay taxes and health insurance contributions in Czechia, not in Greece. Your employer may not be ready to do that.
    – jcaron
    Sep 29 at 16:49
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    @JonathanReez That's how it works. You can't be employeed in one EU country and work (from home) from another country, without adjusting your tax payments. Neither Greek nor Czech authorities will prevent you from moving, but you may face legal action from both (not for an illegal stay, but for incorrect tax payments). If OP's employer has a legal entity in CZ and agrees to formally transfer them to that legal entity and pay Czech taxes for them, that's a possible solution. Maybe another solution is to pay extra taxes in CZ. OP should definitely consult a CZ tax expert.
    – Johnnyjanko
    Sep 30 at 6:31
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    (+1) Technically I don't think the Greek authorities would disapprove or care in any way. It's just that it wouldn't automatically free you from tax or mandatory insurance obligations. Employers of course should be concerned because it creates messy liability issues for them.
    – Relaxed
    Sep 30 at 7:50

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