Recently, at one of the meetings with our members, we were informed about the perceivable procedural change of border controls – more specifically, at the airport. Reportedly, the checks got stricter compared to a couple of months ago.
Officially, the checks have stayed the same. If you were living in the Czech Republic before 2021 and you happen to be crossing the border of the EU, it is necessary to proactively show your biometric residence document, residence card (temporary or permanent), or frontier worker permit. In 2021 and 2022 (the first two years after the Withdrawal Agreement came into force), however, a more lenient approach was applied in practice to make the transition period easier for long-term Czech Republic residents – as a result, the residence permits were not always required. So while the recent change seems like a tightening of rules, it is instead a return to the formally established practice as the airports have now attempted to introduce consistent checks across the board.
If you travel to the Czech Republic (or within the Schengen area in general) on a one-time basis, always remember to carry your passport and residence permit.
Before travelling, do not forget to read the latest valid information at www.gov.uk.