Long-term visas are issued for a maximum length of 1 year and are valid for stay in the Czech Republic only.
Holders of a valid long-term visa can stay for up to 90 days within any 180 days in other countries of the Schengen area.
The Consulate strongly recommends that the applicants do not travel to the Czech Republic without a valid visa.

Where to apply

Long-term visa applications in the United States must be submitted at the Czech Embassy in Washington or at the Consulates General in Chicago, Los Angeles or New York according to the U.S. residence address of the applicant (your residence address = address on your driver's licence).
The Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles has jurisdiction over the following U.S. states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, as well as U.S. unincorporated territories of American Samoa, Guam, and Northern Mariana Islands.

Visas can only be issued by the same Embassy or Consulate General where the application was submitted.

Who may apply at the Czech Consulate General in Los Angeles

US passport holders if they reside within our jurisdiction (see above).

Citizens of other countries:
- if they reside within our jurisdiction, and
- if they have been legally residing in the United States (based on a valid Green Card or a valid US long-term visa) for a continuous period of 2 years or longer.

Applicants who have lived in the USA for less than 2 years are not eligible and shall apply in their country of origin.

Requirements

Chapters below specify requirements for different types of visa.
For more detailed information about the requirements, please, visit the website of the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic.

IMPORTANT

Incomplete applications will not be accepted and will be returned to the applicant.
All documents must be presented in original or as a notarized copy made from the original, AND with one plain photocopy of each document  (i.e. one long-term visa application file contains two complete sets of documents).
All documents (except the travel document or ID card, debit/credit card, and bank account statement and notarizations, if written in English) must be written in Czech or accompanied with a certified translation into the Czech language; the Consulate does not provide translations of the documents submitted with visa applications.
If a notarized copy is to be submitted instead of the wet-signed original: (a) When a document was issued in the Czech language (only), the notarized copy of the document can only be executed in the Czech Republic, or at a Czech consulate/embassy overseas; (b) When a document was issued in the English language or is bilingual, the notarized copy of the document can be executed by a notary public in the USA, or at a Czech consulate/embassy overseas.
All copies (1-sided or 2-sided, black & white or color) shall be made on American standard letter size sheet (8.5 inches x 11 inches).
No document (except the travel document, and the debit/credit card) may be older than 180 days.
All submitted documents (except the travel document) are sent to the Ministry of Interior in Prague and neither the originals nor the notarized copies can be returned.

Interview

Consulate is authorized to interview the applicant for long-term visa or long-term residence permit. By law, the interview with the applicant is conducted in the Czech language. The record of the interview is written in the Czech language and is signed by the applicant and the Consular Officer. In case you do not speak Czech you may hire and bring an interpreter with you at your own expense for the interview.

Visa application process

Long-term visas are approved by the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic, not by the Consulate. Without the approval, the Consulate is not authorized to issue the visa. The Consulate is unable to expedite or fast-track the visa process. Therefore, the Consulate encourages applicants to submit their applications well in advance.

The Consulate will not have information regarding the status of a pending application and therefore does not answer such enquiries. Instead, we proceed swiftly according to the instructions received from the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic: We request additional information or documents from the applicant, issue the visa, or inform the applicant that the visa was refused.

If the visa is refused, the applicant has the right to appeal within 15 days after receiving the information about the refusal of the application. The appeal should be addressed to the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic that made the decision about the application.

What exactly is a "visa" that will be issued after the application process is finished?

"Visa" is a special paper sticker containing security elements, photo and personal information of the applicant, validity period and type of visa. Once issued, the sticker is affixed inside the passport and stamped over. This is the reason why the Consulate retains the passport during the visa process.

May I have my passport back during the visa process if I need it to travel in the meantime?

We recommend that the applicants use a second passport for their international travels while the first passport is with the Consulate. In absence of the second passport, on their written request, visa applicants may have their passport returned from the Consulate after the visa application was logged into the system for processing and the application is pending.

You may collect your passport in person or, if you prefer to receive it by mail, we require the visa applicant to send us a dated and signed letter by regular mail (e-mailed, scanned or faxed versions are not acceptable) with the request for the Consulate to return the passport. The letter  must be written in Czech or English. Requestor's singature needs no notarization. Enclose a pre-paid and self-addressed USPS/UPS envelope; the address must be within the territory of the USA.

You may also include this letter and the envelope when you submit the visa application: in this case your file will contain the written request AND two pre-paid envelopes (one for the early return of your passport, and another for the return of your passport once the visa application is decided upon). 

Please remember that for the Consulate to be able to affix the visa sticker when the decision on your application was reached, we need to have the passport with us. We encourage you to return the passport to us again, in person or by regular mail, as soon as possible.