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Scientific Research

 

Long-term residence permits for the purpose of scientific research are required for scientific or academic workers and visiting professors from the so-called third countries who will carry out scientific work in a scientific organization based on a hosting agreement for more than three months.

KINDLY FOLLOW THESE STEPS:

1. FIND A CONSULATE WHERE YOU WILL LODGE YOUR APPLICATION.

2. SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT.

Consulates schedule their own appointments, mostly by e-mail or phone – refer to consulates´ websites for guidance.

Applications are lodged in person. An interview is held and fingerprints are collected.

3. LODGE THE APPLICATION PRESENTING THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS:

PASSPORT

APPLICATION FORMApplication for long-term residence permit (green form)

2 PHOTOS

BIOMETRIC DATA (FINGERPRINTS)

HOSTING AGREEMENT

WRITTEN UNDERTAKING (only if not stated in the hosting agreement) that the hosting scientific institution will cover costs that might arise during the applicant´s stay in the Czech Republic following the expiry of his/her long-term residence permit, incl. departure related costs, should these costs arise within six months after the end of the hosting agreement and should they were covered from public funds

CRIMINAL RECORD EXTRACT

FEE

TRAVEL MEDICAL INSURANCEonly if visa approved, not when applying

DO NOT OVERLOOK:

-Supporting documents may not be older than 180 days with the exception of a passport and photo (if reflecting current appearance).

-Supporting documents must be submitted in Czech. Documents in another language must also be submitted in official translation into Czech.

-Foreign public documents must be legalized, i.e. equipped by an apostille or superlegalized.

-The following documents must always be submitted in their originals: passport and supporting documents on purpose of stay (in this case hosting agreement). These originals will be returned to the applicant should he / she wish to keep them. Passport is always returned to the applicant and is submitted again when issuing the visa.

-Other supporting documents may be submitted as originals or officially verified copies.

-We kindly request that applicants also prepare a set of copies of all the requirements.

-SUBMIT ONLY COMPLETE APPLICATIONS CONTAINING ALL REQUIREMENTS.

-INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS CANNOT BE PROCESSED => PROCESSING OF INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS NEEDS TO BE SUSPENDED UNTIL THE APPLICANT ADDS THE MISSING DOCUMENTS (§ 169i + § 169r. 4 of Act on Residence of Foreign Nationals). THIS PROLONGS THE OVERALL PROCESSING!

4. AWAIT THE DECISION.

The legal processing time of long-term residence permits for the purpose of scientific research is 60 days.

5. GET TRAVEL MEDICAL INSURANCE WHEN VISA APPROVED.

Foreign nationals are required to take out a travel medical insurance for their stay in the Czech Republic. When picking up your visa, do submit an officially verified translation of the insurance policy and general conditions into Czech to prove that you possess such an insurance and in what extent.

Upon request, do submit the proof of payment for the insurance.

6. PICK UP YOUR VISA IF APPROVED OR REFUSAL FORM IN CASE OF VISA REFUSAL.

Applicants can pick up their passports themselves or they can authorize someone else to do so on their behalf. A certified power of attorney needs to be presented when picking up the passport on somebody´s behalf. If the applicant notifies the consulate about this arrangement when lodging the application, no power of attorney is necessary.  

NOTE: Visa issuance does not automatically grant the right of entry to the Czech Republic or the Schengen Area. Visa holders are required to fulfill entry conditions specified in the Schengen Border Code when crossing the external borders and, upon request, present documents related to the planned stay.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON LONG-TERM RESIDENCE PERMITS FOR THE PURPOSE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH:

For the purposes of these applications, the following definitions apply:

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH = activity of a scientific worker, academic worker or visiting professor at a public or other research institution registered in in the registry of research institutions authorized to accept scientific workers from third countries based on the Act on Public Scientific Institutions

RESEARCH INSTITUTION = public research institution, university or other scientific organization registered in the registry of research institutions authorized to accept scientific workers from third countries based on the Act on Public Scientific Institutions

Long-term residence permit applications can be lodged by citizens of the so-called third countries, i.e. states outside of the EU, Island, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Citizens of these countries nor their family members (in the extent of a definition of a family member as per § 15a and § 180f of Act on Residence of Foreign Nationals) do not need a long-term residence permit to stay in the Czech Republic.

To carry out scientific work, the Czech Republic issues long-term residence permits, not long-term visas.

Holders of long-term residence permits for the purpose of scientific research in another EU Member State can stay in the Czech Republic for the purpose of scientific research based on this residence permit WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL VISA for up to one year. Please note that to qualify, the word "scientific research" or its translation must appear on the residence card.

Long-term residence permit applications are lodged at diplomatic missions of the Czech Republic according to the territorial competence. They forward the applications to the Ministry of the Interior, which examines them and decides on them. If approved, the diplomatic mission, at which the application was lodged, issues a long-term visa for the purpose of collecting a long-term residence permit for the purpose of scientific research. This visa is issued as single entry for 60 days. During this period, the applicant visits the local branch of the Ministry of the Interior according to the place of stay in the Czech Republic, which subsequently – after collection of biometric data – issues a residence card.

If the purpose of stay lasts, the applicant can request – before expiry of the residence card – an extension at the local branch of the Ministry of the Interior.

Long-term residence permit grants its holder a right of free movement in the Schengen Area for a maximum of 90 days within any 180 days for non-gainful purposes (in this respect, it fulfills the function of a short-tem Schengen visa).

 

Legal sources:

○ Act No 326/1999 Coll., on Residence of Foreign Nationals in the Czech Republic and Amending Certain Acts (available in Czech)

  • -territorial competence: § 169g
  • -scheduling appointment to lodge application: § 169f
  • -lodging application in person: § 169d
  • -requirement to submit documents: § 168.2
  • -submitting fingerprints: § 55.3
  • -residence permit for the purpose of scientific research + supporting documents: § 42f  
  • -long-term visa supporting documents: § 31, § 42.6
  • -supporting documents – requirements (within 180 days, originals, Czech language): § 55.1, § 169.2
  • -unacceptability of application: § 169h
  • -suspension of processing: § 169i, § 169r.4; § 169.2 (when supporting documents not in Czech)
  • -legal processing period: § 169t.6.a).2
  • -travel health insurance: § 180j

○ Act No 500/2004 Coll., Administrative Code (available in Czech)

  • -requirement to submit documents in Czech: § 16.1 + 2

○ Act No 341/2005 Coll., on Public Scientific Institutions (available in Czech)

○ Decree from December 21, 2010, No 429/2010 Coll., on Establishing Exceptions from Foreigner´s Obligation to Apply for a Visa or Residence Permit at a Diplomatic Mission According to Local Territorial Competence (available in Czech)

○ Decree from February 5, 2020, No 35/2020 Coll., on Establishing Territorial Districts of Diplomatic Missions for Purposes of Lodging Visa and Residence Permit Applications (available in Czech)

○ Directive (EU) 2016/801 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2016 on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of research, studies, training, voluntary service, pupil exchange schemes or educational projects and au pairing

○ Regulation (EU) No 2016/399 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on a Union Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders (Schengen Borders Code) – mainly Title II – External Borders, Chapters I and II

 

Useful links:

Ministry of the Interior – Long-Term Residence - The Purpose of Scientific Research, Contacts, Application Requirements, Submitting Application and on-the-spot Error Removal, Course of the Proceedings, Status of Application, Conditions of Entry and Basic Requirements after Entry to the Czech Republic

Research Organizations (in Czech)

Ministry of Education, Youth and SportsRecognition of Education, Registry of Public Research Institutions

Ministry of JusticeCourt Certified Translators (in Czech)

Recognition of Foreign Education and Qualification

Foreigners in the Czech Republic

 

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