Visa information
General information regarding the entry and residence in Czechia. Citizens of the U.S.A. are not required to have a visa to visit Czechia/Schengen Area for a period of up to 90 days within any 180-day period (except profitable activities). However, visas are always required for short-term stays for profitable activity and all stays exceeding 90 days.
TERRITORIAL JURISDICTION
The Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles has jurisdiction over the following states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, as well as U.S. unincorporated territories of American Samoa, Guam, and Northern Mariana Islands.
The Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Los Angels accepts Schengen visa, long-term visa and residence permit applications of foreigners residing in our consular district and long-term visa and residence permit applications of the US citizens residing in our consular district.
HOW TO CONTACT US
Please pay close attention to the visa information on this website and do not e-mail us with requests for general information that is available on the website.
The consulate usually replies to specific e-mail inquiries within 5 working days.
The consulate does not provide information on visa application status during the legal review period.
Schengen visas are usually processed within 15 days of submission, unless the deadline is extended up to 45 days. The Consulate General will inform the applicant of any extension by email.
Long-term visas and residence permits are usually processed within 60 - 120 days (depending on the type of application) .The Consulate General will inform the applicant by email at the email address provided in the application form whether a long-term visa or residence permit has been granted or denied.
Complaint according to Art. 47(1)(j) as specified in Art. 38(5) of the visa code can be sent to the e-mail address losangeles.visa@mzv.gov.cz
The consulate does not communicate using social networks.
All visa enquiries with our Consulate shall be in writing, directed to our dedicated e-mail address losangeles.visa@mzv.gov.cz
LANGUAGE
The Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles communicates in Czech and English when processing visa and residence permit applications. If the applicant understands neither of these languages, he/she must arrange for an interpreter when applying for a long-term visa / residence permit, at his/her costs. Interviews are conducted in Czech only. If the applicant does not speak Czech, he/she must arrange for an interpreter for the purposes of interviews, at his/her costs.
All in-person visits to the Visa Section of the Consulate General are strictly by previous appointment only. No walk-in visitors are accepted. All booked appointments are for the submission of applications. The consulate does not offer in person consultation.
HOW TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT
A) If you apply for a Czech LONG-TERM VISA or RESIDENCE PERMIT
Long-term visa/residence permit applicants need a previously scheduled appointment in order to submit their application.
To make an appointment for submitting a long-term visa/residence permit application please send an e-mail with the obligatory attachment to losangeles.visa@mzv.gov.cz .
Your e-mail appointment request must include all of the following information:
- your name and surname,
- your address in the USA,
- name of the country which issued your passport,
- your legal status in the USA: specify the type of your US visa (F1, H1B, etc.) OR enter "permanent resident" (green card holder),
- passport number and expiration date,
- date (mm/yyyy) since resident in the USA (non-US citizens only)
- type of visa/permit you are applying for (long-term visa, residence permit, employee card, etc.),
- purpose of your stay (study, scientific research, employment, business, family reunification, etc.),
- intended date of arrival to the Czech Republic,
If your e-mail contains all of the requested information above, we will respond by e-mail and assign you the earliest available appointment. The appointment e-mail confirmation from the Consulate usually takes about 7 business days but may take longer during the visa high season.
After the receipt of e-mail from the Consulate you must re-confirm, by the end of the following business day, your assigned appointment by sending an e-mail to the Consulate (just reply "I confirm this appointment" and add your name and surname), or your appointment will be cancelled and offered to another applicant.
PLEASE NOTE:
(!) We suggest you plan ahead and request your appointment as soon in advance as possible. During visa high season the earliest available date for you to submit the application may be more than 30 days from the date of your initial e-mail.
B) If you apply for a SCHENGEN VISA
When your itinerary spans across several Schengen countries, make sure that you apply for visa at the Embassy or Consulate of the country which is your main destination, which constitutes your main purpose of stay, or where you intend to spend the longest time. We cannot accept applications that do not meet this condition.
All of our Schengen visa applicants over the age of 12 need a previously scheduled appointment for an in-person visa interview in order to submit their application. The appointments are assigned on a first-come-first-served basis.
It is not possible to apply electronically/online for a Schengen visa at our Consulate General. Applications for Schengen visa submitted by mail are not accepted by our mission.
To make an appointment for submitting a Schengen visa application at our Consulate General, please send an e-mail with the Subject line "SCHENGEN VISA appointment request: [SURNAME(S) OF APPLICANT(S)]" to losangeles.visa@mzv.gov.cz .
Your e-mail appointment request must include all of the following information:
- your SURNAME and given name(s) + "Mr"(M) OR "Ms"(F) (exactly as recorded in the passport),
- the country which issued your passport (name of country or 3-letter country code as recorded in the passport),
- passport expiration date (dd.mm.yyyy),
- your current place of residence (city and state) in the USA/U.S. unincorporated territories,
- your legal status in the USA: specify the type of your US visa (F1, H1B, etc.) OR enter "permanent resident" (green card holder),
- main purpose of the journey (record only one of the following): Tourism, Business, Visiting family/friends, Cultural, Sports, Official visit, Medical, Study, Employment, Airport transit,
- starting date of the travel to the Schengen Area (dd.mm.yyyy),
Within one e-mail, provide the same scope of information for each member of the traveling group who prefer to apply for the visa with you. We are unable to guarantee that everyone in the group will be seen on the same date. Each visa applicant must have a confirmed appointment in their own name.
If your e-mail contains all of the requested information above, we will respond by e-mail and assign the earliest available appointment. The appointment e-mail confirmation from the Consulate usually takes about 7 business days but may take longer during the visa high season.
After the receipt of e-mail from the Consulate you must re-confirm, by the end of the following business day, your assigned appointment by sending an e-mail to the Consulate (just reply "I confirm this appointment" and add your name and surname), or your appointment will be cancelled and offered to another applicant.
PLEASE NOTE:
(!) A Schengen visa application may not be lodged more than 180 days, and cannot be lodged less than 15 days ahead of the travel.
(!) Contact our Consulate General only if you can document your residence within our jurisdiction (see WHERE TO APPLY).
(!) We suggest you plan ahead and request your appointment as soon in advance as possible. During visa high season the earliest available date for your visa interview may be more than 30 days from the date of your initial e-mail.
C) If you apply for a SCHENGEN VISA and you are a FAMILY MEMBER of EU CITIZEN
If you are an eligible family member of a Czech or an EU citizen, we suggest you contact us by e-mail sent to losangeles.visa@mzv.gov.cz and attach a scanned proof of your Czech/EU family member status (see the list of eligibility conditions). The Consulate will contact you as soon as possible and offer you the earliest available appointment.