If you don’t need a visa to enter, the total period of stay in the country shouldn’t exceed 90 days within 180 days. This applies when you are traveling as a tourist, visiting family or friends, attending business meetings, cultural or sporting events. A longer stay is possible, but you must apply for a visa. 

The list of countries whose citizens can enter the Czech Republic under the visa-free regime:

• Albania*
• Andorra
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina
• Australia
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Bosnia and Herzegovina*
• Brazil
• Brunei
• Canada
• Chile
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Dominica
• East Timor
• Georgia*
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Israel
• Japan
• Kiribati
• Malaysia
• Marshall islands
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Micronesia
• Moldova*
• Monaco
• Montenegro*
• New Zealand
• Nicaragua
• North Macedonia*
• Palau
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Salvador
• Samoa
• San Marino
• Serbia* **
• Seychelles
• Singapore
• Solomon islands
• South Korea
• Taiwan***
• Tonga
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Tuvalu
• Ukraine*
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom
• United States Of America
• Uruguay
• Vanuatu****
• Vatican
• Venezuela

* Citizens of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine can travel visa-free only with biometric passports.

** Visa-free regime does not apply to holders of Serbian passports issued by the Special Coordination Directorate in Belgrade.

*** Visa-free regime applies to holders of passports issued by Taiwan only if their passport contains an identity card number.

**** Visa-free regime applies to holders of passport issued BEFORE 2015 only.

Citizens who don’t have the right to enter within the visa-free regime and who do not have another document that gives them the right to enter (for example, a stay card) are required to have a visa. The visa confirms the consent of the country's authorities to enter and stay a particular person on its territory.

Visa types

If your country of citizenship doesn’t have a visa exemption agreement with the Czech Republic, and you want to travel to the Czech Republic for a short stay, business trip, vacation, family or friends visit, you will need to apply for a Schengen visa in advance. This short-term visa is only valid for 90 days of stay in the Czech Republic and in all other member states of the Schengen area for 180 days. The start date of the 180-day period is considered to be the day of entry to the Czech Republic or another country in the Schengen area.

The main reasons for obtaining a Schengen visa are:

• Tourism
• Family visits
• Participation in cultural (scientific, sports) events

Schengen visa for tourism

If you are going to visit the Czech Republic for tourism purposes for a period of less than 90 days, depending on your nationality, you may need to obtain a Czech tourist visa first. A Czech tourist visa allows you to stay in the Czech Republic and carry out tourist activities for a maximum of 90 days.

Required documents for obtaining a tourist visa

• Application form, which must be completed in English or Czech, signed and dated by the applicant himself
• A passport that must be valid for at least three months after the date of your arrival from the Czech Republic. In addition, the passport must be issued within the last 10 years and contain at least two free "visa pages"
• 2 photos
• Residence permit/visa (if your country of residence and citizenship are different)
• Travel itinerary and valid hotel/accommodation booking with full address (name, street, city, ZIP code, contact information, booking link).
• Confirmation of the availability of financial resources-personal bank statements for at least the last 6 months prior to submitting the application
• Health insurance. The minimum coverage is 30,000 euros.
• For minors: a copy and translation into Czech or English of the birth certificate/adoption certificate/custody order in case of divorce of the parents / death certificate of the father and a “letter of consent " from the parents, including copies of the passports of both parents/legal guardian

Czech Republic tourist visa processing period

The average period for applying for a tourist visa in the Czech Republic is 5-20 calendar days. It depends on your country of visa application.

How much does a Schengen visa for the Czech Republic cost?

The cost of a Schengen visa for adults is 90 euros, and for children aged 6 to 12 years - 45 euros.

Please note that according to the agreement signed between the EU and Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine, the visa fee for citizens of these countries has been reduced to 35 euros.

Visa fees are canceled for the following categories of people, regardless of their citizenship:

• Children under six years of age
• Schoolchildren, university students and accompanying teaching staff who travel for the purpose of training or internship
• Representatives of non-profit organizations under the age of 25 who participate in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events organized by non-profit organizations
• Researchers from third countries traveling within the European Union for the purpose of conducting scientific research as defined in recommendation 2005/761 / EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 September 2005
• Parents of minor Czech citizens
• Family members of EU/EEA citizens

Where to apply for a Czech tourist visa

You apply for a Czech tourist visa at Czech visa application centers, embassies or consulates, depending on which of them accept visa applications in your country of residence. If not in your country, you need to contact the nearest embassy or Consulate at your address.

Czech Republic visa for visiting family and friends

A short-term Czech visa for visiting family/friends allows you to visit the Czech Republic for the purpose of visiting family or friends for up to 90 days within 180 days.

Required documents for obtaining a visa

• Application form, which must be completed in English or Czech, signed and dated by the applicant himself
• A passport that must be valid for at least three months after the date of your arrival from the Czech Republic. In addition, the passport must be issued within the last 10 years and contain at least two free "visa pages"
• 2 photos
• Residence permit/visa (if your country of residence and citizenship are different)
• Travel itinerary and valid hotel/accommodation booking with full address (name, street, city, ZIP code, contact information, booking link).
• Confirmation of the availability of financial resources-personal bank statements for at least the last 6 months prior to submitting the application
• Health insurance. Minimum coverage 30000 euros
• Confirmation of the purpose of the visit/place of residence - invitation letter. It must be official. The scanned version is accepted at the time of application, but it is advisable to send the original by mail, since the original will be required at the border. You also need a document confirming the status of the inviting person in the Schengen area
• For minors: a copy and translation into Czech or English of the birth certificate/adoption certificate/custody order in case of divorce of the parents / death certificate of the father and a “letter of consent " from the parents, including copies of the passports of both parents/legal guardian

Visa processing period

The average visa processing time for a family visit to the Czechia is 5-20 calendar days. It depends on your country of visa application.

Visa fee

Starting from February 2, 2020, the fee for Schengen visas is 80 euros, which are paid at the time of applying. In addition, you will also need to pay other administrative fees, such as visa application fees, courier fees, etc., depending on the country and place where your documents are submitted.

Please note that according to the agreement signed between the EU and Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine, the visa fee for citizens of these countries is reduced to 35 euros.

Visa fees are canceled for the following categories of people, regardless of their citizenship:

• Children under six years of age
• Schoolchildren, university students and accompanying teaching staff who travel for the purpose of training or internship
• Representatives of non-profit organizations under the age of 25 who participate in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events organized by non-profit organizations
• Researchers from third countries traveling within the European Union for the purpose of conducting scientific research as defined in recommendation 2005/761 / EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 September 2005
• Parents of minor Czech citizens
• Family members of EU/EEA citizens

Where to apply for a visa

You apply for a Czech tourist visa at Czech visa application centers, embassies or consulates, depending on which of them accept visa applications in your country of residence. If not in your country, you need to contact the nearest embassy or Consulate at your address.

Au Pair Visa in The Czech Republic

This visa is designed to allow foreign citizens to obtain a long-term visa that allows them to stay in the Czech Republic for a long time. This visa is intended for young people who are temporarily accepted into a family to improve their language skills and improve their overall culture by improving their familiarity with the country.

Required documents for obtaining an Au Pair visa in the Czech Republic.

1. Application form, which must be completed in English or Czech, signed and dated by the applicant himself 
2. A passport that must be valid for at least three months after the date of your arrival from the Czech Republic. In addition, the passport must be issued within the last 10 years and contain at least two free "visa pages"
3. 3 photos
4. Residence permit/visa (if your country of residence and citizenship are different)
5. Invitation from the host family
6. Contract with the host family. This document should specify the term of validity of the contract, which should not exceed one year.
7. Host family questionnaire
8. Motivation Letter (Why do you want to go to the Czech Republic?) in Czech or English
9. Documents confirming your education and qualifications
10. Certificate of non-criminal record. The document must be issued in the country where you have lived for the last five years. This document must also be valid for no more than 90 days and must be apostilled with a translation into Czech or English.
11. Health insurance. Minimum coverage 30000 euros

Au Pair visa processing period in the Czech Republic

The average time for applying for an au Pair visa in the Czech Republic is 10-60 calendar days. It depends on your country of visa application.

Visa fee for an au Pair visa in the Czech Republic

The visa fee for an au Pair visa in the Czech Republic is 95 euros for foreign citizens. payment may vary depending on your nationality or country of application.

Where to apply for an au Pair visa in the Czech Republic

You apply for a Czech tourist visa at Czech visa application centers, embassies or consulates, depending on which of them accept visa applications in your country of residence. If not in your country, you need to contact the nearest embassy or Consulate at your address.

The list of foreign representative offices of the Czech Republic can be viewed here.

Additional documents

When entering the Czech Republic, a foreigner must have:

• Passport or other valid travel document;
• A valid visa or other valid document granting the right to enter and stay in this territory, if required;
• In case of transit through the Czech Republic to another state — a permit to enter another state or a permit to stay in another state.

Please also note that when entering the Czech Republic within the visa-free regime (which is considered a short-term stay), not only the validity of the existing passport is checked, but also whether the foreigner has already used the entire allowed limit, namely 90 days during the 180 days of stay in the Schengen area. 

How much money do you need to have when entering the Czech Republic?

The border guard service has the right to require a foreigner to document the availability of sufficient financial resources to cover the costs of living in the Czech Republic and returning to the country of origin.

These amounts depend on the purpose and length of stay. For tourists, guests and similar purposes of short-term stay: 

Up to 30 days - at the rate of 1010 CZK for each day of stay in the country.

Up to 60 days - 34340 CZK total.

Up to 90 days - 38380 CZK total.

For a long-term stay, you must have an amount for half a year or a year. So, for example, for training, you need to present 55,000 CZK for 6 months or 81,400 CZK for a year. In this case, the currency can be any.