Applying for a Schengen Visa to Czechia

You will have to apply for a visa when travelling to Czechia if you are:

• A citizen of a non-EU country that has not reached a visa liberalisation agreement with the EU.
• A citizen of a non-EU country that has reached a visa liberalisation agreement with the EU, but you were rejected from entering Czechia or any other Schengen country visa-free.

You are exempt from applying for a visa to enter Czechia if you fall into any of the following categories:

• You are a citizen of an EU member state, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland.
• You hold a passport from the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, or any other country with a visa liberalisation agreement with the EU.
• You possess a valid residence permit from any country within the Schengen area.

For those exempt from a visa, check out the required documents for entry into Czechia. It’s always good to be prepared!

• Airport transit visa. If you are from a specific country and you need to travel through Czechia while joining a connecting flight to your destination, you need a transit visa.
• Tourist visa. For tourism purposes, you need to apply for this type of Schengen visa.
• Visitor visa. If you are visiting a friend or family member in Czechia, then you need a visitor visa.
• Medical treatment visa. You must apply for short-term medical treatment visa if you are planning on undertaking medical treatment in Czechia.
• Cultural visit and sports visa. This visa will be issued to you if are attending a cultural event, sporting event, a competition, or entering Czechia as a part of a film crew.
• Business visa. If you plan on visiting Czechia to participate in a business event, a business meeting, or a potential business investment.
• Official visit visa. This visa is issued to those who have an official or diplomatic passport and are visiting Czechia on official business as a representative of their country.
• Short term study visa. This visa is issued for only short-term study programs that last 90 days or less, such as language courses.

• Work visa. You need to apply for this visa if you have an employer or a work contract for Czechia.
• Seasonal employment. This type of visa is issued for any employment related to the seasons, such as farming or agriculture.
• Entrepreneurship visa. This type of visa is issued to those who plan on doing self-employed work or running a business in Czechia.
• Study visa. You need a study permit if you are planning to undertake a study program longer than 90 days, such as a BA or an MA degree.
• Family visa. You need to apply for this visa if you have a family member in Czechia and you want to join them.

If Czechia is the only country in the Schengen Area you plan to visit, it’s straightforward – apply at the Czech embassy/consulate or the authorized Visa Application Center (VAC) in your country of residence.

However, if your journey includes Czechia and at least one more Schengen state, apply at the Czech embassy/consulate/VAC in your country of residence only if:

• You will spend more days in Czechia than in the other Schengen countries.
• You will spend an equal amount of time in each country, but you are starting your Schengen adventure by entering through Czechia.

For more in-depth details, please refer to: How to Choose the Right Embassy/Consulate/VAC to Submit the Visa Application

You can download the application form from the following links:

• Arabic + English
• Chinese + English
• Czech
• English
• French
• Russian + Czech
• Spanish
• Ukrainian + Czech

• VFS Global visa application center if you are from Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bhutan, Botswana, China, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Maldives, Mongolia, Mozambique (only in Maputo), Nepal, Oman, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, or Vietnam.
• BLS International if you are living in Bolivia, Dominican Republic, or Equatorial Guinea.
• TLS Contact if you are a resident of Cambodia, Cameroon, Gabon, Madagascar, Republic of the Congo, or Rwanda.
• Belgian visa application center CEV if you are a resident of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• The French Embassy or consulate in your country of residence if you are a resident of Bangladesh, Central African Republic, Comoros, Djibouti, Haiti, Laos, Mali, Mauritania, Myanmar, Saint Lucia, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, or Vanuatu.
• The French visa application center Capago, if you are a resident of Benin, or Burkina Faso.
• The Belgian Embassy in Bujumbura, if you are a resident of Burundi.
• The Portugese Embassy or consulate in your country of residence, if you are a resident of Cabo Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, or Timor-Leste.
• The Slovakian Embassy in Nicosia, if you are a resident of Cyprus.
• The Hungarian Embassy in Quito, if you are a resident of Ecuador.
• The Swiss Embassy or consulate in your country of resident, if you are a resident of Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, or Sudan.
• The Spanish Embassy in Kingston, if you are a resident of Jamaica.
• Czech embassy or consulate if you are from any other country. To apply at the embassy/consulate, send an email requesting an appointment. Include your details like your name, birthdate, passport number, purpose of travel, phone number, and email. Also, attach a copy of your passport’s data page and a document showing your purpose of travel. In the subject line, write “SCHENGEN VISA APPOINTMENT REQUEST” followed by your full name.

You should book your appointment for your visa between six months and 15 days before your trip. This gives you enough time to process your application without being too early for your travel date.

You can change or cancel your appointment by contacting the same visa center where you booked an appointment, which can be one of the following:

• If you’ve made your appointment via a visa application centre, e.g., VFS Global, then you can cancel your appointment after logging into your account and choosing an option to cancel or reschedule your appointment, which is available on their website. However, please note that reschedulings may not be available at every visa application centre; this depends on your country of residence.
• If you are required to make an appointment via email with the embassy or consulate, then you can address the same email to request a cancellation; in this case, reschedulings are usually not an option. But this also depends on how the embassy/consulate in your country operates.

Please note that either a cancellation or a request to change your appointment must be made a minimum of 24 to 48 hours in advance and never on the day of the appointment otherwise, it won’t be considered.

• Czechia Schengen visa application form.
• General documents required for a Schengen visa.
• Proof of Schengen travel insurance.
• Documents relating to accommodation can include a hotel booking, hotel voucher, spa voucher, private invitation with name and address of the inviting person and visit dates, official invitation issued by the Alien Police, an undertaking of an inviting party to provide accommodation, etc.
• You can submit a bank statement, paid travel agency invoice, officially verified invitation, international bank card, etc.

To visit Czechia, the amount of money you need varies depending on your length of stay:

• For stays less than 30 days, you need to prove you have at least CZK 1,565 or approximately EUR 63.89 per day.
• For stays over 30 days (up to 90 days), you need CZK 46,950 or approximately EUR 1,916, plus an additional CZK 6,260 or approximately EUR 255 for each full month beyond the initial stay.
• Individuals under 18 must submit half of these amounts based on their length of stay.

On the day of your visa appointment, you are required to visit the embassy/consulate or visa application centre in person to provide your biometric information, i.e., fingerprints and photographs.

If you’ve applied for a Schengen visa previously, during the last 5 years, you may be exempted from this requirement. This is because your data is already saved, and the embassy or visa application centre can use that information.

Payment is a mandatory requirement at the time of submitting your application. The standard application fee amounts to €90, while an additional fee of approximately 30-40 EUR may be charged if you opt for submission through a visa application center. Please note that accepted payment methods can vary depending on the specific location where you submit your application.

You are also required to attend a brief visa interview where you have to answer questions regarding your travel plans to Czechia. The interview is usually short and does not last over an hour, please calmly answer all the questions.

Another individual can apply for a Schengen visa on your behalf, provided that you have authorized them to do so and if your biometric data is not required to be submitted personally.

You can only track your application online if you’ve applied for your visa via an application centre like VFS. You can do this by using a reference number you receive on receipt of your visa fee payment.

If you’ve applied via a Czech embassy or consulate, tracking your application may not be available.

If your visa has been granted, you will receive an email or a notification regarding the status of your visa. You can retrieve your passport and stay in the country as per your visa’s validity.

In some cases, your visa application may be denied due to a number of reasons, in which case you have the following rights:

• Appeal against the decision. You must send a request for an appeal within 15 days after you receive the denial notice. The request must be sent to the embassy or consulate that processed your visa application. The request is forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and it takes approximately 60 days to finish processing. If, after your appeal, the decision is still negative, you have the right to ask for a judicial review at the relevant district court in Czechia, where you will be staying.
• Reapply for your Czech visa again. You also have the option to reapply for your visa again by going through the application process once more. This time it’s important to address the reasons for your visa denial before submitting your application. You will find these reasons highlighted in the denial notice.

The visa fee, once paid, is non-refundable, irrespective of the outcome of the visa application—whether it is approved or denied.

A Schengen visa lets you stay in Czechia for up to 90 days within 180 days. However, depending on your situation, the consulate might allow a shorter stay. Use the Schengen calculator to avoid staying too long.

You can extend a Schengen visa in exceptional cases like a medical emergency or unforeseen events delaying your departure before the visa expires. To extend your visa, you must submit a request to the local Alien Police office where you are staying in Czechia. If your request for an extension is granted, your visa will not be extended beyond 90 days (the maximum validity period of a Schengen visa).

Staying longer than allowed on a Schengen visa can lead to severe consequences such as fines, deportation, or future bans from entering the Schengen area. To avoid these issues, adhering to the rules and exiting before your visa expires is crucial.

With a Czech visa, you’re allowed to visit other countries in the Schengen Area unless you have a Limited Territorial Validity Visa. However, your main intention should be to visit Czechia, and any days spent in other Schengen countries count toward your total of 90 days within 180 days.

If you meet certain rules and requirements, you might be allowed to travel to non-Schengen countries with a Czech Schengen visa. But it depends on the rules of the country you want to visit outside the Schengen Area.

You can’t work in Czechia with a Schengen visa. You’ll need to get an employment visa to work legally there.

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