Processing time

The long-term visa for the purpose of family reunification shall be processed approx. within 90-120 days from the date the Consulate receives the complete (!) application and visa application fee is paid.

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Required documents

IMPORTANT

(!) incomplete applications will not be accepted and will be returned to the applicant
(!) all documents (except the proof of sufficient financial means) must be presented in Czech language
(!) all documents must be presented in the original or as a notarized copy AND one (simple) copy of each document (i.e. two complete sets of documents must be provided)
(!) all documents (except travel document) may not be older than 180 days
(!) additional documentation must be provided if the visa applicant is a minor (less than 18 years of age at the time of submitting the application)

PLEASE, SUBMIT THE DOCUMENTS IN ORDER FROM no. 1 TO no. 18 EXACTLY AS FOLLOWS:

1. visa application form (form_long-term visa (PDF, 555 KB))
   - form must be filled in completely with a blue ball point pen or on a typewriter
   - one photo must be glued into the correspondent space in the upper right corner of the first page
   - do not forget to sign at the bottom of the last page (application of a child of up to 15 years of age must be signed by the legal gardian of the child)
   - do not forget to include your mobile phone number and e-mail address
   - do not forget that all the dates are always in the European format DD/MM/YYYY
   - for item 3 do not forget to include your first and also your middle name exactly as is in your passport
    
2. one copy of the filled visa application
    
3. two passport size photographs
   - photos must be identical, recent, in color, size 3,5 x 4,5 cm or 2 x 2 inch, entire face must be clearly visible, with white background and in a good print quality on high quality photo paper, made at professional photo studio; do not print photos yourself or the application will be returned to you as unacceptable (!)
   - one photo must be glued on the visa form and the other one (with your surname on back) must be submitted enclosed loosely inside the passport
    
4. passport
   - original (!)
   - validity must exceed intended stay by at least 3 months
   - must be issued within the previous 10 years
   - must contain at least two blank pages
    
5. two copies of the data page of the passport
    
6. document confirming the purpose of stay
   - relationship of the applicant (spouse/child) to the family member legally staying in the Czech Republic (spouse/parent) must be proved by an appropriate official document
   - original of marriage certificate (in case of spouse applying) OR original of birth certificate (in case of child applying) AND official translation into Czech language
   - US or any non-Czech documents must be provided with apostille or superlegalization
    
7. one copy of the document confirming the purpose of stay
    
8. proof of accommodation
   - written confirmation of the owner of the apartment/house with a notarized signature (by a Notary Public in Czechia) OR rental/lease contract, sub-letting contract, accommodation agreement or an agreement with similar content
   - original or notarized copy in Czech language of any of the mentioned documents must be submitted
    
9. one copy of all the documents submitted as proof of accommodation
    
10. documents confirming sufficient financial resources
    - it is necessary to prove the availability of financial funds that are 15 times the amount of the existential minimum (currently CZK 2,740 per month) for the first month of the stay and double the amount of the existential minimum for every month afterwards. For instance, the required miminum for a stay from January 1 till June 30 (6 months) is (1 x 15 x 2,980) + (5 x 2 x 2,980) = 44,700 + 29,800 = CZK 74,500, i.e. approx. USD 3,200. The equivalent amount in US dollars (USD) depends on the current CZK/USD exchange rate.
    - remember that only checking or savings bank accounts are acceptable; credit accounts are not acceptable!
    - make sure that your name, the first and last four card number digits  together with the card validity on the notarized copy of your debit/credit card are clearly visible! Make also sure that your name on your bank account statement is clearly visible!
    
    Funds to cover the stay in Czechia may be proven by one of following means:
    1) notarized copy of the front side of a valid international debit/credit card on the name of the applicant AND corresponding checking bank account statement
    2) notarized copy of the front side of a valid international debit/credit card on the name of the applicant AND original letter from the bank confirming that the applicant can use the financial funds (with verified translation into Czech language)
    3) another document confirming that the applicant can use the financial funds during the stay in Czechia (e.g. an original letter from the family member confirming the financial support with notarized signature and with verified translation into Czech language) corresponding checking bank account statement AND notarized copy of the front side of a valid international debit/credit card on the name of the applicant
11. one copy of all the documents confirming sufficient financial resources
     
12. affidavit / criminal history record
    - required from all U.S. citizens older than 15 years
    - affidavit (affidavit (DOC, 32 KB)) confirming that you have never been indicted and sentenced for a felony of any kind in USA  (affidavit replaces U.S. criminal history record issued by FBI only in case of U.S. citizens)
    - if the application is submitted by mail, the signature must be notarized; if the application is submitted in person, affidavit can be signed in front of the Consular Officer
    - if the applicant lived in any other country besides USA for 6 months or longer in the previous three years, an Excerpt from Criminal History Record issued by that country must be submitted with the required legalization/apostille and verified translation into Czech language
    - non US citizens must submit an Excerpt from Criminal History Record issued by their country of origin with the required legalization/apostille and verified translation into Czech language AND also the U.S. criminal history record issued by FBI with apostille and verified translation into Czech language
     
13. one copy of the affidavit / criminal history record
     
14. travel medical insurance
     Submit the Czech verbiage of the insurance policy/policies. Insurance must cover the entire period recorded on the documents submitted under bullet 6 and 8 above. If the dates of insurance validity are shorter than this period (even by a single day), your visa cannot be issued, irrespective of whether you wish to leave Czechia early.
    - A comprehensive medical insurance must be purchased from any insurance company authorized to operate this insurance in Czechia. If this fact is not evident from the insurance contract, the applicant is obliged to prove to the Consulate when submiting this document that the insurance company is authorized to operate this insurance in Czechia. Insurance benefit limit for one insurance event must be at least EUR 400,000 without any participation of the person insured, i.e. zero deductibles/copay. 
    
    - Alternatively, insurance for the period from Day 1 up to Day 90 of the stay in Czechia can be had from any insurance company authorized to operate this insurance in Czechia other member States of the European Union or the European Economic Area or in the USA, provided the following conditions are met:
    -- Insurance benefit limit for one insurance event must be at least EUR 400,000 without any participation of the person insured, i.e. zero deductibles/copay.
    -- Insurance must cover all the costs associated with necessary and urgent health care, including costs associated with transportation, including transportation of mortal remains in the event of death to the state whose travel document the visa applicant owns, or to another state in which the visa applicant has a residence permit.
    -- Insurance certificate including all the necessary (above mentioned) information must be issued , and insurance must not exclude providing insurance payment in the case of accident caused by a wilful act, negligence or contributory negligence of the insured, even as a result of drinking alcohol, taking narcotics or psychotropic drugs by the insured. Insurance must be provided by an insurance company (NOT by the employer, school etc.), with the full name of the insured person and policy validity clearly visible.
    
    - For documentation issued by Czech Insurance companies, submit only the Czech verbiage of "Insurance" ("Pojistka"), and/or "Insurance Policy" ("Pojistná smlouva"). DO NOT include any documents marked "DRAFT" ("Nabídka") or other documentation not written in Czech.
    - If the insurance certificate is not written in Czech, submit also a certified translation into the Czech language of the entire insurance policy and of general terms and conditions.
    - Upon request, proof of payment of the insurance premium must be submitted.  

    NOTE: travel medical insurance is the only required document that may be submitted only after the Consulate receives instruction from the Ministry of Interior to issue the visa and not at the time of visa application submission                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

15. visa application fee
    -For the period  from January 1, 2025 until June 10, 2025, citizens of the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan are exempted from the obligation to apply for a long-term visa in person. They are allowed to send us their application form and all required documents by mail under the conditions set out below for each type of application. We will return a visa application that shows submission defects or, in the case of minor defects, we will ask the applicant to remove the defects before we accept the application. If the application is submitted without defects, we will send the applicant a link to the payment gateway to the email address provided in the application, where he/she/they can pay the visa fee by credit card. Our office will verify that the visa fee has been paid and enter the application into the visa system. At that point, the application will be deemed accepted. This exemption applies to applications delivered to our office by mail by June 10, 2025.
    - Citizens of countries not listed above or those applicants who wish to submit their application either after June 10, 2025 or in person pay the visa fee by card when submitting the application in person. We accept Visa and MasterCard.
    - for information about current visa fees, please, visit the corresponding article (under item 144 A - long-term visa application)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
16. trackable prepaid self-addressed USPS Priority Mail Express envelope or prepaid self-addressed UPS envelope
    - only in case the applicant needs the passport to be mailed back and cannot pick up the passport personally at the Consulate
    - for future tracking, the applicants are encouraged to make a record of the tracking number
    - please, fill in your own address or the address of the Consulate as "sender/from" on the self-addressed envelope
    - the Consulate is not responsible for any loss in which case the applicant must deal directly with the mailing company
    - we cannot accept FedEx or any other mailing company not stated above
     
17. copy of the envelope if provided under no. 16