Visas for foreigners are issued either for a short-term or a long-term visa; the purpose of visit is assessed: there are different visas for tourism, visits with relatives, study, employment, business or for family reunification. You can apply to change the purpose of your stay or an extension of a long-term stay. We will help you with the documents that are needed for the application to meet the statutory conditions for staying in the Czech Republic.
Foreign nationals of third countries
- Without visa –those are the citizens of countries with which the Czech Republic and other Schengen states have visa-free conditions. They are exempt from the visa requirement and they may stay in the Czech Republic and other Schengen countries without a visa for up to three months in any half-year from the date of first entry into the Schengen area.
- Requiring visa – those are the citizens of the countries subject to visa requirements and who therefore need to obtain a visa for entry and residence in the Czech Republic.
Short-term and long-term visas for foreigners
Short-term visas for foreigners are issued to people whose stay will take less than 90 days within six months from the date of first entry into the Schengen area. For stays longer than 90 days during 6 months long-term visas are needed. An application for Long-term visa must be submitted in person. This visa entitles to exit and re-entry into Czech Republic.
Foundation documentation for visa application
According to the length of stay the applicant decides whether to enter into short-term or long-term visa and for hat purpose he will obtain a visa.
The application for a short-term or long-stay visa shall be accompanied by:
- Passport
- Two photos
- Proof of accommodation
- Criminal Records Statement
- Healthcare Insurance for Foreigners
- Proof of sufficient funding or income
Within 7-15 days the embassy decides about the approval of a short-stay visa, long-term visa approval is obtained in the period of 90 days. In more complex cases embassy decides within 120 days from the date of application. Collection of documents takes about 14 days, sometimes longer if criminal records statements are requested from abroad.
Long-term stay
In the event that the alien decides to reside in the Czech Republic after the time of the visa, he must apply for a long-term stay. Long-term stay visa is issued upon fulfillment of all legal requirements.
The application for long-term residence must be accompanied by:
- Passport
- Proof of residence purpose
- Proof of accommodation
- Comprehensive Healthcare Insurance for foreigners
- Proof of sufficient funding or income
- Two up-to-date photos
The processing of an application for a long-term stay may by law take up to 60 days. If extending a long-term, the waiting period is up to 30 days.
Since May 2011 the residential labels that were pasted in the passport are replace by the residence card (the certificate of residence of foreign nationals). Residence cards contain biometric features which include photo and fingerprints.
