Application for International Protection - Asylum or Subsidiary Protection

In this case, the person can apply for asylum to receive protection in another country (also called ‘International Protection’).

At the end of the procedure, you will be informed of the decision. If the decision is positive, you will be granted either asylum or subsidiary protection.

left their country because of fear of persecution, serious human rights violations, violence, or armed conflict, and cannot return there.

Depending on where you are in Czechia, you can apply for asylum in one of the following ways: At a land border crossing point (if you are at a border with Czechia) At Václav Havel Airport Prague in Czechia Inside Czechia (if you have already entered the country)

If you are controlled and you want to apply for asylum, you should immediately inform the Police Officer at the checkpoint.

If you have arrived at Václav Havel Airport Prague and want to apply for asylum, you should inform the Police Officer at the passport control.

If you are already in Czechia, you can make an asylum application at the Foreign Police office located at the back entrance of the Reception Centre in Zastávka u Brna (just around the corner from the main entrance into the administrative building). You can also apply for asylum at one of the regional Foreign Police offices.

After you ask to apply for asylum at the border, you will be taken to the Reception Centre in Zastávka u Brna for registration of your asylum application.

In this case, you will be taken to the Reception Centre in Zastávka u Brna to complete the first steps of the asylum procedure, including identification and medical examination.

Applying for asylum does not mean you will be automatically released from detention. The authorities will first determine if you have valid reasons for seeking asylum.

During the asylum procedure, you also have the right to have an interpreter in your language or another language that you understand and can communicate in.

You have the right to receive free legal aid to apply for asylum and at any point of the asylum procedure.

After your asylum application has been registered and asylum interviews have been done, you may decide. You can stay in one of the 3 Accommodation (or Residential) Centers.

During the time your asylum application is examined, you can access the public healthcare system if you have medical needs. You can also start working 6 months after your asylum application has been registered.

If you have children with you, you will be assisted to enrol them in primary school (school attendance is mandatory for children of age 6 to 15).

In Czechia, UNHCR works with partner organisations that help asylum seekers make their asylum applications and offer free legal aid within the asylum procedure.

UNHCR’s partner “Organization for Aid to Refugees” (OPU) can provide you with free legal aid if you wish to apply for asylum and/or to receive assistance from expert lawyers during the asylum procedure.

If you are at Prague Airport (or another international airport in Czechia) and wish to receive information on the asylum procedure in Czechia, you can contact the organization ‘Association for Integration and Migration‘ (SIMI).

You can also contact UNHCR at any time during the asylum procedure.

If your asylum application is rejected, you have the right to appeal the negative decision within 15 days (in some cases, the deadline is longer).