Czech A2 exam for permanent residence: who needs it, what it costs and who is exempt
An application for permanent residence requires proof of Czech at level A2. What the exam covers, what it costs, when you do not need it and which exams are recognised.
Planning to apply for permanent residence (trvalý pobyt) in Czechia? Besides other documents, you will need proof that you speak Czech. Most foreigners obtain it by passing a language exam at level A2; for some, another document is enough, and the law exempts others altogether.
Why the exam and what level
An application for a permanent residence permit must include proof of the required knowledge of Czech, issued by an institution that holds the language exam (Act No. 326/1999 Coll., Section 70(2), point (h)). The level is set by Government Regulation No. 31/2016 Coll.: at least A2 under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (Government Regulation No. 31/2016 Coll., Section 2(1)). In practice this means understanding simple texts and conversations about everyday life, asking and answering simple questions and writing a short simple text (Government Regulation No. 31/2016 Coll., Section 2(2)).
How the exam works and what it costs
- The exam has a written and an oral part. You pass if you score at least 60 % in each part (Government Regulation No. 31/2016 Coll., Section 9(2)).
- The fee is at most CZK 3,200 (Government Regulation No. 31/2016 Coll., Section 5a(1)). For the first attempt, the fee may be paid on the candidate's behalf by the state, more precisely a central government authority (Government Regulation No. 31/2016 Coll., Section 5a(3)).
- You may sit the exam at most three times in a calendar year (Government Regulation No. 31/2016 Coll., Section 11(2)).
- The list of examination institutions and the dates are published by the Ministry of Education (Government Regulation No. 31/2016 Coll., Section 3).
Who does not need the exam
Among others, the law does not require proof of Czech from a foreigner who (Act No. 326/1999 Coll., Section 70(5)):
- is under 15 or has reached 60,
- has, in the past 20 years, attended a Czech primary or secondary school continuously for at least 1 school year, or studied at a university in Czech or in a programme focused on Czech for at least 1 academic year,
- holds another recognised Czech exam (see below),
- proves a physical or mental disability affecting their ability to communicate.
Which other exams are recognised
Recognised as equivalent are, for example, a school-leaving exam (maturita) in Czech, a state language exam in Czech at a language school with that right, a state final exam at a university in a programme taught in Czech, a Czech-as-a-foreign-language exam at A2 or higher certified by ALTE, the Czech exam for citizenship and the approbation exam for doctors, dentists and pharmacists (Government Regulation No. 31/2016 Coll., Section 13(1)). A comparable state language exam taken in another EU or EEA country is also recognised if it matches level A2 (Government Regulation No. 31/2016 Coll., Section 13(2)).