Employee card, job change and the move to Brno
Mai Thi Lan, a Vietnamese national, has held an employee card (zaměstnanecká karta) since 3 February 2025. It was issued for a warehouse operator post with a logistics company in Pardubice. In April 2025 she receives a written offer from an e-commerce firm in Brno for a different position, starting 1 June 2025. Her card names her current employer and job. A friend tells her she can sign the new contract, start work, and let the new employer sort out the paperwork afterwards. Mai also plans to move to Brno in May and wants to know what to do about her address registration and health insurance. She has no gaps in employment so far. The new employer has not asked the Labour Office for anything and says the employee card is just a residence document. Mai asks whether she can start on 1 June, what steps must come before the job change, and what she must report after moving.
1. Can Mai lawfully start the new job on 1 June 2025 on the basis of the signed contract alone? Explain the function of the employee card and the approval or notification needed.
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An employee card is not only a residence document; it is a dual residence and work authorisation tied to a specific employer and job position. Mai cannot start on the basis of a contract alone. Because her card was issued in February 2025 for a named employer and post, a change of employer or job position requires the prior approval of the Labour Office unless a statutory exception applies. Her card is less than six months old, so the usual free-change exception cannot help her. The new employer should not treat the matter as an internal HR formality: the application must be filed and decided before she begins work. If she starts early, she risks unauthorised work, fines for the employer, and possible revocation or non-renewal of her residence authorisation. The safe sequence is: obtain the Labour Office decision approving the change, then start work on or after the approved date, with the new employment contract and job description matching the approval.
2. What reporting duties apply after Mai moves to Brno and during the transition between jobs, especially for health insurance?
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Mai must report her change of address to the foreign police within the statutory period for holders of long-term residence; she should not wait until the next residence application. Her employment-based public health insurance continues through her employer. If the old job ends on 31 May and the new job starts on 1 June, there is no insurance gap and the new employer registers her with the health insurance company. If any gap arises, she must register with a health insurance company as a person without taxable income and pay the required premiums; otherwise she can incur debts and lose coverage. The new employer also has reporting duties towards the Labour Office and the social security and health insurance authorities. Mai should keep proof of the address notification, the approved job change, and the employment contract, because these documents connect her residence status, work legality, and insurance continuity.
3. What are the risks if Mai ignores the approval requirement and starts working in Brno in June?
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If Mai works for the new employer without the required approval, the work is unauthorised even if she has a valid employee card for another job. The Labour Office can impose fines, and the foreign police can treat the breach as a reason to revoke her long-term residence permit or to refuse an extension. The new employer also faces sanctions for allowing a foreign national to work without valid authorisation. A later application may not cure the period already worked illegally, and the breach can affect future applications for permanent residence or citizenship. Mai should therefore insist on a written approval date before starting. If the Labour Office needs more time, she should either delay the start or remain with the current employer until the decision is issued; a signed contract is not a substitute for the public-law permission.