Return - IOM Publications - International Organization for Migration

Return Migration: Policies and Practices
Rejected applicants can apply to the Head of the Refugee Facilities Management Department for
voluntary return assistance. They can apply only once; those without a valid travel document
receive a Temporary Travel Document from the Aliens Police to leave the country. Those that do
not apply for voluntary return or for tolerated status, fall under the Aliens regime and have to
legalize their stay in the country.
Operational Steps for Involuntary Returns
An alien found on Czech territory beyond the validity of his/her exit visa, can be subject to
administrative expulsion, often entailing administrative detention. During these procedures, the
apprehended alien is also informed of the possibility of availing of assisted voluntary return,
either through the Ministry or through IOM. Return measures are taken only by the Aliens
Police, with travel documents obtained through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, often with the
use of police escorts. An Entry/Residence prohibition stamp with a validity of up to ten years is
affixed in the passport.
Framework Agreements with Countries of Origin or Transit
Readmission agreements have been concluded with neighbouring countries (Germany, Poland,
Slovakia, Austria) and with Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Slovenia and Canada.
Negotiations are ongoing with Moldova, Serbia and Montenegro, along the lines of the Aquis
Communautaire. According to the Comprehensive Monitoring Report on the Czech Republic’s
preparations for EU membership, further efforts are required to conclude remaining bilateral
cooperation and readmission agreements, including with Slovakia, to limit border crossings.
Readmission agreements concluded along EU lines include three parts: (a) readmission of own
nationals; (b) readmission of third-country nationals and (c) police transit. Readmissions can be
implemented either informally at the border or more officially through a formal request. A general
commitment exists to readmit Czech nationals through the visa free regime with Belgium, Netherlands,
Hungary, Luxemburg, Belarus, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Cyprus, Chile, Cuba, Iceland,
Israel, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Greece, Singapore,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland. To date, the proportion of those accepted back by
the Czech Republic is greater than those it has been able to return through such agreements.
1.4 STATISTICS ON INVOLUNTARY RETURN
See table of persons returned within the framework of readmission agreements:*
TABLE 3
STATISTICS ON INVOLUNTARY RETURN
Persons Returned within the Framework of Readmission Agreements*
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Returned 287 2,547 3,168 3,818 2,363
* From the Department of Immigration and Protection of the State Borders of the Ministry of Interior,
quoted by Pavel Tychtl; most irregular migrants readmitted from the Czech Republic are sent to
Slovakia.
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