Home I need to arrange… Visas and Residence for Foreigners in the Czech Republic Third-Country Nationals

Third-Country Nationals

If you do not fall within the above mentioned category of EU citizens and citizens of other states forming the Schengen area, you are what is called a third country national. Therefore the categories listed below apply to you.

Short-term Stay in the Czech Republic – without a Visa

If your country does not have a visa requirement with the Czech Republic, according to the Act on the Residence of Foreign Nationals, you can arrive in Czech Republic with a valid travel document for a maximum of 90 days. The Czech Republic is a part of the Schengen area (an area with no internal borders), and therefore as foreigner you may remain in the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days within any 180 days period. This is known as the 90/180 rule. However, you may not work during this period. It is also your obligation to report the place of your residence at the relevant department of the foreign police within three days. If you are staying in a hotel of a dormitory, the accommodation provider fulfills this duty for you.

To calculate the number of days you are allowed to stay in the Czech Republic (and the whole Schengen area) under the 90/180 rule, you can use the Schengen calculator.

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Short-term and Long-term Visa

Short-term Visa for Foreigners in the Czech Republic

Are you planning to come to the CR as a citizen of a country with a visa requirement to the Czech Republic and want to study, do business, see your family or friends or visit a cultural programme? Then you need to get a visa based on the length of the planned stay. The short-term visa (also known as the Schengen visa) is valid for a maximum of 90 days in 180 days.

Issuance of short-term visas lies within the purview of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. For more information have a look at the section Entry & Residence on the website of the MFA.


In exceptional circumstances you can apply for the extension of short-term visa at the Foreign Police departments of the regional directorates of the Police of the Czech Republic. A list of the offices is available here.

Long-term Visa for Foreigners in the Czech Republic

The long-term visa for over 90 days allows you to stay in the CR for up to one year. However, it will be issued for you only for the period of time for which you can prove the purpose of your stay. (If you for example submit the conformation of studies only for 1 semester, you will get the long-term visa only for this period of time).

Submit the application for a long-term visa in person at the relevant diplomatic mission of the Czech Republic abroad.  Bear in mind that you may be invited for an interview during which your plans will be verified. When applying for a long-term visa to the Czech Republic for a period over 90 days, you need to bring your passport, 1 photo (unless photos are taken at the office), a document proving accommodation arrangement in the CR, and a proof of substantial funds for the stay in the CR. You also need to bring a document confirming the purpose of your stay in the Czech Republic (it can be a confirmation of study, a trade licence or an invitation etc.), a travel document, a confirmation of accommodation and sufficient funds. For more information about the purpuse of stay and how to prove it, see the website of the Ministry of the Interior. An extract from criminal records and other documents may be requested as well.

Always submit original documents or certified copies. All documents with the exception of the passport need to be translated into Czech. The highest level of certification is required for foreign authentic instruments.

Diplomatic missions of the Czech Republic are only entitled to accept the applications; the decision on granting the visa is then made by the Ministry of the Interior of the CR. If you are granted the visa to the Czech Republic, the diplomatic mission usually sends you an email to inform you that your visa is ready to collect. After that you have to provide proof of travel health insurance. If your Czech visa application is refused, the Ministry of the Interior will inform you about the reasons for refusal in writing. You may ask the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic to re-asses the reasons for denying a visa for over 90 days within 15 days from receiving this information. It is then the Ministry’s obligation to inform you about the result of the re-assessment within 60 days.

For more information about the long-term Czech visa, the documents you need to submit with the application, the application procedure and visa extension, have a look at the website of the Ministry of the Interior, which is responsible for processing your application.

Long-term Residence for Foreigners in the Czech Republic

Are you planning to stay in the Czech Republic for more than a year? Or have you already been here on a long-term visa and want to extend your stay on the Czech territory? Then the best option for you is to apply for a long-term residence permit in the Czech Republic. You have to submit the application in person and you need to submit the same documents as if you applied for a long-term visa for a period over 90 days. That means that it is usually enough to bring your passport, a document proving the purpose of  your stay in the CR, a document proving accommodation arrangement in the CR, and a proof of substantial funds for the stay in the Czech Republic. Always submit original documents or certified copies. All submitted documents need to be translated into Czech. The highest level of certification is required for foreign authentic instruments. You also have to pay an administrative fee for submitting the application.

Long-term residence permits for foreigners are the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic. You may apply for the long-term residence permit at the Ministry’s office called Foreigners’ Residence Unit (of the Department for Asylum and Migration Policy) if you have come to the CR on a visa over 90 days, you intent to be in the CR for more than a year and the purpose of your stay is still valid.

If you plan to work, invest, study, or to carry out scientific research in the CR on a long-term basis, or if you want to join your family here, you may apply for the long-term residence permit at a diplomatic mission of the CR without prior stay in the CR.

Purpose of the Stay of a Foreigner in the Czech Republic

If you are staying in the territory of the Czech Republic on a long-term basis, you need to prove the Ministry of the Interior your reason for staying here – it is called a purpose of the stay. The basic types of the purpose of the stay are studies, scientific research, employment, business and family reunification.

As a foreigner, you always need to fulfill the purpose of your stay in the Czech Republic, permitted by the Ministry of the Interior and stated by the Act on the Residence of Foreign Nationals in the Czech Republic! Before you are granted a permanent residence permit, you may not spend even one day in the territory of the Czech Republic without fulfilling the purpose of your stay in CR!

Therefore if you quit your job, you need to take up another employment right the next day or change the purpose of your stay, so that there was continuity. Likewise, if you quit your studies or if you complete them successfully, you need to take up employment the very next day or to change the purpose of your stay.

If you change from a long-term visa to a long-term residence, you need to keep fulfilling the same purpose of your stay (e.g. university studies)! You can change the purpose of your stay once you have obtained a long-term residence permit. 

If you have been granted a long-term residence permit, you are free to change the purpose of your stay anytime, with the following exceptions:

  • – If you want to change the purpose of your stay for business, you may do so only after 5 years of residence in the territory of the CR. Those who are residing here with the purpose of family reunification have an exception.
  • –  If you have been granted a long-term residence with the purpose of family reunification and have spent 3 years residing in the territory of the CR or have reached 18 years of age, you may apply for a long-term residence permit with a different purpose at the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy of the MOI of the CR.
  • –  If the purpose of your stay is family reunification and you get divorced, you may change the purpose of your stay only if you have been residing in the CR continuously for at least 2 years and your marriage lasted for at least 5 years.

Would you like to apply for a long-term residence permit in the Czech Republic right away?

If as a foreigner, your first application is the application for a long-term residence permit in the Czech Republic, then it may take much longer to get the decision than if you applied for a long-term visa instead. For example, the time limit for decisions on family reunification is up to 270 days. However, there is an indisputable advantage: if your application is rejected, you may appeal against the decision.

Links:

  • An application form for a long-term residence permit in CR can be found on the website of the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic, which is in charge of long-term residences.
  • Here you will find more detailed information about long-term residence of Foreigners in the Czech Republic, including the essential elements of the residence permit application, individual purposes of stay, description of the application procedure and other useful information.
If you want to stay in the CR with the purpose of employment, you have to apply for the employee card.

Biometric Card of a Foreigner in the Czech Republic

If you get a long-term or permanent residence permit in the CR, you will also be issued a biometric card. On this card there are biomentric data, i.e. a facial picture and fingerprints. It makes the verification of the identity of a foreigner living on the territory of the Czech Republic and authenticity of documents much easier. To have your biometric data taken, you have to go to the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy of the Ministry of the Interior of the CR.

If you have applied for a permit to reside abroad, have your biometric data taken within three days after entering the territory. You need to have a valid travel document with you. You can make an appointment in advance on the phone – ask for the contact at the relevant diplomatic mission. If you make the application in the territory of the CR, the Ministry of the Interior will ask you to have your biometric data taken. Remember that you have to collect the biometric card no later than within 60 days from the day on which your data were taken. Changes in your data have to be reported to the office within three days. The general deadline for reporting a change of your address is longer – it is 30 days.

Be sure to know and meet all deadlines! If you are just one day late, you may lose your residence permit in the CR! If in doubt on what to do or what deadlines apply in your situation, use free legal and social sounselling of Integration Centre Prague or other NGOs that will guide you through the complex Act on Foreign nationals.

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If you want to stay in the CR for the purpose of employment, you need to apply for the. employee card.

Permanent Residence of Foreigners in the Czech Republic

If you want to reside in the CR permanently, according to the on the Act Residence of Foreign Nationals in the Territory of the Czech Republic you may apply for a permanent residence permit after 5 years of continuous residence in the CR. A stay on a long-term visa and a long-term residence permit is counted into this time but a stay on a short-term visa is not.

Students have to bear in mind that only half of the time spent studying in the territory of the Czech Republic counts towards their period of residence for the purpose of applying for permanent residence.

The condition of a continuous stay does not apply to Czech compatriots with a demonstrable Czech origin, their spouses and their children (minors). They may apply for permanent residence based on so-called reasons worthy of special consideration.

If you want to be granted permanent residence, as a foreigner you have to demonstrate a basic knowledge of the Czech language and therefore you have to pass a test from the Czech language on the A2 level.

It is a good idea to study Czech! With knowledge of Czech, it will be easier for you to engage in everyday life in the CR. Studying Czech is also a step towards getting the permanent residence permit.

The permanent residence application has to be submitted in person at a relevant office of the Ministry of the Interior based on the registered place of your residence. Together with the application you also need to provide a proof of accommodation in the Czech Republic and a proof of sufficient funds for your stay. You may also be asked to provide an extract from your criminal record.

 Once the decision on granting permanent residence comes into legal effect, you are automatically enrolled in the public healthcare system. Another important advantage is that you no longer have to extend your residence permit and therefore the Ministry of the Interior no longer wants you to prove that you comply with your purpose of your stay or to apply for a change of your purpose of stay.

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Czech citizenship

In general, a foreigner can become a Czech citizen after 5 years of continuous long-term residence in the CR. Under the Czech law this does not mean having to renounce your existing citizenship, as the Czech Republic allows people to have multiple citizenships.

If you want to apply for Czech citizenship, you need to submit an application and demonstrate knowledge of the Czech language on a B1 level and pass an Czech life and institutions test.

If you prove that you have studied for at least 3 years at a primary school, a secondary school or a university in the Czech language, you do not have to sit for the exam. Applicants younger than 15 and older than 65 are also exempt from the exam.

Czech citizenship applications shall be submitted at Regional Offices or at Municipal Offices of Prague districts. The administrative fee for granting citizenship is 2,000 CZK (for a minor child it is 500 CZK).

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Which Office to Contact?

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic is responsible for the issuance of short-term visas to the Czech Republic. Submit your application via diplomatic missions of the Czech Republic in your home countries.

For more information, see the official website of the MFA of the CR.

Issues related to residence of foreigners in the CR fall within the purview of 2 bodies of the Ministry of the Interior of the CR. These are 1) the Foreign (Alien) Police and 2) the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy (hereinafter OAMP – a widely used abbreviation based on the Czech name).

 Do not confuse the Foreign (Alien) Police and the Department for Asylum and Migration Policy! If you provide an incorrect address, for example when applying for an extension of your long-term residence permit, your application will not be accepted!

Foreign (Alien) Police

You have to appear at the Foreign Police office within three days after your first arrival in the Czech Republic to report your stay here (unless the provider of your accommodation does so for you). This is also where you go to arrange an invitation for your relatives/friends. The Foreign Police carries out residence checks and addresses failures to comply with the conditions of your stay in the CR.

OAMP of the Ministry of the Interior of the CR

The Department of Asylum and Migration Policy (OAMP) – the Foreign Nationals Residence Department (the Czech abbreviation is OPC)is responsible for the agenda of long-term visas, long-term and permanent residence permits, temporary residence of EU citizens and their family members, biometric cards etc.

It is your duty to report all changes related to your place of residence, surname and family status and changes of data in your travel document and in your document issued for the residence in the CR to the OAMP. A change of the place of your residence has to be reported within 30 days but other changes have to be reported no later than within 3 days. Always observe the deadlines!

We recommend that you make an appointment on a telephone line (+420) 974 801 801 to or use the online appointment system. A link for each OAMP branch that uses the online system can be found in their details on the website. To learn more, visit the website of the Ministry of the Interior. If you make an appointment well in advance, you will avoid unnecessary queues at the Foreign Nationals Residence Department in Prague and the Central Bohemian Region.

Links:

  • Contacts for individual OAMP offices can be found on the website of the Ministry of the Interior.
  • An updated map of the offices of the Ministry of the Interior and the Foreign Police in Prague and the Central Bohemian Region can be downloaded here.
  • Telephone Line:

If you have any questions regarding immigration issues or want to ask how to apply for a long-term visa or a residence permit in the CR, call +420 974 801 801, the telephone helpline of the Ministry of the Interior. The helpline is available from Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m and on Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. This line is not intended for official communication with the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic.

Email:

pobyty@mvcr.cz