The embassy officials do not provide general information on the visa application procedure over the phone. Please read carefully the guidelines below and only contact us via e-mail should you have specific questions that are not addressed on our website.

Citizen of third countries legally residing in Canada based on a long term residence permit or a permanent residency, are entitled to submit their application for a long term stay permit/long term visa to the CR only on condition that they had lived in Canada continously for a period of two years.

Citizens of some states are exempted from this rule. Citizens of these states can lodge their applications at any diplomatic mission of the Czech Republic – after scheduling an appointment.

Should applicants who filed their application by mail require that their passport is mailed back to them while their visa application is pending approval, they must provide for this purpose a self-addressed (addresses in Canada only) prepaid XpressPost envelope.

The withdrawal of your passport will not affect the visa process, but please take into consideration the following:
 1.  You will have to resubmit your passport for the visa affixation once the visa decision is issued.  
2.  The visa must be issued by the same Consulate, which has originally accepted your visa 
     application.
3.  If you plan to travel to the Czech Republic without your long term visa, please remember that you
     are not meeting the conditions for a long term stay and consequently may be refused the entry into the Schengen Area/the Czech Republic.
4.  We can only mail passports back within the Canada.

Applicants are expected during their personal visit to submit a complete set of required documents; the meeting with a visa officer is not a consultation session and the visa officer, while ready to assist you in removing minor shortages, will not assist in completing the forms or advising on the general visa procedure.

STEP 1: Before submitting their visa application to the Czech Embassy in Ottawa, all applicants should make sure they correctly determined the type of visa they will need. Different types of visas require different procedures and different documents to be submitted. Applicants should find out here about the requirements for their particular type of visa or residency permit application, and only then return to this section to learn how to fulfill each of them. 

STEP 2: Determine the office with which to file the visa application. There are currently two Czech offices that accept visa applications in Canada - our embassy and the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Toronto. Please follow this link to learn about the consular jurisdiction of our embassy.

Canadian and U.S. applicants can apply for their visa at any visa processing embassy or consulate general of the Czech Republic abroad. Except for family members of EU Member State citizens, Czech visa applications cannot be filed with any office on the territory of the Czech Republic.

Citizens of some countries may not apply for a long stay visa/residency permit from Canada unless they possess a long stay legal title to remain in Canada (study permit, work permit, permanent residence card). If your country does not appear on the following list, you must submit with your visa application  your valid Canadian permanent residence card or have a Canadian long-stay visa issued for a period ofin your passport.

STEP 3:  As a rule, all applications are to be submitted in person. With effect from 1 February 2021, the Embassy allows the submission of applications for long-stay visas (with the exception of long-stay visas with the purpose of business), for long-term residence permits in case of applicants enrolled in the Highly Qualified Worker Programme and in the Key and Research Staff Programme and for long-term residence permits with the purpose of scientific research and for long-term residence permits for family members of scientific researchers for citizens of Canada without the requirement of personal submission of the application. We would like to point out the possibility of additional summoning of the applicant to the Embassy for the purpose of conducting an interview.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Processing times start running from the moment a complete application (i.e. submission containing all the required items) is submitted. For instance, if you submit all but one required document, we will notify you about the shortage and until it is removed, your application will be filed without processing. If you do not remove the shortage within an arranged time, we will return the submission to you by mail.

Passports may be returned to visa applicants once their application has been accepted by our office. This is useful namely in case of long-stay applications with processing times of several months. Applicants who file their visa applications by mail must indicate in an accompanying letter that they require their passport is sent back to them and must include for this purpose a self-addressed and prepaid envelope (we recommend secure postal services and will not mail passports to applicants who do not select trackable services; we will not mail passports abroad; the Embassy will not be responsible for any damage of passports while in transit or their loss).

Visa applications are accepted by us, but desicion on the application stays within the competence of the Ministry of Inetrior of the Czech Republic. For this reason, we are not able to speed up the processing of any visa application.

Once your application is accepted for firther proccessing, you will receive the number of your application. The status of your application can be then checked at the website of the Ministry of Interior of the CR. Please do not check sooner than in 3-4 weeks after you received your application number.

 

HOW TO SATISFY THE INDIVIDUAL VISA REQUIREMENTS:

Visa application form

 

Processing of application forms is computerized, if not completed legibly, you risk your visa will be issued with delay or the application will not be processed at all.

 

All applicants should make sure that

• they have printed the correct application form (there are currently three types of forms - for short-term and long-term visas and for long-term residency permits);
• they filled the application form completely, dated it and signed it;
• they completed the application legibly and in Roman capitals (processing of application forms is computerized and not completed legibly, applicants risk that their visa will be issued with delay or the application will not be processed at all); here are some useful tips:
  
  Complete the boxes under individual headings from left to right. Do not complete the application form in red ink.
  Complete all sections with the exception of those for office use only. If the data to be completed are not known to you, leave the boxes blank. If the question offers more than one answer, mark the boxes which apply with a cross X. The data should be completed in the place reserved for them; if there is not enough space left, a separate sheet of paper may be used and enclosed with the application form.
  Corrections in the form should be made by drawing a horizontal line through unwanted writing. Correct data should be completed in the remaining vacant boxes under the heading (or a separate sheet of paper to be enclosed with the application form).
  
  (a) Applicant´s identification data must be completed as written in his/her travel document. Individual first names and surnames must be separated by an empty box.
  (b) Days, months and years should be completed without dots and hyphens - DDMMYYYY i.e. e.g. 25 May 1983 is 25051983.
  (c) To complete the address, write the country code-town-street-number, e.g. "USA-Miami-South Str.-8".
  Telephone and fax numbers are given including the country code separated from the number with hyphen, i.e. e.g. +420-745789445.
  
  
  Instructions on how to complete questions on the Application for long-stay visa:
  
  1, 2, 3. Complete according to (a) above;
  4. Complete according to (b) above;
  5. Complete if such number is indicated in your travel document;
  5. Complete the place of birth as shown in your travel document or as provided by your birth certificate;
  5b., 6., 7. Complete the three-digit country codes according to the Index of Country Codes (Canada - CAN, Czech Republic - CZE etc.);
  8. Leave unmarked if you do not want to indicate your sex.
  9. Complete your current marital status.
  10. Give your father´s first name(s) and surname(s) according to (b) above;
  11. Give your mother´s first name(s) and surname(s), according to (b) above;
  12. Specify the type of travel document enclosed with the application;
  13. Complete data as written in your travel document.
  14. Complete the code as shown in your travel document (if not applicable, use the Index of Country Codes; the country code for Canada is CAN, Czech Republic is CZE);
  15., 16. Complete travel document data as written in your travel document according to (i) above;
  17. If you have permission to return to the country of residence, give the number and validity of such permission according to (i) above (for instance, non-Canadian citizens residing and applying in Canada should provide the number of their permanent resident card or their long-stay visa);
  18. Give your current occupation, e.g. "businessman" (students should write "student");
  19. Complete the name, address and telephone number of your employer or school (private of state-run company, office, school). Only complete if you are employed or studying. Address and telephone number should be completed according to (c) above;
  20. Provide the name of the employer or school in the Czech Republic;
  21. Fill in only if you temporarily reside in a country different from the country of your home address;
  22. Fill in according to (c) above if applicable;
  23. Give the town of your main destination in the Czech Republic. If the character of your journey makes it impossible to specify the main destination in the Czech Republic, give the first town in the Czech Republic. In case of transit give the State of your final destination;
  24. Give the the postal address only if different from the address of stay in the Czech Republic;
  25. Give the number of days of your requested stay in the territory of the Czech Republic, e.g. 9 days - 009.
  26. Complete only the visas issued in the past three years by the Czech Republic. Fill in the country code, hyphen, and the valid-until date. Leave a blank box between individual visas. (E.g. CZE-01082004).
  27. If applicable, complete the valid-until date according to (c) above, the issuing authority and the country code (in accordance with the Index of Country Codes) of the issuing state.
  28. Mark the purpose of your stay in the Czech Republic; if none of the boxes applies specify the purpose under the heading "Other" and explain.
  29. Complete the planned date of arrival in the territory of the Czech Republic according to (c) above.
  30. Complete the planned date of departure from the territory of the Czech Republic according to (c) above.
  31. Indicate the plaece of crossing point of your first entry in the territory of the Czech Republic (e.g. Prague). In case of transit give also the name of the border crossing point of your departure from the territory of the Czech Republic.
  32. Give the means of transport by which you will arrive in the territory of the Czech Republic (e.g. plane - letadlo, train - vlak, passenger car - auto).
  33. Give the name of your host or hotel or your temporary address in the Czech Republic, fill in the address and telephone or fax numbers according to (c) above.
  34., 35. You may mark one or more boxes indicating means of support available to you during your stay;
  36., 37. Only complete this section if your spouse and/or children are travelling to the Czech Republic with you. They must be entered in the submitted joint travel document (spouse and children), the so-called family passport, or in your standard travel document (children). Complete the family name, family name at birth and first name according to (a) above and the dates of birth according to (b) above;
  38. Give your home address according to (c) above;
  39. Give your telephone number according to (c) above;
  40. Provide your e-mail address (please note that in order to facilitate easy correspondence and privacy issues it is crucial that you type your own e-mail address only and that it is legible);
  41. Give the place (town) where your sign your visa application. For children under 15 years of age, the application is signed by their guardian (as a rule their parent).

Travel document (passport)

The applicant shall present a valid travel document satisfying the following criteria:

• Its validity shall extend at least three months after the intended date of departure from the territory of the Czech Republic/Member States of the Schenen Area;
• It shall contain at least two blank pages designated for the issuance of visas;
• It shall have been issued within the previous 10 years.

Copies of travel documents are unacceptable. In case applicants need their passport while their visa application is pending decision, the processing officer will return the passport to them after its brief inspection. If you need your travel document to be mailed to you, you must provide for this purpose a self-addressed pre-paid envelope.

 

Passport pictures

Depending on the type of visa application, applicants must submit one or more passport pictures. For a short term visa, one picture measuring 3.5 x 4.5 cm must be glued to the application form. Applicants for a long-stay visa (over 90 days) must attach two pictures of the same dimensions, one glued to the application form, the other submitted separately, with last name of the applicant typed legibly on the reverse of the photo.
Please note that photos in electronic form are not accepted.

 

Purpose of stay

This document serves as the basis for determining your visa type. Various documents may be produced, depending on the reason for stay. Letters of acceptance (study), work permits (employment), excerpts from commercial register (business), marriage certificates (family reunification) and other documents may serve as proofs of stay. We recommend that you contact our embassy if you do not know what document to submit as proof of purpose of stay.
Proof of the purpose of stay must be submitted in original (i.e. photocopies are not accepted) and translated into Czech (if they are not issued in Czech already).

 

Proof of accommodation

For long-term stays, proof of accommodation is an original (i.e. not a photocopy) document proving that you will have accommodation secured throughout the entire stay in the Czech Republic. Contracts of lease (signed by both parties), confirmations from owners/landlords (with their signatures notarized by a Czech embassy/consulate or notary public; applicants can use the following template: http://www.mvcr.cz/clanek/cizinci-doklad-o-zajisteni-ubytovani.aspx), employers or schools (signed by representatives of these institutions) are some of the acceptable ways of proving accommodation in the territory. The place of accommodation must be defined and address provided (i.e. it is not sufficient to simply state that "accommodation will be provided in a dormitory").
For short-stay visas (Schengen visas - for stays of up to 90 days), hotel reservations in the form of online booking will be accepted. Furthermore, if the financial situation of the applicant justifies it, the obligation to submit proof of accommodation may be waived completely.

 

Proof of readily available sufficient funds

The best way to prove sufficient funds for your stay in the Czech Republic is to submit an original (i.e. not a photocopy) letter from your bank, signed and stamped by the bank representative, confirming the balance on your bank account(s) and mentioning (if applicable) the possession of a credit/debit card (to prove that you will be able to access your funds from the Czech Republic). The letter must be translated into Czech language and copies of the front pages of credit/debit cards must be provided.
Sufficient funds may be proved by other means as well (e.g. by submitting a credit card copy and a credit card statement, in original or a copy stamped by the bank, containing the information about credit limit), but it must be clear from the documents submitted that the funds will be readily available abroad and in sufficient amount. Pay slips are of secondary importance and cannot be submitted as primary proofs of sufficient funds. For the purpose of long-term visa stays, sufficient funds cannot be proved by showing cash. All documents submitted as proof of funds must be accompanied by a Czech translation on a separate sheet.

 

Application Fee

please see

The visa fees are to be paid in the form of cash, money orders or certified checks (payable to "Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ottawa").

 

Criminal record check

NOTE: Only a certified criminal record check (based on fingerprints)  is accepted for a visa application.

Canadian criminal record check must be superlegalized before it can be accepted with the visa application. Furthermore, it must also be translated into Czech.

Criminal record checks issued in Canada must first be stamped by  the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD). Please visit the DFAIT's website to find out how to have your Canadian criminal record check legalized (if you have any questions regarding this phase, please address them to DFATD, not our office; Only after the criminal record check is legalized by DFATD should it be submitted to our embassy for superlegalization. Do not forget that the criminal record check must be translated into Czech (it is not important who translates it, whether you, your Czech friend or any commercial translator; however, the translation must be complete and accurate; automated translators such as Google Translate are not acceptable). Unless the translation is made by a translator accredited in the Czech Republic, our consular officers must officially verify its accuracy (a fee of CAD per page of text is charged).

If you have lived in any other country besides Canada for 6 months or longer in the previous three years, you are required to submit a criminal record check issued by that country.

Travel Medical Insurance

For detailed information, please see the website of the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic