VISA PROCESS GUIDE

There are two type of permits you can apply for:

• long-term residence permit for the purpose of "studies"
• long-term visa for the purpose of "studies"

We would recommend to apply for a LT residence permit:
- it is intended primarily for foreigners from third countries who plan to stay in the Czech Republic for more than a six months 
- after approval, you will receive single-entry visa at the embassy which entitles you to travel to the CZE and pick up the residence permit card
- after arrival to the CZE, you will receive a residence permit card
- with a residence card, certain administrative task and life in the CZE in general may be easier

Identical elements:

• entitle you to stay for more than 90 days (3 months)
• entitle to move around the Schengen area - stay in other Schengen states must not exceed 90 days in any 180 days and must be non-remunerative
• both the long-term visa and the long-term residence permit can be extended in the Czech Republic - if the purpose of the stay is still valid

Differences:

• visa is multiple entry, can be renewed, issued for a maximum of 1 year
• RP is first issued as one-entry visa, then receiving a residence permit card, can be renewed, issued for a maximum of 2 years (usually for 1 year, though)

It is always necessary to file the application in person!!!

LT Residence permit:
The application is filed at the Czech Embassy in the state of which you are a citizen or which issued your current travel document or in the state in which you have a long-term or permanent residence permit at the properly completed form.

Foreign national is also entitled to file an application at the MOI office in the territory of Czech republic in this case:

1. if the foreign national is a holder of long-term visa (for more than 90 days) for any purpose, except of long-term visa of leave to remain, purpose of seasonal work or extra work,

2. if the foreign national is a holder of long-term residence permit for another purpose issued in the territory of Czech Republic,

3. if the foreign national is a holder of long-term residence permit issued for the purpose of study by another EU member state (except Great Britain, Ireland, Denmark), if he/she submits the application within his legitimate residence.

LT Visa:
An application for a long-term visa for over 90 days can be submitted at a Czech Embassy abroad. You are obliged to submit the application only at the Czech Embassy in the state of which you are a citizen or which issued your current travel document or in the state in which you have a long-term or permanent residence permit. You do not have to meet these conditions if you are a citizen of a state presented in the list of countries whose nationals are entitled to submit an application for a long-term visa at any Czech Embassy whatsoever (Decree No. 429/2010 Coll.).

An application for a long-term visa can only be submitted inside the Czech Republic in legally set cases.

It is always necessary to file the application in person!!!
You can arrange a meeting at the embassy by yourself (according to the instructions of the specific embassy, this can be done by email, telephone or in person) OR we can help by so-called student mode (see information about this process in next drop-down box).

The application is filed at the properly completed form together with all required documents. You will find the application forms also in box "Documents".

You should, however, always submit originals or notarized copies of the documents. Travel document, birth certificate, marriage certificate and document proving the purpose of the stay must be submitted in original. 
The requirements for the application shall not be older than 180 days except for the travel document and the photograph of the foreign national if it corresponds to his/her actual appearance. 

Students who have already received their Master's degree can be nominated into so-called Student Mode.
The project "Student Mode" is the concept of visa facilitation for students-foreigners from selected third countries who are admitted to study at Universities in the Czech Republic and at the the same time they are enrolled in the Student Mode.

Faculty can nominate you into this special project if you from selected countries. Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports makes decision on the enrollment to the Student Mode, if they accept it, they resend your contact details to the respected Embassy. Each month, there is a specific date we can nominate you, after this it takes approx. two weeks before the Embassy receives all the contact details.

Embassy contacts you directly, usually via e-mail, and offers you a specific date for your visa appointment. You CANNOT choose a date! However, you could ask the Embassy whether it would be possible to get another appointment if you are awaiting documents or are abroad etc.

We will provide you with an Acceptance Letter (purpose of stay), Confirmation of Accommodation (proof of accommodation) and Confirmation of Scholarship (if you will be receiving it, can serve as proof of funds). As these documents are needed in original, we will send them to you via Czech Post (to most of the countries, it takes 10-14 days), in exceptional case we can use a DHL shipment. 

Along with the filled application form for a LT residence permit/visa you must submit:

1. a travel document,

2. a document confirming the purpose of your stay in the territory,

3. proof of accommodation,

4. a photograph,

5. proof of funds, or document, that all costs will be paid by state authority (state organization), legal organization or domestic host organization. You can also submit document proving that your total monthly income will not be lower than the sum of subsistence minimum (3 860 CZK) and the highest amount of normative housing costs (8 577 CZK) or housing costs you actually spend,

6. upon request a document similar to an extract from the Penal Register record,

7. upon request a document proving the fulfilment of conditions set out in the measure of Ministry of Health on prevention of the spread of infectious illnesses (Medical report).

More info can be found here.
NOTE! All of the documents submitted must be made out in the Czech language or Slovak language or officially translated into Czech. Moreover, foreign public documents must be supported by a higher verification (Apostille, superlegalisation).

The requirements for the application shall not be older than 180 days except for the travel document and the photograph of the foreign national if it corresponds to his/her actual appearance.

In the case of a positive appraisal of your application, the MOI office/embassy at which you filed the application will contact you.

NOTE!  If your application is approved, prior to affixing the visa, you are obliged to submit a proof of medical travel insurance that corresponds to the specified conditions (not required if the foreign national subscribes to public health insurance or if the costs for health care are covered on the basis of an international agreement or if the foreign national can demonstrate that health care is covered in another manner), and, upon request, a document on paying the insurance presented in the proof of medical travel insurance.
Exeptions can be found here.

Decision to issue a long-term residence permit
In the event of filing an application at an embassy, you will receive a visa for a stay of over 90 days for the purpose of receiving a residence permit, with which you can travel to the CR and report to the MOI office within 3 working days to fulfil the reporting duty and provide biometric data necessary for issuing a residence card.
This visa is one-entry! The address of the office which you are suppose to report at, will be given to you when receiving the residence permit at the Czech embassy abroad. If you does not appear in this period at the MOI office, the proceedings held on your application will be terminated and you will be obliged to leave the territory of  the Czech Republic.

In the stated time period, however no longer than 60 days from providing the biometric data, you have to report in person at a MOI office in order to collect your residence permit card - to confirm your identity (or more precisely the correctness of the personal information in the card, its functionality and the information and correctness of the data saved on the biometric card).

Please, note that we need your personal details (name, surname, date of birth, number of travel passport) always correct and consistent with the details on the passport! Otherwise, the visa documents we can provide you with, won't be valid!

The Act on the Residence of Foreign Nationals sets a standard deadline of 60 days for processing an application from the time of filing it. Yet, in exceptional case might take longer.

During your stay in CZE do not forget to report changes related to your residence (= if you move to a new address).
If you are staying in private accommodation, you can prove it with an accommodation contract, which must comply with the following conditions!
It is important to report this change as the MOI might need to contact you.

• In the event of a positive processing of an application filed at an embassy, you are obliged to submit proof of travel medical insurance and, at the same time, upon request, submit a document on paying the insurance premium = you do NOT need it at the beginning of the visa process, but the Embassy will ask you to show it when you will pick the visa up. 
• If the application is filed in the Czech Republic, submit these requirements directly when you submit an application.
• Some of the health insurance companies: VZP, Slavia, Maxima, Axa, Uniqa...
• Calculation of health insurance VZP Health Insurance Company (non-binding)
• Exeptions can be found here.

Yes, they can apply for a long-term visa for "family purpose" or long-term residence permit for the purpose of "family reunification".

Please check both websites to see what the application requirements are.

Yes, you can!

If you have a long-term visa, it is multiple entry and you can use to to enter any EU/Schengen country.
If you have a long-term residence permit, you need to pick up the residence card first! The visa you will receive at the Embassy is only single-entry! With the residence card you can travel without any problems.

The MOI Brno (in Czech = OAMP)
Address: Tuřanka 1554/115b, 627 00 Brno, map here
To reach the MOI office, the best is to go by bus to Slatina, Závod stop.

Take a bus number 77 from Úzká stop to Slatina, Závod stop – find the bus schedule HERE. The bus runs regularly (every 10-20minutes) and the journey takes approximately 20-25 minutes. Then your final destination will be only an 8-minutes walk.

Watch a video how it looks like at the MOI.  You will enter the building through an automatic door. On the left side is a small waiting room, where there is also a toilet, vending machine and coffee machine. On the second floor, which can be reached by lift or stairs, there is a large waiting room, information desk, MOI offices and a counselling room of the Celzus Brno. When you enter, take a ticket with a serial number in one of the machines and wait until your number appears on the TV.

OPENING HOURS:
Mo, We: 8.00 - 17.00
Tu, Th: 8.00 - 14.00
Fr: by invitation only
online reservation here

CONTACT:
Phone: 974 801 801 (information and appointment line; Mo - Th: 8.00 - 16.00 and  Fr: 8.00 - 12.00, works in English as well!)
Responsibility for the Brno-město, Brno-venkov, Vyškov, Blansko, Břeclav and Znojmo

No, renewing your residence permit on time is entirely your responsibility.
Ministry of Interior offers to the caller the closest term for appointment possible. It is not checked whether offered term falls within the time limit prescribed by the law for respective legal act (i.e. for submission of the application).

It might be a good idea to have a Czech speaking person with you, at least when you go to the MOI for the first time.
There is an option to contact organization Celzus - their staff are present at the MOI and can interpret in several languages or help you prepare and check documents for the meeting and fill in forms. It is free of charge, write them an email or call them.

You can also try to write to the ESN MUNI - you can ask for a "buddy" to go there with you.

Ask at the MOI for a bridging label/sticker!

This "bridging label" is affixed to your travel document in the form of a visa for a stay of more than 90 days, with a validity period corresponding to the expected duration of the application procedure, usually on a waiting basis. For this reason, the personal presence of the applicant is required. For this purpose, the applicant shall present a valid travel document, no other formalities are required.
The "bridging sticker" allows its holder to travel from/to the Schengen area.

The sticker is then used as a certificate of the application and declares the legality of the stay in the Czech Republic until a final decision on the application has been made!