Foreigners seeking residence in the Czech Republic may soon need to take a Czech culture class

The new decree, which would amend the country’s Act on the Residence of Foreigners, still needs to be approved by the Ministry of the Interior; currently, it is in the comment phase. Should it pass, it will take effect from January 1, 2021.

Presumably, the course would be required for those seeking long-term or permanent residence as part of the application process, similar to the language test permanent residents are required to pass.

Exceptions to the integration course requirement would include those applying for long-term residence on the basis of study, investment, asylum, employees who have transferred to the Czech Republic, and holders of a special permit from the Ministry of the Interior.

The integration course would be four hours long, and cost 1,500 CZK, paid for by the applicant. Up to 30 people would participate in each course, which “may” be translated into nine languages.

That film screening may or may not be something like this little number released by the Ministry of the Interior earlier this year:

The Ministry of the Interior estimates that 25,000 foreigners would take the course each year.

That would result in revenue from course fees in the neighborhood of 35 million CZK yearly, while the running costs of organizing the classes, certifying the teachers, etc., would cost an estimated eight million CZK per year.

The Ministry has been offering a similar integration course since 2012, but on a voluntary basis.