The Czech A2 exam for permanent residence: format, points and fee

Most non-EU nationals who apply for permanent residence in the Czech Republic must first pass the Czech A2 exam for permanent residence. It takes one day, costs CZK 3,200 and is held only at selected schools. This guide sums up what the official exam site, Čeština pro cizince (Czech for foreigners), says about the format, the points you need, registration and the exemptions. Before you book, check your level with the free Czech level test — it covers A1 to B2.

Updated November 7, 2026 · 5 min read

Who has to take the exam

According to the exam information page, proof of the exam is required from third-country nationals (outside the EU and EEA) who apply for permanent residence after five years in the Czech Republic, or who hold an EU Blue Card — unless an exemption applies. British citizens who got long-term residence only after 31 December 2020 must also take it. EU and EEA citizens do not, and neither do British citizens who were living in the country before that date. The official site's home page adds that you can apply for permanent residence only once you have five years of continuous residence.

The four parts and how long they take

The exam takes place on one day. The written part comes first, then the oral exam:

In reading and listening you write your answers on an answer sheet; in writing you produce your own short texts; in speaking you answer questions and talk about pictures. The site stresses that the oral exam matters most: you do not need perfect grammar, but you must understand well and communicate in basic everyday situations.

The pass marks: 60% twice

You need at least 42 of the 70 points for reading, writing and listening together, and at least 24 of the 40 points in speaking — 60% in each. If you do not reach the minimum in both the written and the oral part, the site says you must repeat the whole exam. Results arrive by e-mail or text message within nine days, and the certificate has unlimited validity.

Dates, fee and registration

The exam is held three times a month, on a Wednesday or a Saturday from 9:00; the site already lists dates through 15 December 2027. It costs CZK 3,200, paid to the school at least eight days before the exam.

1. Register online on the official site or in person at one of the selected schools — only those schools offer this exam. You need a valid passport.
2. Wait for a date. The school e-mails you a date; the wait is usually shorter if you do not insist on one particular school.
3. Sign the application in person at the school with your passport and check every detail — nothing can be corrected on exam day.
4. Pay the fee by the deadline the school gives you.
5. Collect the certificate at the school within 30 days, or have it posted to you.

You can cancel at your school up to 15 days before the exam. From 14 days before, you can cancel only for health or other serious reasons with a medical certificate or other document — if the school accepts it, you do not lose that attempt.

Who does not need the exam

Under Government Decree 31/2016 (as amended by Decree 282/2023), as listed on the exam site, you do not have to submit the A2 certificate if you:

• are under 15 or over 60;
• attended a Czech primary or secondary school for at least one school year, or studied at a university in Czech (or a Czech-language programme) for at least one academic year, within the 20 years before applying;
• passed the Czech school-leaving exam, a state language exam in Czech, a state university exam held in Czech, the CCE at A2 or higher, the Czech exam for citizenship, or the medical specialisation exam;
• have a physical or mental disability that affects your ability to communicate.

How to prepare

The official site recommends at least a 50-hour course, or the same time in self-study with its free materials: an exam handbook, a model test, a practice test and an information video. Courses run in every region through the Centre for Support of Integration of Foreigners and non-profit organisations. A simple plan:

• Find your starting point with the Czech level test.
• Do the official model test once early on, so you know the task types.
• Learn everyday vocabulary — shops, doctor, work, housing, transport — a little every day.
• Practise speaking about pictures for two or three minutes at a time.
• Repeat the model test a week before the exam and time each part.

Planning ahead: the citizenship exam is B1

Permanent residence asks for A2; Czech citizenship asks for more. Since 1 January 2014 citizenship applicants must present a certificate of knowledge of the Czech language and of Czech life and institutions, as the citizenship information page explains. The Czech language exam for citizenship is at B1: reading 50 minutes, listening 30–35 minutes, writing 60 minutes and speaking 15–18 minutes in pairs. Passing it also exempts you from the A2 exam.

How other countries compare

Many European countries tie residence or citizenship to a language level. Portugal asks for A2 Portuguese for nationality, Spain for DELE A2 and the CCSE, Italy for B1 Italian, the Netherlands for A2 Dutch, Belgium for A2 in a national language and Luxembourg for Luxembourgish.

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