Travel information – COVID-19 (applied from 13 March 2020 12:00 AM until 16 March 2020 0:00 AM)

Travel information – COVID-19 (applied from 16 March 2020 0:00 AM)

 

Measures in force from Saturday March 14th, 2020 (0:00 AM) to Monday March 16th, 2020 (0:00 AM):

• a ban to entry for all foreigners coming from high epidemic risk countries, except for foreigners with temporary residence permit over 90 days or foreigners with permanent residence permit in the Czech Republic; this does not apply if the entry of these foreigners is in the interest of the Czech Republic;
• halting the reception of visa applications and temporary and permanent residence permits at the embassies of the Czech Republic; this does not apply to persons whose stay is in the interest of the Czech Republic;
• suspending proceedings of all short-term visa applications, which have not been decided yet; this does not apply to persons whose stay is in the interest of the Czech Republic;
• suspending all proceedings on applications for residence permit over 90 days lodged at the embassies of the Czech Republic;
• a ban to travel to risk epidemic countries for the citizens of the Czech Republic and foreigners with permanent or temporary residence over 90 days in the Czech Republic; this does not apply if there is an exemption from the imposed measure.

Foreigners, who are in the territory of the Czech Republic legally based on their temporary or permanent residence status at the time of declaration of the state of emergency, are entitled to remain in the territory for the duration of the state of emergency.

  

Measures in force from Monday March 16th, 2020 (0:00 AM):

From midnight from Sunday to Monday, the ban to entry is extended to all foreigners, not only from high risk epidemic countries. Foreigners residing in the Czech Republic with temporary residence over 90 days or permanent residence are excluded from this measure.

Further, the ban to travel from the Czech Republic will apply on citizens of the Czech Republic and persons with permanent or temporary residence over 90 days.

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The following exceptions to travel restrictions are still valid:

The Minister of the Interior, based on Government Resolution No. 198 of 12 March 2020

Orders

1. The prohibition of entry, as referred in point I. of the Resolution, does not apply for:

• international transport: lorry drivers, bus drivers, transport aircraft crews, train drivers, train crews and wagon examiner, ship's captains and crew members, crew of vehicles of road managers; the exception also applies for persons who are working in international transport abroad – we highly recommend that the employer fill in in this form, see bellow;
• members of the mission under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, members of the consular posts under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, and officials of international organizations, including their family members;
• members of rescue services, such as fire brigade, rescue service and mountain rescue service, police in performance of their duties;
• persons who demonstrably regularly crossing internal borders, in particular cross-border workers working within 100 km from the national border;
• citizens of Germany, Austria, Poland and Slovakia who demonstrably regularly crossing internal borders, in particular cross-border workers working within 100 km from the national border;
• experts in the fight against epidemics, humanitarian and medical aid;
• Members of the European Parliament;
• holders of diplomatic and service passports issued by the Czech Republic;
• minors up to 18 years of age, if they are EU-nationals and his/her parent is a national of the Czech Republic;
• persons transferring blood, bone marrow for the purpose of transplantation, and transplantation center collection teams transporting organs for transplantation;
• persons undergoing surgery or serious medical treatment abroad because of their serious medical condition;
• persons arriving in the Czech Republic after using airport transit through high epidemic risk country.

 

2. The prohibition of exit to high risk epidemic countries, as referred in point I. 5. of this resolution, does not apply for:

• foreigner with a permanent residence permit or temporary residence permit (stay over 90 days) who expresses an interest in traveling abroad; such persons  will not be entitled to re-enter the territory of the Czech Republic during the state of emergency;
• citizens of the Czech Republic with a proven residence permit in high epidemic risk country;
• diplomatic officers, administrative officers, consular officers and technical officers, including their family members, pursuant to Section 2 of Act No. 150/2017 Sb., on Foreign Service and amending certain acts;
• international transport: lorry drivers, bus drivers, transport aircraft crews, train drivers, train crews and wagon examiner, ship's captains and crew members, crew of vehicles of road managers; the exception also applies for persons who are working in international transport abroad – we highly recommend that the employer fill in in this form, see bellow;
• members of the mission under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, members of the consular posts under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, and officials of international organizations, including their family members;
• members of rescue services, such as fire brigade, rescue service and mountain rescue service, police in performance of their duties;
• persons who demonstrably regularly crossing internal borders, in particular cross-border workers working within 100 km from the national border;
• citizens of Germany, Austria, Poland and Slovakia who demonstrably regularly crossing internal borders, in particular cross-border workers working within 100 km from the national border;
• experts in the fight against epidemics, humanitarian and medical aid;
• Members of the European Parliament;
• holders of diplomatic and service passports issued by the Czech Republic;
• persons transferring blood, bone marrow for the purpose of transplantation, and transplantation center collection teams transporting organs for transplantation;
• persons undergoing surgery or serious medical treatment abroad because of their serious medical condition;
• persons arriving in the Czech Republic after using airport transit through high epidemic risk country.

 

Nonstop hotline of the National Institute of Public Health: +420 724 810 106 and +420 725 191 367

Important links

• The government has taken further extraordinary measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus
• Traveling During the state of emergency
• Model Situations when crossing borders
• New obligations and information for foreign nationals
• Recommendations by the Ministry of Health for citizens of the Czech Republic and other persons returning from affected regions
• Current occurrence of the COVID-19 disease in the Czech Republic
• Ministry of Health bans the export of respirators and regulates their sale
• Protective measures by the Ministry of Health cancel flights from South Korea and northern Italy due to the spread of the coronavirus