Once you have successfully relocated to Prague, it's time to settle in, complete all the paperwork, and manage the practicalities of everyday life. Our guide below will help you take the necessary steps toward feeling more at home in your new city.
- Health Insurance
Foreign nationals in Czechia are required to have a valid health insurance. Once you become an FZU employee, you will be automatically covered by public health insurance for the duration of your employment. Read more about public health insurance on the two links below:
https://www.pvzp.cz/en/blog-en/health-insurance-for-czech-citizens-and-foreign-nationals-how-does-the-czech-healthcare-system-work/
https://www.euraxess.cz/czech-republic/information-assistance/health-insurance- Bank Account
Opening a Czech bank account will make your work life significantly easier and will be available to you once you have your work contract. Read more on how the Czech bank accounts work and how to obtain them here:
https://blog.foreigners.cz/how-to-open-a-bank-account/- Phone Number
Getting a local sim card is a crucial step in managing various practicalities of a life in a new country. Read more about the Czech mobile phone operators here:
https://blog.foreigners.cz/best-mobile-phone-operator-in-czechia/- Public Transport
Prague public transport is generally very reliable, runs 24/7 and gets you all over Prague (and even beyond). Metro, trams, trains, buses, trolleys, even ferries and a funicular to Petřín hill – you name it, we have it. All necessary information (fares, connections, eventual restrictions) can be found at the official webpage of the Prague public transportation, where you can also search for connections outside of Prague:
https://www.dpp.cz/enIf you don't feel like using public transport, both traditional taxi services and private transport services operate in Prague. Of these, the most widely used are:
https://www.liftago.cz/en
https://bolt.eu/en-cz/
https://www.uber.com/cz/en/
Another option is one the carsharing services:
https://bolt.eu/en-cz/drive/
https://www.anytimecar.cz/en/
https://www.car4way.cz/enIf you use a car to get around the city, mind the so called modré zóny (blue zones) which are paid and therefore limit parking in most of the areas, particularly in the centre. Read more about parking in Prague here:
https://parking.praha.eu/en/parking-options-in-prague/- Czech Language Courses
Sure, Czech language is definitely not one of the easiet there is, but even if your colleagues and other expat friends speak English really well, it can never hurt to learn a few phrases. It can immensly help you with your everyday life outside the work and the locals will surely appreciate any of your attempts to use their mother tongue.
FZU offers its foreign employees Czech language classes. If you are interested, contact your HR partner for more information. Apart from that, Kabinet jazyků (The Cabinet of Languages, part of the Czech Academy of Sciences) regularly sends their course offer to all FZU employees.- Sockets & Voltage
In Czechia, as in most of the European countries, the most common power plugs and sockets are of the type C. If you come from a country with different type of sockets, adapters can be found either online or in most shops with electronic devices.
Read more:
https://blog.foreigners.cz/plugs-sockets-adapters-czech-republic/
Buy an adapter: https://www.alza.cz/EN/travel-adapters/18862093.htm?evt=re&exps=travel+adapter- Emergency Services
-
112 The unified European emergency call number intended for reporting any kind of emergency.
(Read more about how 112 works:
https://eena.org/about-112/whats-112-all-about/)
150 Firefighters
155 Emergency medical services (ambulance)
156 Municipal Police
158 Police of the Czech RepublicIf you call a different number than you need at the situation, don’t worry – the operator will redirect you to the right service.
