Many newly arrived foreigners are still unaware of the requirement to complete an adaptation-integration course, and they face significant fines for failing to do so.

An increasing number of newly arrived foreigners are unaware of the legal requirement to complete an adaptation-integration course. This issue has been highlighted by the organization Slovo 21, which conceived the idea for these courses over a decade ago and continues to provide their methodological oversight. Failure to fulfill this obligation can result in a fine for the foreigners. Adaptation-integration courses are educational seminars designed to help foreigners orient themselves in a new country as quickly as possible. Since 2021, they have been mandatory for certain groups of newly arrived foreigners. Over 30,000 people have completed the courses during that time.

"Data on newly arrived foreigners shows that awareness of adaptation-integration courses is still insufficient. This often leads to foreigners failing to complete the mandatory course on time, which can cause them problems," says Blanka Vosecká Veselá, a methodologist for the Welcome to the Czech Republic courses. If foreigners do not complete the course within the required timeframe—that is, within one year of receiving their residence permit card—they face a fine of up to 10,000 CZK.

"Moreover, the penalty can be imposed repeatedly. That is why we strongly urge everyone who is required to take the course to fulfill this obligation," appeals Vosecká Veselá.

The course is mandatory for selected groups of third-country nationals. A precise list of the groups of foreigners to whom this obligation applies, including statutory exemptions, is available on the website of the Ministry of the Interior.

To help raise awareness of the adaptation-integration courses, the organization Slovo 21 released a new promotional spot in mid-September. The video features influencer Andrea, originally from Venezuela, who has lived in the Czech Republic for over six years. In the approximately two-and-a-half-minute video, she uses an entertaining approach to explain the content of the courses and why they are useful for newly arrived foreigners.

The goal of the courses is to familiarize foreigners with the rights and obligations related to their stay in the Czech Republic while also introducing them to local customs and cultural conditions.

"Although the course is mandatory for some foreigners, I would definitely recommend it to everyone. It is a great foundation for anyone who wants to stay in the Czech Republic for a while. I took away a lot of practical information that I had no idea about before, especially regarding residence legislation and the labor code. These are things that we, as foreigners, would find very difficult to navigate in a new country without," says one of the course graduates, Abdel from Egypt.

The courses are administered by a comprehensive network of 18 centers for the support of the integration of foreigners, which are available to foreigners in all regions of the Czech Republic. The course lasts 4 hours, is led by expert instructors in Czech, and is interpreted into English, Arabic, French, Mongolian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. "Upon request, it is possible to interpret the course into other languages as well. In the past, we have held it in Japanese, Hindi, Turkish, Chinese, and Thai, for example," adds Vosecká Veselá. Foreigners must pay a fee of 1,500 CZK for the course.

‍