Housing

An applicant for international protection is entitled to accommodation in the Accommodation Centre of the Ministry of the Interior. If he decides to live privately, he may in some cases receive a housing allowance from the Ministry of the Interior. If he is granted asylum, he may be included in the state integration housing programme. A foreigner can secure housing in the Czech Republic by renting, subletting or purchasing real estate.

Accommodation during the procedure for granting international protection

Reception center

The reception centre is the place where you come to apply for international protection. There are two places in the Czech Republic where you can apply for international protection – Zastávka u Brna and the Prague-Ruzyně Reception Centre at Václav Havel Airport. The reception centre at the airport is for those who arrive in the Czech Republic by plane and apply for international protection in the transit area of ​​the international airport. You cannot leave the reception centre and you stay there until the completion of basic entry procedures such as identification of your identity, initiation of the procedure for granting international protection, issuance of the MO applicant’s card, entry interview and prescribed medical examination. The procedure at the reception centre at the airport has its own regime and different rules apply there (e.g. the period of detention at the airport can be 180 days, or in certain cases up to 210 days).

If you have completed the prescribed entry procedures at the reception center, you can stay either in one of the residence centers of the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic or in private accommodation (in a private home).

Residential center

In the residence centre you are provided with accommodation, food (or financial means for it), basic hygiene supplies, medical care, social and psychological services and you can participate in leisure activities. You can leave the centre. However, you must report your stay outside the centre and you are also obliged to return to the centre on the given date. If you have applied for international protection together with your family, you have the right to stay in there together.

Stay in privacy

If you want to stay outside the accommodation centre, you need to submit an application to the OAMP. You need to submit either a lease agreement or a sworn declaration of the owner with his officially verified signature. The fact that he is really staying here can be checked by the alien police. If you stay in a private house, you cover the costs associated with your stay in the territory yourself from your own funds, in exceptional cases you may be provided with a financial contribution.

More information on the topic of rental housing in the Czech Republic can be found on our website Handbook for Renting Accommodation in Czechia. The aim of this manual is to help you navigate the area of ​​rental housing in the Czech Republic. Whether you are looking for an apartment, dealing with a rental agreement, or want to know your rights, this website is here for you.