PERMITS AND VISAS

In the Czech Republic, the administration of visas and residence permits is divided between the Ministry of the Interior (MOI), which handles foreign nationals already resident in the Czech Republic, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), which runs the consular service at the Embassy where you will be making your initial visa application. The Czech authorities will issue a visa for a stay for more than 90 days upon the request of a foreign national, who intends to stay in the Czech Republic for study, employment, business or family unification.

Students who are EU or EFTA nationals (i.e. citizens of the 27 EU member states, plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland) DO NOT require a visa to study at VŠO. It is enough to arrive with a valid passport (or national ID card), and to register with the Czech Immigration authorities within 30 days of arrival.

Students from outside the EU or EFTA (so-called “third-country nationals”) DO require a visa or a residence permit to study in the Czech Republic. Visas and residence permits are issued at Czech consulates in your country of origin (and/ or country of residence), and must be obtained before coming to Prague. It is not possible to apply for a visa after your arrival, or even to pick up a visa you have previously applied for. Processing times can be up to 90 days from the day the Embassy receives a complete application file. When it is ready, you will have to pick up your visa (or residence permit) at the same consulate where you made the application, so please factor this into your travel plans. It is not possible to pick it up at a different consulate, or in the Czech Republic. When you go to pick up your visa, the consulate will ask for proof that you have purchased Health Insurance for your stay. You do not have to have health insurance at the time you make your visa application, but you do have to have it before they will issue the visa.

More information about the long-term visa applications can be found here.

When you apply for visa, you need:

Application long-stay visa form. The form must be filled out completely with a ball point pen or by a typewriter with black or blue ink.
Two (2) identical photographs. Photographs must be of an official passport size (3,5 x 4,5 cm) and must be a full face view, side or angled views are not accepted.
Travel document (passport), validity of which exceeds the expected length of stay by at least 90 days with a couple of blank visa pages available (+ photocopy of data page)
Proof of sufficient funds (approximately 65000 CZK). You can prove the funds by presenting bank statements for the last three months (or an original letter from the bank with a notarized translation into Czech) and internationally accepted credit card(s) issued in your name.
Proof of the purpose of stay. Usually, it will be the Letter of Acceptance (in Czech) issued and signed and/or stamped by the school representative. There may also be other documents certifying that you will be attending a school, a training course, an internship, etc. Such letters will usually be included in the confirmation of pre-arranged accommodation of the student.
Proof of accommodation (in Czech).
Photocopy of your Birth Certificate (in case of minors only) Such photocopy does not need to be legalized. Please note that only the Birth Certificate showing the names of your parents is accepted (i.e. the "wallet" form is not sufficient).
Certificate of Good Conduct ( criminal record) from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of your country.
Travel medical insurance for the stay in the Czech Republic; the insurance is to be purchased at a later stage, when visa is issued. Time for insurance is 1 year. You pay for insurance in the Czech Republic to Czech insurance institution. You have to present a document to show this has been finalized before the visa can be issued. The official minimum requirement for medical coverage is as follows: Travel medical insurance must cover the cost of emergency medical care, including medical evacuation or, in the event of death, repatriation of remains to the country that has issued the applicant’s travel document or to the applicant’s country of residence. The insurance policy must not exclude coverage for injuries and damage caused by the applicant’s intentional acts, injuries and damage caused by fault or contributory fault on the part of the applicant, and injuries and damage caused by the consumption of alcohol, narcotic and psychotropic substances by the applicant. The minimum coverage is 60,000 EUR per one insured event without any coinsurance or copayment. You can buy it online at of of following Insurance institutions: SLAVIA, MAXIMA, UNIQA, VZP, ERGO.

The following link may be helpful: “ Official Travel Medical Insurance page (includes link to a list of Czech insurance companies)”. Some helpful information about medical care and insurance according to different countries can be found here.

Note: Supporting documents may not be older than 180 days with the exception of a passport, registry documents (birth certificate or marriage certificate), diplomas and similar documents and photo (if reflecting current appearance).

Obligations of students

Upon arrival, students from non-EU countries are obliged to register after arrival with the Foreign Police, if it has not been done by the accommodation provider. Students from EU countries have the same obligations.

Within 3 working days of entering the Czech Republic, all foreign students arriving to receive a long-term residence permit are obliged to report to the MOI office in person for the purpose of carrying out activities associated with issuing a biometric residence card, where they may also report their arrival.

Students from both non-EU countries and EU countries are obliged to report changes concerning their stay in the Czech Republic, such as a change in address, a change in their travel document or family status.

We recommend that students who apply for a long-term residence permit inside the Czech Republic or its extension and plan to return to their home country during the course of the proceedings, inform the MOI of this fact when filing the application and, if necessary, provide a contact address whilst they are away or inform of a person with a power of attorney, who will represent them whilst they are away.

Students that have been issued a residence card are obliged to return the card before ending their stay in the CR.

Please note that other obligations or rules may apply to foreign students, as they apply to foreigners in general, but may not be listed here. Please follow our website at https://www.imigracniportal.cz/index.php?Lang_set=1 for any other immigration issues that may arise during your stay.

Note that if you want to renew your visa under current Czech immigration law, VŠO is required to provide the Czech Ministry of the Interior with accurate and up-to-date lists of foreign nationals who have registered for study. As all students enter into a student contract with VŠO under which they are obliged to, among other things, pay their tuition and all applicable fees within set deadline, VŠO will consider any failure to duly pay the agreed amounts as a violation of said student contract. In accordance with its legal obligations, VŠO will immediately inform the Czech Foreign Police of any such violations. This may result in the suspension of the visa of the respective student.

Please note that it is each student’s own responsibility to duly pay his/her tuition, either in full or in contractually bound installments, and to do so on time. VŠO is not obliged to continually notify students of their respective deadlines.

Be sure to check out your country’s Czech Consulate to see any specific requirements for citizens of your country.