Applications for a Blue Card, Employee Card or ICT Card (which serve as both a residency and work permit) are generally filed with a Czech embassy abroad and processed by the Department for Asylum and Migration Policy of the Czech Ministry of the Interior. The relevant Czech labor office is responsible for the processing of a work permit required for non-EU nationals seconded to the Czech Republic. Czech embassies are responsible for approving or rejecting applications for short-term Schengen visas.

A potential employer must first notify the Czech labor office of a job vacancy before hiring a non-EU national to be employed directly by the Czech entity. Such a vacancy must be advertised to Czech nationals by the labor office for 30 days before the Czech entity is allowed to employ a non-EU national (the period may be shortened to 10 days if required by the situation within the Czech labor market). The minimum vacancy period does not apply to Blue Card employees (see below).