What is permanent residence and how do I change it?

What is permanent residence

The place of permanent residence is the address where a citizen has a registered “permanent home”. However, this place does not have to be his/her actual residence. The place of permanent residence is primarily used to register residents and as a starting address for correspondence with the authorities. If you should receive a summons to appear in court, for example, expect to receive a letter at your place of residence. Your place of residence also determines your registration in the electoral districts and your right to vote for local councils or the Senate.

How permanent residence differs from domicile

I’m sure you’ve filled in a form asking for information about your place of residence and your domicile. This may be the same place, or it may be two completely different addresses. As we have already mentioned, you can have your permanent residence declared even in a place where you do not actually live. This is the information you have on your documents and is therefore a kind of registration information.

On the other hand, your domicile is the place where you actually live. This address is not declared or reported anywhere. Therefore, if you are asked for it when filling in various forms, it is because it will serve as your contact address in case you should receive a letter, for example.

The Czech Republic is quite different from most of the world when it comes to permanent residence. In most other countries, domicile applies. Moreover, dual domicile (permanent and temporary) can cause problems. An example of this is people who change their permanent address just before an election purely to influence local elections.

Why it pays to have permanent residence and domicile in the same place

1. Official letters and elections. In addition, you won’t have to get a voter’s card before every election and you will be able to vote in local elections and influence where you live.
2. Social benefits: another advantage if you want to claim any social benefits. This is because the income of all members of your household is taken into account in determining whether you get benefits and how much you get. So if you have a registered residence, for example with your parents, their income is also taken into account. Even if you are no longer a member of their household.
3. Other benefits: it is also worthwhile to have a permanent residence identical to your home address if you register your children for school or nursery or if you register with a district doctor. And if you live in a big city, you can use resident parking if you have a registered permanent residence.

Where to register your permanent residence

Each citizen can have only one place of permanent residence. Moreover, the place of permanent residence cannot be any place. The basic conditions must be met. First of all, it must be a property that has a description, registration or landmark number. The property must also be used for housing purposes, accommodation or it may be a holiday home. However, it must not be a property used, for example, for business purposes.

The initial place of residence given to a citizen at birth is the place of residence of his or her mother. you therefore have a “permanent home” with your parents and people usually only change it after they have found their own home. However, this is not necessary and if you move frequently, for example, you can keep your ‘permanent residence’ with your parents for as long as you want. Every change of permanent residence involves the need to get new documents and notify the various authorities of the change of residence. It is therefore preferable to avoid frequent changes of residence.

Rent and permanent residence

From the tenant’s point of view

You have rented an apartment and want to register your ‘permanent residence’ but are not sure whether you can. You will often see rental advertisements where landlords prohibit you from declaring your permanent residence. However, this is against the law and the landlord cannot prohibit you from declaring your permanent residence in the tenancy. All you need to declare your permanent residence is a tenancy agreement and an ID card or other proof of identity.

This is not the case with subletting. In this situation, you will need the landlord’s permission to declare your permanent residence. To change your permanent residence, you will therefore need a certified written confirmation from the landlord.

From the landlord’s point of view

Many landlords prohibit the declaration of permanent residence. But they have no right to do so. So a tenant can declare their permanent residence even if the tenancy agreement clearly states that you forbid it.

Fortunately for you, though, we have good news. Because the law is clear that “no rights to the premises or to the owner of the property“arisefrom “the registration of a citizen for permanent residence. It follows that he cannot legally deal with the property in any way. Therefore, even if your tenant goes into foreclosure, it will have no effect on you and your apartment or house. However, you need to carefully draw up a handover report, which will list all the amenities of the rented apartment. This document will then ensure that this equipment is not subject to foreclosure.

How to change your place of permanent residence

As mentioned above, you cannot cancel your permanent residence yourself. The cancellation will only happen if you declare your permanent residence elsewhere. But how to do it properly?

You register for a new permanent residence at the registration office, i.e. the municipal office or the city council. Here you fill in the permanent residence registration form and pay the administrative fee. You will also need to present your ID card or other proof of identity and proof of your right to use the house or apartment (e.g. a rental agreement). If you are the owner of the property, the authorities will usually check your ownership themselves at the Land Registry. In all cases, however, it is better to bring the land registry extract or the contract of sale with you.

They will then cut off a corner of your ID card, which becomes invalid. In the meantime, you will receive a provisional document. For this reason, you should apply for a new identity card straight away.

If you change your permanent residence, you must inform the various authorities. These include, in particular, your health insurance company. If you are a registered taxpayer (you have a tax number), you must also notify the tax office of your change of residence. And if you are at the employment office, you must also notify the change here.

Summary

The permanent residence is the address on your ID card, which is used to register residents and to deliver official mail, it also determines your electoral district and can affect your benefits or access to schools, doctors or resident parking. However, it is not the actual residence – it is where a person actually lives and does not have to register anywhere. Each citizen can only have one permanent residence, and this can only be declared in a property intended for residential (or recreational) use, not in business premises. A landlord cannot prohibit a tenant from declaring a permanent residence, but in the case of subletting, the owner’s consent is required. A change of permanent residence is made at the municipal or city office by filling in a form, providing the lease or ownership contract and paying a fee of CZK 50; after reporting, a new ID card must be applied for. You must notify the health insurance company, the tax office (if you are a business) and other institutions of the change to avoid problems with service or benefit claims.