How Many Russians Live in the Czech Republic? New Data Published by the Interior Ministry

The Czech Republic’s Ministry of the Interior published updated migration statistics for the first quarter of 2025. As of March 31, 2025, a total of 38,253 Russians were legally residing in the country, making them the fourth largest group of foreign residents.

A total of 1,073,303 foreigners live in the Czech Republic, approaching 10% of the population. Most migrants are concentrated in Prague (32.8%) and the Central Bohemian Region (14.3%).

For the first time since 2022, the total number of foreign residents slightly declined, driven by a slowdown in new refugee arrivals. As of early April, 366,388 people were living in the country under temporary protection status, out of 677,874 total registrations since February 2022. From January 1 to March 31, there were 276 applications for international protection, with the top applicants being from Ukraine (50), Vietnam (46), Uzbekistan (36), Moldova (33), Georgia (17), and Russia (14).

In Q1 2025, 330,283 foreigners held temporary residence permits, and 378,418 held permanent residence. Third-country nationals made up 78% of all foreign residents. The top reasons for residence were employment (106,829), family reunification (55,696), and studies (28,560).

The largest foreign communities remain Ukrainians (566,151), Slovaks (122,455), Vietnamese (69,281), and Russians (38,253). Among Russians, 25,247 hold permanent residency, and 13,006 have temporary status — representing 3.6% of all legally resident foreigners in the Czech Republic.

When it comes to illegal migration, Russians are not among the main violators. In Q1 2025, the Czech authorities recorded 2,527 cases of illegal stay, a 6.7% increase compared to the previous quarter. Over 97% were related to visa overstay or status violations; only 67 tried to cross the border illegally. Most frequent violators were citizens of Ukraine, Moldova, and Vietnam, while Uzbekistan, Georgia, and Albania led in recorded illegal migration.

However, despite largely maintaining legal status, the position of Russians in the Czech Republic has become more fragile since February 2022. Russia is listed among the countries for which voluntary and forced returns are organized. One of the most controversial legal moves was the adoption of a law that effectively blocks Russian citizens from acquiring Czech citizenship. Though certain exceptions exist on paper, they are nearly impossible to meet — for instance, renouncing Russian citizenship is often unfeasible in practice.

Furthermore, the law states that all applications for Czech citizenship by Russian nationals over the age of 15 are suspended indefinitely and cannot be processed until the war in Ukraine ends.

This regulation has drawn criticism from human rights organizations. In April 2025, 17 Czech senators filed a case with the Constitutional Court to challenge the law, arguing that it violates anti-discrimination norms under European law.

In conclusion, although Russians form one of the largest and most law-abiding migrant groups in the Czech Republic, their legal and social position remains precarious, especially amid growing restrictions and political uncertainty.