english  česky 

Advanced search
na_celou_sirku
Photo: Czech Passport

Applying for a passport

Information on how to obtain the Czech biometric passport:

The Czech biometric passport is issued to Czech citizens at any age, and is the primary document of international travel issued by the Czech Republic. The passport allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union and European Free Trade Association.
The passport is issued by the Interior Ministry (Ministerstvo vnitra), and as is internationally customary remains property of the Czech Republic and can be withdrawn at any time. It is a valid Proof of Citizenship document according to the Czech nationality law. If substantiated, citizens can hold multiple passports at the same time. Children can no longer be included in the passport of their parents.
The biometric passports have been issued since 2006 with a ten-year validity, or for citizens under fifteen years of age with a five year validity. The data page is printed on a polycarbonate card and the photograph is laser-etched.

 

Applicants must submit the following:

  • Czech birth certificate;
  • Czech marriage/divorce certificate (obligatory in case of Czech citizens who are married or divorced);
  • Consular fee (payable when you come to collect the passport)
  • Previously issued Czech/Czechoslovak passport;
  • Document proving the residency status in Israel - citizenship card or Israeli passport  in case the applicant is an Israeli citizen or valid visa in other cases;
  • Document proving Czech citizenship - e.g. previously issued but still valid Czech passport, valid "občanský průkaz" (national ID card), certificate of Czech citizenship (must not be older than 1 yeares
  • Document containing "rodné číslo" (unique personal number) - either birth certificate (if it contains rodné číslo), passport, občanský průkaz or other official document issued by Ministry of the Interior containing "rodné číslo";
  • Declaration of Czech Citizenship Declaration (DOC, 52 KB) (please fill out and bring with you)
  • Passport picture can be of the standard 4,5 x 3,5 cm size or larger (for example 5 x 5 cm). We suggest to arrange for the photograph in a photo shop near the Embassy which already has an experience with the specifics (for example Ibn Gvirol 31, Tel Aviv).

 

The photograph for biometric passport must satisfy all the following criteria:

- Photograph may not be older than six months.

- Photograph must be in sharp focus and clear, printed on a high quality paper at high resolution.

- The face must be centered and must cover most of the photograph - the focus may not be too close up or too distant. The head may not be tilted.

- You must look straight to the camera. Facial expression must be neutral, the mouth must be shut.

- Eyes must be open and entirely visible.

- Red eyes or shadows on the face are not permitted.

- Eyes behind the glasses must be entirely visible, flash reflections are not permitted, neither are tinted glasses.

- Head covers are not permitted except for religious reasons.

- Background must be single- and light-colored or neutral, contrasts must be natural, light must be uniform across the whole background.

- Some leniency is allowed in case of photographs of children younger than 5, for example, the mouth can be open a little bit, position can be slightly tilted. Eyes must be open. Accompanying person or his/her hands must not show, neither toys or pacifier.

 

The Procedure:
The passport applicant contacts the embassy via e-mail (consulate_telaviv@mzv.cz) and attaches  The Request For Verification of Personal Information in the Civil Register form ISEO (DOCX, 14 KB) (although this step is not required by law, applicants who do not observe this step risk that their application will be deferred to a later date due to potential discrepancies). Once the embassy confirms via e-mail the correctness of the entry in the Civil Register, the applicant visits the embassy in person (previous appointment is necessary) and submits all the required documents. The consular officer will scan the photograph and their fingerprints and forward the application in electronic form for further processing to the central passport authority in the Czech Republic. The passport will then be manufactured and forwarded to the embassy. The applicant will be notified and will have to collect the document at the embassy.

 

Processing Times:
The legal processing time is 120 days when applied for abroad, 30 days when applied for in the Czech Republic. The average waiting times are 40-60 days abroad, 10-20 days in the Czech Republic.

Fees

Acceptable forms of payment is only cash (when applying for a new passport).

 

Attachments

Declaration 52 KB DOC (Word document) Feb 23, 2015