How to get a long-term visa to the Czech Republic

A long-term visa to the Czech Republic is one of the main documents for foreigners entering the republic for a long period. Anyone has the right to obtain a paper permitting border crossing. But only on condition that the purpose of the trip meets certain requirements of the receiving party. In case of a positive response to the visa request, the visitor will be allowed to stay in the Czech Republic for a long period of time.

A long-term visa to the Czech Republic (also known as a national visa D) is opened by diplomatic missions of a European power. There are three of them on the territory of the Russian Federation - the embassy in Moscow and the consulates general in St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. You will have to submit your application in person. Before bringing the necessary documents to the diplomatic mission, the candidate will need to make an appointment online. But first, you need to figure out what the Czech national visa D gives to its holder and who has the right to apply for it.

The following grounds regarding the purpose of the visit are suitable for requesting a long-term entry document to the Czech Republic:

1. Business activities.
2. Family reunification.
3. Education.
4. Sport.

Conditions of stay

A long-term visa trip to a European country is limited to a certain time frame. The holder of the entry document has the right to stay on the territory of the republic no longer than the validity period of the visa. The standard document validity period does not exceed 1 year. At the same time, the national visa is multiple-entry - that is, the number of entries is not limited.

Key Features of the D Visa

• A long-term visa to the Czech Republic is suitable for those whose planned stay will last less than 1 year, but longer than 90 days within 6 months.
• If an applicant plans to stay in the country for less than 3 months in a six-month period, he should apply for a visa rather than a national visa.
• The visa application form and accompanying documents are submitted to the consular departments of diplomatic missions. However, the decision on each request is made not by diplomatic officials, but by the Czech Ministry of Internal Affairs.
• A long-term visa to the Czech Republic is pasted into a foreign passport or an equivalent document.

Application Procedure

The applicant submits the visa application in person. The only exception to this rule is children under 12 years of age. Visa applications and other papers are submitted by appointment. The application submission date should be registered on the website https://visapoint.eu/disclaimer. Registration is carried out 30 days in advance until available places are exhausted.

The registration process is free. Both the applicant for a long-term visa and his relative or other representative have the right to make an appointment. You just need to know a valid email address, which you will need to indicate in your application.

Algorithm of actions

• Open the site.
• Click “Accept” (the button in the red rectangle).
• Choose:
• Citizenship.
• Country of long-term or permanent residence.
• Embassy/consulate (the one to which the region of residence is located).
• Purpose of stay.
• Click "Next".
• Select the desired date and time of reception at the diplomatic department (if available).
• Click "Next".
• Fill in the fields with personal information (first and last name as in the passport, date and country of birth, gender).

• Click "Next".
• Enter your passport number and contact information (email, phone).
• Click "Next".
• Check the information, enter the specified code and submit the application.
• Wait for an email with your registration number and confirmation code.
• Confirm your appointment on the page that will open after submitting your application, or by following the link from the letter. To confirm, you must enter your registration number and code and enter your passport number within half an hour after receiving the letter.
• On the page that opens, confirm your application again.
• Receive a registration confirmation email by email.
• Print the letter and take it with you to the embassy or consulate general.

Specifics of registration on visapoint.eu

Foreigners traveling to the Czech Republic for business purposes are registered in the system for a “long-term visa for the purpose of entrepreneurship.” All others are on a “long-term visa”. Children under 15 years of age who submit an application together with their father, mother or other legal representative are not registered on the site. Consular departments will not accept papers from other applicants without registration.

If a registered person cannot or does not want to submit documents to the diplomatic mission on the reserved day, the application must be canceled. The cancellation request is sent to the email address [email protected]. The citizen must indicate his first and last name in Latin letters and his registration number. It is not possible to transfer an entry without such a request.

Registering to apply does not guarantee that you will receive a D visa.

Documents for the diplomatic mission

A long-term visa is opened upon submission of an application form and certain accompanying papers. By the date set for filing the application, the applicant prepares a package of documentation. The basic set includes certificates and forms that are provided by all applicants - regardless of the purpose of travel to the Czech Republic. Additional kit for each group of visitors depends on the reasons for their arrival in the republic.

Basic package

• Visa Application:
  • It is recommended that you fill out the printed sheets at home in advance.
  • Data is entered in capital Latin letters.
  • Read detailed instructions in a separate article.
• International passport:
  • No older than 10 years.
  • Valid for 1 year as of the date of submission. The validity period of a passport for a student visa is at least 11 months.
  • With 2 or more blank sheets.
• Photos:
  • 2 pieces.
  • Size 35 by 45 mm.
  • Cut.
  • On the reverse side, write down the last name and first name (in Latin transcription as in a passport) and date of birth.

• Guarantees of financial security (the minimum amount depends on the categories of travelers and is indicated below in the sign). Confirmation of financial solvency is a bank account statement (or a certificate from the bank). The form indicates the name of the applicant (account owner), the amount of money in the account and in what currency. Plus a copy of a valid payment card (international) is submitted. Until you receive a visa, you should not withdraw funds from your account, because during the review process, you may be required to re-submit.
• Confirmation of the provision of housing, indicating the duration of stay and the signature of the person providing housing, or a rental agreement. If the lease agreement is concluded with a legal entity, an extract from the trade register or a notarized copy is attached.
• Certificate of good conduct (for persons over 15 years old):
• On the territory of the country of citizenship.
• In a country where the visa applicant has lived for more than six months in the past 3 years.
• (with coverage from 60 thousand euros). It must be presented only when affixing a visa.
• A5 envelope:
• Sold at all post offices.
• The applicant's home address is written in block letters at the bottom right of the envelope.
• Postal card “Notice of delivery” with the applicant’s address.
• For children additionally served:
• Birth certificate (if necessary).
• Parents' consent for the child to travel abroad. The document is drawn up by a notary. If one parent is deprived of parental rights or has died, a court decision or death certificate is provided.

Important! When submitting financial guarantees for children, it is necessary that the credit card be issued in the name of the child, and that the child’s name appears on the bank certificate, and not the parent who owns the main account. Otherwise, the consular department will have questions.

Additional package

General documentation requirements

The applicant brings either original documents or photocopies certified by a Czech notary. All papers, with the exception of the international passport, are submitted only in Czech. Documents in Russian should be translated into Czech. The correctness of the translation is certified by a special seal:

• Or Czech notaries working at the embassy and consulates general.
• Or notarized translators in the Czech Republic (documents for certification will have to be sent by mail).

Copies of all original documents (except the application form) must be made and submitted to the diplomatic mission.. Copies are made both on notarized translations of certificates and on a credit card (front side). When submitting papers, uncertified copies must be folded separately from certified ones.

A maximum of six months must pass from the date the candidate is issued with any extracts, certificates, forms and other papers that he submits to the diplomatic mission. Documentation provided to the applicant more than 180 days ago will not be accepted. Exceptions:

• International passport.
• Photo card (if it matches the applicant’s appearance).
• Documents from the registry office.

Visa cost

A long-term visa to the Czech Republic is not issued free of charge. Each applicant pays a consular fee. Its size is 2500 CZK.
Payment is made in euros at the current exchange rate. In case of refusal to provide entry paper, the fee is not refunded.
Applications for children under 6 years old are accepted free of charge.

Terms of consideration

Each application for a national D visa is processed for at least 3 months. The period is counted from the date of submission of the application. In some cases, studying documents and making a final decision takes longer – 4 months.

An application for a student visa is processed within 2 months. But in some cases the period increases to 4 months.

Interview

The diplomatic mission has the right to invite the applicant for an interview. In the case of applicants for an entrepreneur visa, an interview is required. As a result of the interview, the consular officer makes a recording, which is signed by the applicant.

It is worth considering that the process of reviewing the visa application and recording is carried out in Czech. Those who do not know this language are advised to invite a translator.

For example, potential students are asked:

• Cost and duration of the training course.
• Full address of place of residence in the republic.
• Duration of stay in the hostel.
• Sources of financing.
• What caused the choice of the Czech Republic, etc.

Important! While waiting in line at the consular section, be sure to turn off your mobile phone. Under no circumstances should you use a laptop, camera or video camera.

Visa approved: what to do next

It is worth considering that a positive decision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which issued a visa to the Czech Republic to a foreigner, is valid for 6 months from the date of submission of the visa application. After this period, the document is considered invalid. Ready-made entry papers are not sent by mail. You will again have to go to the embassy or consulate general to obtain a visa. You should have with you:

• International passport.
• A receipt for payment of the fee, issued at the diplomatic mission when submitting papers.
• An insurance policy covering the entire period of stay in a European country. It is important to have insurance for every day. Otherwise, the visa will not be affixed.

Reasons for refusal

In the event of a negative decision on an application for a visa to the Czech Republic, the applicant is notified of the legal grounds for refusal. Among the common reasons given to candidates for application rejection are:

1. When receiving a labor card, the employer must not have social security debts.
2. Failure to appear on the day of submission of the visa application or interview.
3. The papers were submitted to the diplomatic mission, to which the candidate’s region of residence does not apply.
4. An incomplete set of all documents required by law, including medical insurance.
5. Incorrectly completed or executed documentation.
6. Providing incorrect or false information or forged documents.
7. Inconsistency between the real and declared purposes of the trip.
8. Suspicions that the person entering will want to stay in a European country illegally.
9. There are fears that the Czech authorities will have to pay for the citizen’s stay on the territory of the republic. In other words - insufficient funds in the account or suspicious cash deposit/withdrawal transactions.
10. Previous refusals to grant entry into the Czech Republic or other Schengen states.
11. Inclusion of a foreigner in the register of undesirable persons.

A rejected candidate has the right to request a review of his case. The application should be sent not to the embassy or consulate general, but to the Czech Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Application processing statistics

Users of the lifecz.ru forum keep statistics of applications for national Czech visas. In the table you can see: what visa was requested, when and from which city, the applicant’s specialty, the waiting period for a response, and the result (approval or refusal).

Bonuses for visa applicants

A long-term visa to the Czech Republic is issued on equal terms to all foreigners who meet the required criteria. There are no preferences for any groups of citizens.

For example, ownership of Czech real estate will not be the basis for opening a national entry document. However, owners of real estate have the right to count on a 2-year multiple entry visa. It will allow you to stay in the Czech Republic and the Schengen countries every 3 months every six months.

Benefits for D Visa Holders

In general, a national long-term visa gives its owner the right to stay not only on Czech soil, but also in other Schengen territories. In addition, free movement is allowed throughout all Schengen countries. In this case, the period of stay in any of the states is a maximum of 3 months over a six-month period.

It is important to remember that in the future, the annual long-term visa to the Czech Republic received by a foreigner is subject to extension. The issue of its extension is within the competence of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the republic.