18 March 2021

In the 2021 Census, all foreigners present in the territory of the Czech Republic on the decisive moment, i.e. midnight from Friday 26 March to Saturday 27 March, are also obliged to get counted.

The Census will therefore apply to almost 635 thousand persons with foreign citizenship except for diplomats and for those who will be staying in the Czech Republic for less than 90 days. A foreign tourist or a relative who is on a visit here for a period shorter than three months thus does not have to fill in the census form (questionnaire). On the contrary, the Census applies to, for example, a foreign student within the Erasmus programme.

The Census will be carried out primarily online. “It will be possible to sign in (log in) into the electronic census form (questionnaire) on the website scitani.cz or in a mobile application called Sčítání21 (Census21) – that will be available for download from 27 March in Google Play and App Store – using valid ID document issued by the Czech Republic to foreigners,” Robert Šanda, Director of the Population Statistics Department of the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO), says. These documents include, for example, a long-term visa, a long-term residence permit, a permanent residence permit, a residence card of a family member of an EU national, or a residence permit card (booklet) for foreigners. You can also use an electronic identity or a data box of a natural person. Another person from a common household is also allowed to fill in the census form (questionnaire) for a foreigner provided that he/she knows relevant information for the personal part of the census form.   

“Besides Czech, the electronic census form (questionnaire) is available in seven other languages, namely in English, German, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, and Romany. You can easily switch from one language version to another while filling in the electronic census form,” Marek Rojíček, President of the Czech Statistical Office, states. Paper census forms (questionnaires) are available in Czech only. However, upon request from a census officer (census enumerator) or at all contact points of the Census printed translations will be prepared for those interested, which will serve as an aid (tool) for filling in the original census form in Czech. You can already take a look at language versions at www.scitani.cz. The versions are again available in English, German, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, and Romany.

From 12 March, informational support for the upcoming Census and help for the public with filling in of census forms (questionnaires) is provided by the 2021 Census Contact Centre. The Centre is operating daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays at the following phone numbers (Info Lines): 840 30 40 50 and 253 253 683. However, you can also ask questions via e-mail to dotazy@scitani.cz or via chat in a virtual advisory centre for the 2021 Census.

Data from the Census can be used not only for analysing migration processes but also, for example, for preparation of background materials for projects for integration of foreigners. According to Eurostat, in 2017, among EU countries, the highest share of foreigners was in Luxembourg, in which 48% of the population were foreigners. In Liechtenstein, the share of foreigners was about 33%; in Switzerland, one in four persons was a foreigner, whereas in Romania and Lithuania less than 1% of the population were foreigners. Czechia, with its almost 5%, was under the EU's average.   

The Population and Housing Census is carried out once in ten years. It is aimed at acquiring precise and up-to-date data that serve to make planning of many aspects of the public life more effective. The 2021 Census is being prepared primarily as an online Census – for the first time in our history. People will be able to get counted in a simple and safe manner over the Internet at www.scitani.cz. They can thus fulfil their legal obligation easily from their homes without a need to be in contact with a census enumerator (census officer) or to visit a contact point of the Census. Those, who will not get counted online between 27 March and 9 April, will have to fill in the paper census form (questionnaire) from 17 April to 11 May.

The Census is organised by the Czech Statistical Office, an independent and apolitical authority, that collects and publishes data from the following domains: demography, economy, health, labour market and social security, culture, sport, tourism, education, and the environment. Since 1990, it has been processing and publishing results of all elections. The main principles of work of the CZSO are as follows: Independence, Impartiality, Objectivity, Accuracy and Reliability, Same information to everybody at the same time, Protection of confidential data. In 2020, 61% of the population trusted the Czech Statistical Office and thus it belongs to the most trustworthy institutions in the country, according to the Public Opinion Research Centre.

Contact:
Jolana Voldánová
2021 Census spokeswoman
Mobile phone number: +420 704 659 357
e-mail: jolana.voldanova@scitani.cz