Non-US nationals are required to submit:

a) An Excerpt from a Criminal History Record issued by the official authority of the country of their nationality. The Excerpt from the Criminal History Record must be appropriately certified (Apostille or super-legalization) and  submitted with a certified Czech translation;

 AND

b) The US Criminal History Record issued by the US official authority (from the FBI only) with the Apostille along with a certified Czech translation of the entire document.

The applicant must also submit an Excerpt from Criminal History Record issued by the State in which the applicant has been staying continuously for more than 6 months in the past three years. An Excerpt from Criminal History Record issued by that country must also be submitted with the required legalization/apostille along with a certified Czech translation.

Incomplete applications are inadmissible and will be returned back to the applicant!

!!PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF THE PROCESSING TIME  AND MAKE SURE TO SUBMIT  YOUR APPLICATIONS AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE!!

---

Where to apply

You are obliged to file the application only at the Czech Embassy/Consulate located in the state of your citizenship or which issued your current travel document or in the state in which you have a long-term or permanent residence permit of two years minimum. You are excluded from these conditions if you are a citizen of a state present on the this list.

You may submit your application at the Consular Office (of the Embassy or Consulates General of the Czech Republic) in accordance with the jurisdiction where you permanently reside. 

---

Types of visa

If the university/program is accredited by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic, you are eligible to apply for a long-term visa for the purpose of study.

If the university/program is not accredited by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic, you are not eligible to apply for this type of visa and you have to apply for the long-term visa for the other purposes.

The information on this website applies to both types of visa! The difference between the two types of visa is the processing time (see below).

---

Processing time

A long-term visa must be approved by the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic.

The long-term visa for the purpose of study shall be processed within 60 days from the date the Consulate receives and records the complete application.

The long-term visa for "other" purposes shall be processed within 90 days from the date the Consulate receives and records the complete application.

Please be aware that no status updates on long term visa applications will be given by the Consulate (neither by mail nor phone). Once the procedure is finished we will inform you by e-mail.

Please understand that the Consulate General is not able to expedite the visa process since the approval process and the final decision are handled by the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic. Therefore, the Consulate General highly encourages applicants to submit their applications on time.

In exceptional cases, if you need your passport during the visa process, you can withdraw it personally or send us a written request along with a prepaid self-addressed envelope.  The envelope must contain a tracking number and a stamp.  Please be aware that some online labels have short expiration dates and cannot be utilized for mailing after the processing period. Futhermore, your passport can be returned back to you ONLY upon receiving the written request and ONLY to your US ADDRESS.  The passport must be re-submitted to our Consulate again for the issuance of the visa.

---

Required documents

• Please read carefully the list of required documents, as incomplete applications cannot be accepted and will be returned to you.
• According to the legislation in force, all documents (except the proof of sufficient financial means) must be presented in Czech Language. Documents written in a foreign language must be submitted  in the original version together with an officially certified translation into Czech. You can find the list of official translators and interpreters on our website.
• Please submit originals and copies of all supporting documents!
• All documents must be presented as originals or as notarized copies. The document issued by the Czech university (acceptance letter) must be always in original.
• All documents (except travel document) cannot be older than 180 days.
• The Consulate shall not assume any responsibility for lost or damaged documentation.

1. Completed application form

• The form  "Application for a Long-term Visa" must be filled out completely 
• out completely  in BLOCK CAPITAL LETTERS  with a ball point pen or on a typewriter. Do not use red ink or pencil to complete the application.
  
  Please do not forget
  - to sign the application in the place indicated at the bottom of the fifth page (the handwritten signature by a blue pen is required).
  - to include your phone number and e-mail address for future communication; (write neatly to avoid ambiguity, e.g. between number zero and letter "O", or number one and letter "I").
• - Use European format "dd mm yyyy" for calendar dates. - For item 3: include your first and also your middle name(s) exactly as shown in your passport.
• - For item 5: enter your place of birth exactly as shown in your passport.
• - For item 26: record ONLY visas from the past 3 years issued by the Czech Republic.
• - For item 28 - mark one box:
• - purpose of stay "study" must be selected if the school/the study program is accredited by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic. 
• -purpose of stay "other" must be selected if the university/study program is not accredited by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic.
•    Information on the accreditation can typically be found in the confirmation of enrolment from the Czech school; contact the school of your choice if unsure about the accreditation.
• - For items 29-30: dates of arrival and departure must correspond exactly BOTH with the dates in the confirmation of enrolment from the Czech school AND with the dates of validity of the travel medical insurance.
• - For item 38: include full home address in the USA (including city, two-letter state abbreviation, and ZIP code - you may continue to write below the boxes if this entry is too long).
• - Remember to insert date and to sign at the bottom of the last page (items "Place and date" and "Applicant's Signature").     
•  

2. Two recent identical photographs                    

             passport size 35 mm x 45 mm, professional, of a good quality, not printed out from PC)

​

3. Passport

• You must submit your original passport and a copy of the data pages of the passport (pages with your personal data, photo, and signature).
• The passport must have validity exceeding your intended stay by at least 3 months (after the visa expires), have been issued within the last 10 years, and have at least two blank pages (for affixing the visa and for the administrative purposes).

4. Document confirming the purpose of the stay

• The original of confirmation of enrolment into studies issued by a Czech University or school (Acceptance Letter). This document must be in the Czech language.

5. Proof of accommodation

• a document issued by a Czech University or school verifying the accommodation for the duration of your studies, or
• a rental/lease agreement, sub-letting contract, accommodation agreement or an agreement with similar content, or
• an original accommodation statement from the owner of an apartment/house stating his/her ability and willingness to provide applicant´s accommodation for the time of stay (signature must be notarized by a Czech notary),
• in the case of a sublet - the original or a notarized copy of the lease contract and an affidavit signed by the owner confirming the sublet (signature must be notarized by a Czech notary)

6. Document confirming sufficient financial resources

Funds to cover the stay in the Czech Republic may be proven by one of following possibilities:

• a notarized copy of student´s internationally recognized debit card in your name with the validity throughout your stay in the Czech Republic (please conceal the debit card number on the copy) + original or notarized copy of a corresponding bank checking account statement in your name with approximately 3 800,- USD balance for one semester. Remember, only checking bank accounts are acceptable; credit accounts are not acceptable! Make sure that your name on the notarized copy of your debit card and on your bank account statement is clearly visible!
• an original letter from the bank confirming the fact that you will be able to use your funds during your stay in the Czech Republic with a verified  translation into the Czech language with approximately 3 800,- USD balance for one semester + a notarized copy of student´s internationally recognized debit card in your name
• another document confirming that you can use the financial funds during a stay in the Czech Republic (e.g. an original letter from the family member confirming the financial support during your stay in the Czech Republic signed by a person who will support you /notarized signature with a verified  translation into the Czech language/ plus bank checking account statement with approximately 3800 USD for one semester) + a notarized copy of  of your internationally accepted debit card that is linked to family member account
• a financial guarantee of the US or Czech University which proves that the student’s stay in the Czech Republic will be secured by providing financial means amounting to the existential minimum for 1 month of the expected stay, or a document that all of the costs associated with his/her stay will be covered by the recipient organization + a notarized copy of an internationally recognized debit card in your name (please conceal the debit card number on the copy). The letter from the US University must be translated into the Czech language. 
• Requirements for financial means during your stay: It is necessary to prove the availability of funds that are 15 times the amount of the existential minimum (currently it is set at 3 130 CZK) for the first month and double the amount of the existential minimum for every month afterwards, thus, for instance, for a stay from 1 January – 30 June it would be (15 x 3130) + (5 x 2 x 3130) = 46 950 + 31 300 = 78 250 CZK (approximately 3 800,- USD for one semester, the amount in US dollars depends on the exchange rate CZK/USD). Please note that the existential minimum is established by the Czech law and can be changed every year.

7. Criminal History Background/ Affidavit

Non-US nationals are required to submit:

a) An Excerpt from a Criminal History Record issued by the official authority of the country of their nationality. The Excerpt from the Criminal History Record must be appropriately certified (Apostille or super-legalization) and submitted with a certified Czech translation;

 AND

b) The US Criminal History Record issued by the US official authority (from the FBI only) with the appropriate certification (Apostille) along with a certified Czech translation of the entire document.

The applicant must also submit an Excerpt from Criminal History Record issued by the State in which the applicant has been staying continuously for more than 6 months in the past three years. An Excerpt from Criminal History Record issued by that country must also be submitted with the required legalization/apostille along with a certified Czech translation.

Children under the age of 15 are not required to submit an Affidavit or a Criminal History Record.

8. Travel medical insurance

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.

Foreign nationals entering the territory of the Czech Republic who will stay there for more than 90 days have to provide a proof of a comprehensive health insurance plan concluded with any insurance company authorised to provide it in the Czech Republic:  Medical Insurance - frs.gov.cz

List of Insurance Corporations

9. Visa application fee

• Please note that a visa fee is assessed for visa application (please see long-term visa for stay over 90 days in Visa Fees). The fee must be paid either in cash or by card. As the visa fee may change on monthly basis due to the current exchange rate, we recommend checking the current fee at the Consular and Visa Fees.

10.  Post delivery

If the applicant would like to send the passport back after the visa process is finished, he/she needs to:

• Enclose a prepaid self-addressed envelope with a tracking number and a stamp.  Please note that some online labels have limited validity and cannot be utilized for mailing the passports after the processing period. 
• Secure a tracking number of your envelope for the future tracking.
• Passports can ONLY be mailed to US ADDRESSES. 
• IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE CONSULATE OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY IN SUCH DELIVERY SERVICES AND THEIR SUCCESSFUL DELIVERY TO THE INTENDED ADDRESS.

 

 The Address of the Consulate General of the Czech Republic:

Consulate General of the Czech Republic
10990 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA, 90024

Don´t forget to include your phone number and email address for the future communication.

---

IMPORTANT NOTICE

• All visas must be approved by the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republi.  No assurances regarding the issuance of visas can be given in advance. Therefore,  final travel plans or the purchase of non refundable tickets should not be made until your visa has been issued.
• Please submit originals and copies of all documents!
• While lodging the application, an interview with the applicant can be conducted. A written record of the interview can be a part of the application. A record will be written down in Czech language and will be signed by the applicant and the officer of the Consulate who will conduct the interview. In case you do not understand Czech you can bring an interpreter with you to translate the written record.
• Student visas can only be issued by the same Embassy and Consulate General where the application for it was submitted. Hence, you cannot apply for a visa in the US and pick it up in Europe or the Czech Republic. The Czech Consulate General strongly recommends that applicants do not travel to the Czech Republic to begin their study programs without valid visas.
• In case the visa has been refused, you have the right of appeal. The appeal should be addressed to the Department for Asylum and Migration Policy of the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic that made the decision about the application within 15 days after receiving the information about the refusal of the application.
• The Consular Section of the Consulate General of the Czech Republic does not provide translations of documents submitted within the visa application.