General information
14.03.2013 / 08:30
1. What is a long-stay visa
2. Who is required to have a long-stay visa
3. Where to apply for a long-stay visa
4. Purposes of a long-stay visa
5. Appointment for lodging an application
6. Personal appearance while lodging an application
7. Processing time of a visa application
8. Information on decision and Passport pick up
9. Aliens´duties in the territory of the Czech Republic
10. Visa extension
11. Refusal of a visa
12. Transfer of a valid visa to a new travel document
1. What is a long-stay visa
A long-stay visa, or a visa for a stay of more than 90 days (type D visa) is a permit to enter, stay, and leave the territory of the Czech Republic, provided that the terms and conditions stipulated by Czech laws have been met. This is a national visa with Schengen visa properties (i.e. grants a possibility of stay in the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days within a half-year). All applicants must meet all the required conditions to be granted a visa. Every alien requiring a visa traveling with an individual travel document/passport must possess his/her own visa.
A long-stay visa issued by a diplomatic mission of the Czech Republic entitles its holder to stay in the territory of the Czech Republic for the period indicated in the visa (usually from 3 months to 6 months).
2. Who is required to have a long-stay visa
Filipino nationals who are ordinary passport holders and are planning to stay in the Czech Republic for more than 90 days are required to apply for a long-stay visa.
Filipino official or diplomatic passport holders who will be residing in the Czech Republic are required to apply for a long-stay visa for the purpose of submission of the application for a long-term residence permit granted by the Consular Section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This visa is granted for 6 months and for the period of stay in the territory of the Czech Republic not exceeding 30 working days.
3. Where to apply for a long-stay visa
An application for a visa for a stay over 90 days may be filed solely at a diplomatic mission of the Czech Republic. A foreign national can only submit the application at the embassy in his/her country of origin (in the state he/she is a citizen of, or which has issued his/her travel document, or in the state where the foreign national has a permitted long-term or permanent residence).
Exceptions to this obligation are stipulated by the Regulation of the Ministry of Interior no. 429/2010 Coll. List of countries whose nationals are allowed to file an application for visa and long-term or permanent residence at any Embassy/Consulate of the Czech Republic can be found here.
Family members of EU citizens may apply for visa at any diplomatic mission regardless of the list.
The Ministry of Interior decides on granting a long-stay visa. The decision is based on the alien’s long-stay visa application. The visa for a stay over 90 days is affixed to the alien's travel document by the Embassy of the Czech Republic on the basis of the relevant Ministry of Interior´s instruction. All long-stay visas are multiple-entry visas.
Overview of the Ministry of the Interior (Department for Asylum and Migration Policy) offices in the territory of the Czech Republic, including telephone numbers and opening hours can be found here.
4. Purposes of a long-stay visa
The long-stay visa can be applied for the following purposes:
- for the purpose of employment / work
- for the purpose of business / entrepreneurship
- for the purpose of family reunification
- for the purpose of study / scientific research
- for the purpose of sport / culture
- for the purpose of medical treatment
5. Appointment for lodging an application
Applications can be lodged during office hours of the visa section,
Tuesday, Wednesday 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Applicants are required to set an appointment through www.visapoint.eu.
6. Personal appearance while lodging an application
All applicants are required to submit the visa application in person. Upon submitting the visa application, an interview will take place and applicants may be asked to explain the reasons of their intended visit.
In certain exceptional cases where the reason is justified, the requirement for a personal appearance may be waived.
Personal appearance is waived for persons below 15 years of age. However, the parent/legal guardian lodging such application must appear in person. A minor below 15 years of age must attach to the application a written consent of his parent or other legal guardian if he/she does not travel in the company of his parent or legal guardian. For Filipino citizens, minors would need to present a DSWD Travel Clearance.
7. Processing time of a visa application
Allow several months for processing of a long-term visa application, hence it is imperative for this type of application to be applied for well in advance. An application for a visa for a stay over 90 days shall be processed within 90 days (3 months), in exceptionally complicated cases within 120 days (4 months) of the submission date of the application.
An application for a visa for a stay over 90 days for the purpose of study or a pedagogic activity or for the purpose of scientific research shall be processed by the police within 60 days (2 months) of the submission date of the application.
8. Information on decision and Passport pick up
Once a decision on the visa application is made by the Czech authorities the Embassy of the Czech Republic will contact the applicant directly. Before the issuance of the visa sticker the applicant will be asked to present a valid insurance (see more under Insurance for Long-Stay Visa (click here). For passport pick-up, the applicant may claim his/her passport personally or through an authorized representative. The representative must have with him/her an authorization letter signed by the passport holder and verified by a notary public.
Passports may be picked up at these times:
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 12:00nn to 1.00 pm unless otherwise indicated.
If necessary, a different schedule may be arranged. Please contact the Embassy through (+632) 811 11 55 to get prior confirmation.
9. Aliens´duties in the territory of the Czech Republic
Aliens who stay in the territory of the Czech Republic for more than 3 days are subject to a so-called “reporting duty,” i.e. they are required to register at the local branch of the Czech Alien and Border Police.
The following categories of aliens are exempt from this requirement:
(1) children below 15 years of age
(2) those who are automatically registered by their accommodation provider (e.g. hotel)
(3) staff of diplomatic missions or international organizations accredited in the Czech Republic, their family members or aliens whose accommodation is provided by the Ministry of the Interior.
10. Visa extension
Long-stay visa are issued for the maximum period of 6 months. If the purpose of the foreign national´s residence in the Czech Republic requires a stay exceeding 6 months, the foreign national is obliged to submit an application for a long-term residence not earlier than 90 days and not later than 14 days before the long-term visa validity expiration. The application shall be submitted at a regional office of the Ministry of the Interior.
Overview of the Ministry of the Interior (Department for Asylum and Migration Policy) offices in the territory of the Czech Republic, including telephone numbers and opening hours can be found here.
Visa cannot be extended at the Embassy of the Czech Republic.
11. Refusal of a visa
If a visa is refused, the applicant will receive a notice in writing stating the reasons for the refusal. The foreign national is entitled to request new assessment of reasons for non-granting the visa within 15 days upon delivery of the information about non-granting the long-stay visa. The appeal should be addressed to the Department for Asylum and Migration Policy of the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic.
Telephone inquiries about decisions to issue or reject a visa application or about grounds for rejection of a visa application are not answered by the Embassy of the Czech Republic.
12. Transfer of a valid visa to a new travel document
If you hold a valid long-stay visa or a long-term/permanent residence permit and your travel document has expired, has been lost or stolen, you may apply at the Embassy of the Czech Republic for transfer of your valid visa to your newly issued travel document.
Particulars for transfer of a valid visa to a new travel document:
- completed Visa Application
- a photograph
- the new travel document
- a copy of the old travel document+ visa (if available)