The Czech Republic is a truly unique country, which has its own special culture and a huge number of attractions, among which tourists from Russia prefer to visit the architectural ones. However, in order to visit this state, residents of the Russian Federation must necessarily apply for a special permit to enter the country - a visa. This rule is due to the fact that the country is a member of the European Union and therefore does not have a system of free border crossing. How to get a Czech visa yourself without resorting to the services of intermediaries? What is this process, where should I go and what documents should I provide? About it further.
What is a visa?
A visa is a special permit for citizens of other countries to enter a certain state. In practice, such permission looks like a small separate document that is pasted onto the page of a person’s passport, or a seal that is fixed there.
As for a visa to the Czech Republic, it is a Schengen pass, which is familiar to regular guests of EU countries. Its big plus is that having issued a permission to enter one country, a person has the right to visit the rest of the European Union. It is established by the rules that it can be of two types: C and D. Which of them is drawn up for what and what is needed for this - we will examine further.
Where to apply for a permit?
In order to obtain a Czech Schengen visa, you should contact the representative office of the special state bodies that are involved in the provision of entry permits. Usually these are visa centers. You can get a Czech visa at the official representative offices of the Czech Republic in Russian cities, as well as at consulates.
As for the residents of Moscow, they have the opportunity to contact the Czech Service Visa Center, which is located at 31 Suschevsky Val Street, page 2. Applications can be submitted here on any weekday. You can also get a Czech visa in Moscow exclusively on weekdays. The regime of the visa center can be found on its official website.
As for residents of other cities of Russia, there are 18 representative offices in the country that citizens of the state can apply to provide permission to enter the Czech Republic. The largest of them are located in Vladivostok, Krasnodar, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Samara and Saratov.
How to choose your type of visa?
In order to get the right permission, which will be ideal for the purpose of the planned visit, you should carefully read the list of possible visas to the Czech Republic. As practice shows, in order to make a trip with a tourist visit, it is best to apply for a category C visa - it is short-term and is available for only 90 calendar days, which is enough for visiting local attractions. A tourist visa can be single, double and multiple - it all depends on the planned frequency of travel. Also, a tourist can apply for a residence permit at the airport (ATV). However, in practice, this type of visa to the Czech Republic is almost not requested - it is relevant only to those people who plan to fly to another country with a transfer at a Czech airport.
As for a long-term visa (type D), it is usually issued for people who plan to find a job in the Czech Republic or provide training. Also, sometimes it is issued for long-term treatment. However, as practice shows, requests for a long-term visa at consulates and missions are quite rare.
Documents for applying for a Czech visa
In order to apply for a permit to enter the Czech Republic of category C, it is necessary to prepare a certain package of documents in advance, which at the time of application should be submitted to the consulate or to another body that is the Czech representative in Russia. It is worth noting that the list of documents for a Czech visa is relatively small and can be collected in a matter of days.
First of all, you should take care of the validity of the passport - it must be valid for at least three more months, and also have a couple of blank pages. It is necessary to take a photocopy of the first page from this passport, on which the basic data of the citizen is marked. In addition to a copy, the consulate will also necessarily request the original document. In practice, nuances often arise when a person changed his name, but did not receive permission to enter the Czech Republic. According to generally accepted rules, if a citizen changes any of his personal data, then within a month they must also be changed in the passport.
In addition to the original and a copy of the passport, a person who wants to obtain a Czech visa with documents for its provision must submit an application form completed in accordance with the established rules. All entries should be entered in Latin letters, and the data entered should clearly correspond to how they are entered on the pages of the document. The Czech visa application form and sample form can be found on the official website of the Czech Consulate. From there, you can download it and fill it at home, bring it to the center ready-made. You can also fill out a questionnaire for a Czech visa directly at the consulate - they will certainly provide a ready-made form and, if necessary, they will advise on the correctness of entering the data. All adults who plan to take their children on a trip are required to enter their data in separate special forms.
In addition to the above documents, to obtain a Czech visa, you must provide a color photograph of the format 3.5 x 4 cm, as well as information about the availability of medical insurance, the amount of which must be at least 30,000 euros. In addition, its validity should continue throughout the entire planned stay in the country of the European Union.
Among the documents for a Czech visa, one photocopy of the passport of a Russian citizen must be attached, in particular, this applies to those pages on which the personal data of the person are entered, as well as the one where the registration information is indicated.
To enter the EU countries, it is necessary to indicate the purpose of the trip, confirm the financial viability, as well as present return tickets.
Purpose of the trip
As a rule, in the samples of filling out the application form for a Czech visa, wording is offered to indicate the purpose of the visit, such as tourism, treatment and a business trip. However, one written determination in the questionnaire is not enough - a document will be required at the consulate, which confirms what was said.
As a rule, tourists enclose a copy of the ticket. Also, a printout, which confirms the fact of booking a hotel in the Czech city, can be an excellent option.
For those who plan to carry out treatment in the country, it is advisable to attach to the general list of documents a medical certificate on the presence of a disease or referral to a Czech clinic for treatment, as well as an examination. In addition, the patient's family can request a letter from the clinic stating information about the need for treatment, as well as determining the time period during which hospitalization should be made. In this letter, the attending physician should also indicate the approximate cost of the procedures.
If the purpose of the trip is a business visit, then the person making the trip must present an invitation from a business partner who is in the country. It must be formalized, written on the original letterhead of the company or company, and also certified by the police department.
Financial soundness
One of the important conditions for a trip to the Czech Republic is the presence of a certain amount of financial resources. In order to confirm his financial viability, the traveler must provide a bank document, which will reflect the availability of funds in the personal account. In practice, many people prefer to present to the visa centers the original bank statement, which must be requested at least 3 months before submitting the documents.
To confirm their financial viability, many tourists attach a personal income tax certificate 2 to the main package of documents, which can be taken at the place of work. It indicates the size of wages for six months.
Often the Czech side issues a visa refusal only because the amount in the bank account of the tourist is insufficient. What amount of funds is considered optimal? As a rule, you should start from the amount of 1,100 kroons per day per person. That is, if, for example, a couple consisting of two adults is sent on a weekly trip, the consulate will consider applications to which a bank account is attached with an amount on it of at least 15,400 kroons. As for travelers with children, the minimum daily amount for them is 550 kroons, that is, exactly half of the adult size.
Application form for a Czech visa: sample filling out and features
Often a refusal to grant permission to enter the Czech Republic is issued if the questionnaire was filled out incorrectly. When filling out it, you must observe the clarity of the data entry, as well as the accuracy of their writing. All information on the pages of the passport must clearly correspond to those written on the form. To fill it, you should use the most ordinary ballpoint pen - forms filled with helium paste are not accepted. All letters that fit must be printed.
Such a volume of requirements for filling out the form is presented only because the procedure for reading information is carried out using technology. In the process of its work, if a blot or correction is detected, a malfunction may occur, the machine will incorrectly transmit the information and due to its inconsistency with the information presented in the original passport, the tourist will be refused a Czech visa.
As for the filling technology, all dates that must be indicated on the form should be written in a single format: DD MM YYYY.
As for the addresses of the location of the objects or residence, there are also some rules for writing them. First of all, it is necessary to indicate the number of the apartment, after that the name of the street or microdistrict, then the number of the house and building is indicated, after - the name of the city, its index, and the name of the state itself is written in the last place. As for telephone numbers, they must be written in the international format, starting with the "+" sign.
In the process of filling out the questionnaire, some difficulties may cause certain points. Consider the options for entering data into them.
First of all, special attention should be paid to the column under number 21, which should indicate the purpose of the trip. Here you should put a cross next to the item most suitable for your case. The choice of the item depends solely on what documents confirming the purpose of the visit are available. This was discussed in more detail above.
Box 23 also raises questions among travelers. It should be filled out only if it is not planned to travel by plane, but rather by land transport, for example, by bus or train. This section requires the mark of the country in which the Schengen area border will be crossed. Alternatively, this may be Poland, Slovakia, Austria or, for example, Germany. Moreover, the tourist must indicate the date of entry into this state. It should be noted that this number may differ from the date you visited the Czech Republic itself. This rule also applies to cases when a transit flight is by plane.
An incorrectly filled column under number 22 also often becomes a reason for refusing to visit Schengen countries. It should indicate the destination. If you are applying for a Czech visa, you should indicate the region code - CZE, which stands for Czech Republic.
Also, special attention should be paid to paragraph 25 of the questionnaire - it should indicate the exact number of days during which you plan to stay in the Schengen area, and not just the Czech Republic. However, it should be remembered that each day indicated in this column must be supported by a certain amount of funds on a bank card (at least 1100 kroons per day for one adult), as well as the availability of a place to stay. In addition, confirmation of the purpose of the trip (a letter from the hospital, a ticket, an invitation from business partners or relatives, and so on) should apply to the indicated numbers.
As for column number 32, its completion is mandatory only for those who plan to carry out a working visit to the Czech Republic. In this case, it must indicate the details of the company that invites the person.
Before submitting the questionnaire for consideration, it is necessary to put the required number of signatures in the right places - without them it is not valid. In the event that the questionnaire is drawn up for a child who has not yet reached the age of 14, then one of the parents must sign the questionnaire for him.
Photo Requirements
As mentioned above, in the package of documents for obtaining a Czech visa it is necessary to provide one color photograph measuring 3.5 x 4 cm. However, this is far from the only requirement for it.
It should be noted that in order to obtain permission to enter the Czech Republic it is impossible to provide a photo printed on a home printer - it must be of proper quality - this is especially a problem at visa centers. In order to obtain a photo for a visa, it is best to contact a professional photo studio. When ordering a card, it should be clarified that a photo is required, made not on glossy, but on matte paper.
When considering a photo, special attention is also paid to the image presented on it. So, the size of the head on it should be at least 30 mm, if you measure the distance from the top of the head to the chin. From the top edge to the top of the crown should be at least 2 millimeters. There are also small requirements for the limitation of the photo - it must be done no later than six months at the time of filing.
Documents for minors
All minors (those who have not reached the age of 18) are also entitled to apply for a Czech visa. What documents need to supplement the standard package to their parents who plan to accompany the child?
First of all, a copy of his birth certificate should be prepared, which should first be certified. Also for this you need to attach a copy of the Schengen visa of his parents.
When applying for a visa for a child, you should take care in advance of the permission of one of the parents to export the child abroad. This document must be notarized. In the event that he leaves for the Czech Republic accompanied by two parents, then this document is not required.
Parents are also required to take care of providing a certificate from the child's place of study.
Getting a long-term visa
In certain cases, it becomes necessary to obtain a long-term Czech visa. How much do they give her? As a rule, the validity of such a residence permit in the Czech Republic is not more than one year.
In order to get a stamp in your passport that allows you to stay in the Czech Republic for a year, you should contact the state diplomatic mission in Russia. A person who wishes to obtain permission to obtain a category D visa is required to appear in person, by appointment made via the Internet on the official website of the representative office. The peculiarity of obtaining such a visa is that the decision to grant it or to refuse it is made by the Czech Ministry of Internal Affairs.
What documents do I need to get a long-term visa? First of all, the consulate will need to present a passport, the period of which is no more than 10 years and at least 1 year on the day the request is submitted. Among its pages should be two blank. In addition to the passport, you should attach a couple of photographs taken in accordance with the above requirements. , . , . , - , , .
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If you are planning a trip to get an education at a Czech university, the student must provide confirmation from a university in the Czech Republic stating that a separate place has been reserved for this person. As for the confirmation of financial guarantees, the amount of bills must be at least 81,400 kroons per year. In the event that the person is a minor (under 18 years old), then exactly half of the indicated amount is sufficient.
Often the reason why you need to apply for a Czech visa is sports. To confirm this, the athlete has the right to provide the consulate with a copy of the contract, which indicates the duration of the necessary stay in the state. As for financial guarantees, their amount is from 81,400 kroons per year per adult, and for six months - 55,000 kroons.
Work Visa
Often, Russian citizens go to the Czech Republic in order to carry out labor activities in this country. In this case, it will be advisable to apply for a Czech work visa. As for the possibility of applying for such, it is available only to those persons with whom an employment contract has already been concluded with an employer from the Czech Republic. As practice shows, it is actually quite difficult to become its owner - for this it is necessary to have a higher education in the specialty that is especially in demand in the Czech Republic.
How much does a Czech visa give for those who wish to find a job in this country? It is valid for a two-year period and is issued only to those who plan to carry out labor activities for at least three months. After the specified period, in the case of an extension of the contract with the employer, the person has the right to apply for a work visa again by repeating the procedure. As practice shows, obtaining such permission again, as a rule, is not difficult, but only on condition that the employee’s previous stay in the country was not accompanied by a violation of the law and order on his part.
How to get a Czech visa for Russian citizens working in this country? First of all, you should apply to the representative office of the state located in Russia. It must include all personal information, the exact address of residence, similar information about the employer, as well as the place of registration. In addition, the application must indicate the type of work whose implementation is planned, as well as the estimated period.
Such a statement should be accompanied by a photocopy of the passport, a statement, a certificate from the employer that he really provides a workplace, as well as a copy of the education certificate, which will testify to the suitability of the person. Copies of a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, as well as a passport, a photo measuring 3.5 x 4 cm, as well as a completed application form for a Czech visa, which can be found on the website of the state consulate, should also be attached to the general package. Information on filling out this form can also be found on this site. All the requirements presented are fully consistent with those that are put forward to fill out a questionnaire for any type of visa to this country. A sample of a Czech visa of this type can also be found on this site. Fill out the questionnaire very carefully.
The requirements for a Czech visa include a clause on the payment of a consular fee of 500 kroons. A permit issued in this order can be valid for a couple of years. Having it, the employee can be arranged only with the employer, the name of which was indicated in the application.
The rules for issuing this type of visa list certain categories of people who are not eligible to receive it. Among them are those who have relatives - citizens of the European Union, people who work under an international labor agreement, as well as foreigners who pursue the goal of obtaining asylum in the Czech Republic under the guise of employment. Also to the category of people who are prohibited from issuing work visas are those citizens who previously applied for permission to conduct research.
Terms of consideration
With regard to the timing of consideration of packages of documents filed for a long-term visa, it usually takes about 4 months to get an answer. The minimum term for this process is 3 months. The exception is the deadline for consideration of documents submitted for a visa for schoolchildren and students planning to get an education in the Czech Republic. The duration of this period is 2 months.
If we talk about applying for a classic Schengen Class C visa, then all documents are considered much faster - within five business days. In some cases, this procedure can be delayed up to a month.
Employees of consulates and visa centers recommend submitting applications for entry permits in advance. This must be done in order to, in case of refusal, correct all deficiencies and re-submit the application.
Price
If we talk about the cost of a residence permit for a Russian citizen in the Czech Republic, it directly depends on what type of visa is planned. So, in order to become the holder of a Schengen visa category C, you will have to pay a basic fee of 35 euros. If necessary, you can submit an application subject to a quick review (within 3 days), but in this case, the cost of services will double - it will be 70 euros.
If we talk about obtaining a permit for a long-term stay in the Czech Republic (class D), then its cost is about 2500 kroons.
In the event that a visa is issued for children under the age of 6 years, then this procedure is completely free for them.