ALL INFORMATION ABOUT VISA TO ENTER THE CZECH REPUBLIC
DO I NEED AN ENTRY VISA FOR THE CZECH REPUBLIC?
The Czech Republic (also Czechia) is a part of the Schengen Area, which shares a common visa policy. Whether you need a visa to enter Czechia therefore depends on your nationality. Citizens of European Union (EU) member states, as well as Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland do not need a visa to travel to the Czech Republic. Furthermore, citizens of the selected states, based on Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, are exempt from the visa requirement for travel to the Schengen Area as well. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs regularly updates the list of countries, which aer required to / exempted from the visa duty:
HOW FAR IN ADVANCE CAN I SUBMIT MY VISA APPLICATION?
For short-stay (<90 days) Schengen visas, you can apply up to six months before your trip and no later than 15 days before your trip. It’s recommended to apply earlier, ideally 3-4 weeks before departure, to allow for processing time and potential delays. However, the time required to process the visa application may vary across the embassies, depending on the intensity of traffic between Czechia and given country.
WHERE DO I APPLY FOR A VISA?
In general, you should apply for visa at the local consulate or visa center. For the list of consulates and visa centers, please visit the Official website of the Ministry of Foreing Affairs of the Czech Republic (section Where to Submit Application).
WHAT DOCUMENTS DO I NEED TO APPLY FOR A VISA?
In general, you shall fill-in an application form and provide the passport, photo, confirmation of visa fee payment, fingerprints, and some other documents if required. For the list of required documents, please visit the Official website of the Ministry of Foreing Affairs of the Czech Republic (section Supporting Documents Overview for general information on the documents, and section Schengen Visas for the specific information on short-term Schengen visa).
HOW MUCH DOES A VISA COST?
For the current visa fees, please visit the Official website of the Ministry of Foreing Affairs of the Czech Republic
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET A VISA?
Schengen visa applications are decided on by consulates within 15 calendar days after accepting the application. In individual cases, processing can be extended to up to 45 days, mainly when further examination, consultation or verification is needed. The consulate notifies the applicant in such a case.
Please note that for other types of visas (mainly long-term visas, if you are staying longer in the EU, e.g., for a research stay), the application process can be significantly longer.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DURATION AND VALIDITY OF A VISA?
There are two timeframes for an entry visa:
A visa’s validity is generally longer that its duration, and it establishes from when and until when the visa can be used. The visa expires on the last day of its validity, and as from that date foreign nationals are required to leave the Schengen area, otherwise their presence becomes illegal. For example: if a Schengen visa has a duration of 30 days and a validity of 90 days starting today, this means it can be used to enter the Schengen area at any time in the next three months for a maximum of 30 days.