Legal Aid

In addition to consultations, we can assist you, for example, with preparing documents, filing applications, and communicating with government agencies, the immigration police, or the courts. In exceptional cases, we provide individual assistance throughout the entire proceedings (attending interviews, drafting legal complaints, and representing you in court).

We provide legal advice primarily in the following specific areas: 

• international protection (asylum)—whether you are still applying for it or have already been granted
• asylum or subsidiary protection
• status of a stateless person (stateless)
• administrative expulsion, unauthorized stay
• detention in a detention facility for foreign nationals
• residence permits (particularly permanent residence, long-term residence, residence of a family member of an EU citizen, long-term visa)
• temporary protection
• citizenship (basic counseling)
• labor exploitation (only to a limited extent at selected branches)

We do not provide legal advice in other areas of law (e.g., criminal, civil, and commercial law).

You should make an appointment in advance for a consultation (see OPU contacts). Consultations last 1 hour and take place in person at the OPU office (in exceptional cases, by prior arrangement, consultations may be conducted online via video call; we do not provide consultations by phone or email). We do not provide advice to third parties (“intermediaries”).

Please bring your identification (passport or residence permit), if you have one, and any documents related to your case to the consultation.

We typically provide consultations in Czech and English. If you need interpretation into another language, we can arrange for a free interpreter during your consultation. Please let us know when you make your appointment.

A legal assessment of whether we can take your case: Our lawyers will provide a basic legal consultation and legal assessment of your case upon appointment. Unfortunately, we do not have unlimited capacity, so any legal drafting and representation in proceedings is not an entitlement service and is at the discretion of the OPU Legal Department as to whether and to what extent it can take on the case for representation. The specific projects that OPU is involved in can be found here in the Projects section, while depending on OPU’s legal assessment, it is also possible in certain cases to take over a case regardless of OPU’s current projects.

Personal advice: We provide legal advice in person. Due to the sensitivity and complexity of the topics we deal with, it is not possible to provide advice by phone or email. We can answer general brief queries by email but it usually takes us up to 15 days to get back to you due to our workload. Our emails are not used to send legal submissions for the drafting of an appeal – you will need to make an appointment to do this in person. The exception to contacting us primarily by phone and email or by post is if you are deprived of your liberty, particularly in an immigration detention centre or prison. We do not provide advice to third parties (“intermediaries”).

Non-discrimination and non-violence: Our employees respect the uniqueness of every person regardless of their origin, ethnicity, race, color, native language, age, gender, marital status, medical condition, sexual orientation, economic situation, or religious or political beliefs. Our employees prevent and do not engage in any inappropriate behaviorviolence, including sexual exploitation and violence.

Where can you complain about OPU services? If you are dissatisfied with the service you receive, or if you have experienced any inappropriate behaviour by a member of staff or any form of violence, including sexual violence, at OPU, you can complain, even anonymously, in person or in writing. You can file a complaint through an electronic form, send it to the selected contact persons, or to any employee of OPU, and you can also file it anonymously. Reported cases of inappropriate behaviour by OPU staff are investigated by an independent external investigator. A complaint against an OPU employee shall be made to the Director of the organization or his/her designee. Complaints against the OPU Director should be made to the Chair of the OPU Board of Directors, relevant contacts can be found in the Contacts or Feedback section.

You can lodge a complaint against an organisation with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, https://www.unhcr.org/.