Czech exams for permanent residence (A2) and citizenship (B1): the pass marks, the fees, and the 300 published questions

§ 70(2)(h) of Act 326/1999 Coll. asks for a certificate proving the required Czech, and the level is set by government regulation 31/2016 Coll.: „znalost jazyka alespoň na úrovni A2“, Czech at least at A2. It was A1 until 1 September 2021, when regulation 199/2021 replaced "A1" with "A2".

The exam site says you need it when applying after five years of residence, or as an EU Blue Card holder.

Who is exempt (§ 70(5)): children under 15, people aged 60 or over, anyone who completed one school year at a Czech primary or secondary school, or one academic year at a Czech-language university, within the last 20 years, and people whose disability affects communication. A higher certificate also replaces the exam: the Czech maturita, the CCE at A2 or above, or the citizenship exam.

The exam has four parts: reading 40 minutes, writing 25 minutes, then a break, listening about 40 minutes and speaking 15 minutes. Reading is worth 25 points, writing 20, listening 25 and speaking 40.

You must pass both halves separately. The written part needs 42 of 70 and the speaking 24 of 40, which is 60% of each; the regulation itself requires at least 60% in the written and the oral part. Our reading: a strong written score cannot rescue a weak oral, so the 15 minutes of speaking deserve as much preparation as the hour and a half of paper.

The format changed on 11 April 2026. The site's mock test is titled "new format from 11 April 2026" and a 2026 handbook is published. The site's own "exam change" page returned a 404 when we read it, and a teacher who prepares candidates explains why there is nothing to find. Anna Rubešová, who teaches Czech to foreigners: "The new exam format introduced some changes, mainly in the speaking and writing sections. There is no official list summarizing the changes, but they are all visible in the new model tests available on the official website." That is one teacher's experience, not an official statement. Use the mock test dated after April 2026, not older practice books.

The fee is 3,200 CZK. The regulation says a central authority may pay for a first attempt, but the exam site lists only the fee and says nothing about a free attempt, so do not plan on one. You register online or at a participating school, sign the application in person with a valid passport, and pay eight days before the exam. It usually runs three times a month, on a Wednesday or Saturday at 9:00, and dates are listed through December 2027.

§ 14(4) of Act 186/2013 Coll. asks you to prove knowledge of Czech, and decree 433/2013 Coll. sets it at B1. § 14(5) adds a basic knowledge of Czech „kulturně-společenských, zeměpisných a historických reáliích“: cultural, social, geographic and historical realities. Applicants under 15 or over 65, those with three school years taught in Czech, and those with a disability are exempt from both; the ministry can also waive either for reasons deserving special consideration.

The B1 exam: reading 50 minutes, listening 30–35 minutes, writing 60 minutes, and speaking 15–18 minutes per pair of candidates. You need 60% overall and in each part, except that one of the written parts may be passed at 50%. Fail any part and you repeat the whole language exam, as often as you like. The fee is 3,700 CZK. A discrepancy: decree 433/2013 says the interview lasts 15 to 20 minutes; the exam site says 15–18 minutes for a pair.

The realities test: 30 multiple-choice questions with four options, 30 minutes, 16 on civics, 7 on geography and 7 on history and culture. You pass with 18 of 30, and the fee is 2,000 CZK.

The whole bank is public. The exam site invites candidates to study „všemi 300 testovými úlohami včetně jejich správného řešení“, all 300 questions with their correct answers. It was updated on 15 December 2025 and again on 5 January 2026, so prepare from the 2026 materials. Spain's CCSE works the same way, with 300 published questions.

Results appear online after 30 days, the certificate arrives by post within seven weeks, and „platnost osvědčení není časově omezena“: it never expires. Since 7 July 2025 you register at any time and are placed on a date automatically; sessions are roughly monthly, on Wednesdays or Saturdays, in Prague, Brno, Plzeň, Olomouc and other cities.

This comparison is ours. B1 for citizenship is the common European setting, and a published question bank is less common: Norway publishes none. The age exemptions differ inside Czechia itself, 60 for permanent residence and 65 for citizenship, which is in the two statutes and is not a mistake.

How Czechia's rule compares with 65 other countries is in citizenship language requirements by country.