Czechia

Information for all students

Students should ensure that their passports are signed and stamped when entering and exiting Border Control. These stamps will prove the duration of your visit and, more importantly, prove to the visa official that you have not overstayed your 90-day visit.

It is important to understand the Schengen 90/180 rule. You are allocated 90 visa-free days to use within the Schengen Zone, however you must remember these are rolling days and are added onto a cumulative total of days in the Schengen region. Leaving and entering does not reset your calculator – only leaving for a period of 90 days in a non-Schengen country will reset your visa-free 90-day allowance.

Read more about the Schengen rules

Studying for less than 3 months

EU/EEA students do not need a visa to enter, study, work or reside in the Czech Republic.

EU Citizens staying in the Czech Republic for more than 30 days need to declare their stay at the Foreign Police Department. The registration must be completed within 30 days of arriving in Czechia.

Students of the following nationalities can travel to the Czech Republic with only a biometric passport:

• Albania
• Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Georgia
• Moldova
• Montenegro
• North Macedonia
• Serbia
• Ukraine

UK Students do not require a visa to enter the Czech Republic (part of the Schengen region) and can stay for a duration of up to 90 days.

Non-UK/EU students not exempt from a visa waiver in the Schengen region are required to apply for a Schengen short-stay visa.

Gather your documents

To apply for your Schengen visa, you will need to gather the following documents:

• Visa application form
• 2 identical passport photos
• Valid passport
• Copies of your previous visas (if any)
• Round-trip flight itinerary (e.g.: flight tickets)
• Travel medical health insurance
• Proof of accommodation in Czechia
• Proof of sufficient financial funds, covering the duration of your stay in Czechia
• Cover letter
• Proof of civil status (e.g.: marriage certificate, birth certificate of children, death certificate of spouse, etc.)
• Enrolment certificate allowing attendance of courses (school, university, language course, etc.)
• No-objection letter from current educational institution (if applicable)
• Proof of paid visa fee

Discover the full list of required documents.

Further information can be found on the Embassy of Czech Republic website.

How to apply

If the Czech Republic is the only country you will be visiting in the Schengen region, submit your short-stay visa application at the Czech embassy/Consulate/VFS Global Visa Application Centre in your country of residence.

To apply, you must attend a Schengen Visa interview. After that, the visa application can take 15-45 days to process. Once the application has been processed, you must either collect your passport or have it delivered via a courier service.

Studying for more than 3 months

EU/EEA students do not need a visa to enter, study, work or reside in the Czech Republic. Students should register their presence within 30 days of arriving in Czechia.

UK/non-EA/non-EEA students who wish to stay in the Czech Republic for a duration of 1 year must apply for a long-term visa for study at the Czech Embassy in London. It can take up to 60 days to process the visa and the visa fee is 2500 CZK (£82.96). 

Gather your documents

In order to apply for a long-term visa, you will need to gather the following documents:

• Completed visa application form
• 2 recent passport photos
• Valid passport
• Confirmation of studies
• Proof of accommodation
• Proof of financial funding
  • A copy of a debit card in your name which is valid for the duration of your stay in Czechia and a bank statement from your the same account coveringthe past 3 months. This can be actual bank statements or an original letter from the bank in English, stamped and signed.
  • OR a letter from a sponsor
  • OR proof of a scholarship
• Criminal check certificate
• Medical health insurance

Please note: when applying for a long-term visa, you must be able to provide proof of funds that are 15 times the amount of the existential minimum (in accordance with the Government Regulation No. 61/2020 Coll. this minimum is equal to 2, 490 CZK or £81.63) for the first month and double the amount of existential minimum for every month afterwards, i.e. for instance, for a stay from January 1st until June 30th it would be (15 * 2 490) + (5 * 2 * 2 490) = 37 350 + 24 900 = 62 250 CZK. 

Discover the full list of required documents.

Upon arrival

All students entering the Czech Republic without a Residence Permit are required to register their presence with the nearest Foreign Police department.

Working in the Czech Republic

EU/EEA students are required to obtain a visa and/or Resident Permit to work in the Czech Republic. However, you must ensure that you adhere to passport and other travel requirements.

Students who are not visa-exempt must obtain one of two visas before entering Czechia:

• short-stay visa - for stays up to 90 days
• long-term visa - for stays exceeding 90 days

UK students who wish to engage in 'gainful' activity must apply for a short-term visa, as the visa exemption will no longer apply.

Exemption from the requirement to hold a visa for short-term stays does not apply to third-country nationals who intend to carry out paid activities in the Czech Republic.

Gather your documents

To apply for a short-term or long–term visa, you must gather the following documents:

• Proof of funding
• Czech visa application form
• 2 identical passport photos
• Valid passport
• Copies of previous visas (if applicable)
• Round-trip flight itinerary
• Travel medical health insurance
• Proof of accommodation in Czechia
• Proof of sufficient financial funds
• Cover letter
• Proof of civil status

Third-country nationals are also obliged to prove funds totalling 0.5 times the existential minimum funds (per 1 day of stay). The existential minimum is currently CZK 2,490.

If you intended length of stay exceeds 30 days, you must provide proof of 15 times the existential minimum funds. This amount increases by twice the existential minimum for each month of intended stay.

If your stay exceeds 90 days, you must provide proof of 50 times the existential minimum funds. This still applies if the purpose of your stay is business.

Please note that you may have to present a document confirming payment of services connected with your stay, or a document confirming that such services shall be provided free of charge.

Discover the full list of required documents.

Working for up to 3 months

UK/non-EU/EEA students do not need a visa or Residence Permit for a duration of up to 90 days (within 180 days) for the following purposes:

• Providing services as part of an after-sales agreement by a non-Czech company
• Supplying goods or services
• Assembly work under a commercial contract
• Warranty and repair work
• Educational and academic work in a school
• Scientific, research and development work in a public research institution or other research organisation
• Performing artist work

The following individuals may not require a visa or Residence Permit in the Czech Republic for up to 90 days in a 180-day period, as covered by the Schengen visa waiver:

• Dependants of diplomatic mission workers
• Spiritual workers of the Catholic Church or other religious societies registered in the Czech Republic
• Members of rescue units assisting with the consequences of accidents/natural disasters or providing humanitarian aid under international agreements
• Employees in international rail, road and sea traffic (if working on behalf of a UK employer)
• Accredited journalists
• Military members or civilian personnel
• Those completing work that has particular interest to the Czech Republic (usually requiring permission from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior or Trade)

Please note that, if the work you are completing is not classed as dependent work, you may be asked to show proof of exemption.

The proof of exemption could be:

• An assignment letter
• An employment confirmation letter
• A contract
• Proof of required qualifications (e.g.: diploma, professional certificates, etc.)
• An after-sales agreement

How to apply

You should submit their short-stay visa application at the Czech Embassy/Consulate/Visa Application Centre in your country of residence.

UK Students should apply to the nearest Czech Visa Application Centre.

Working for more than 3 months

If remaining in Czechia for more than 3 months, UK students must apply for a long-term visa (type D). This covers stays of up to 1 year.

For stays longer than 1 year, you must apply for a long-term Residence Permit.

Long-term visas cover the following activities in Czechia:

• Health-related activities
• Cultural events
• Sports events
• Visiting friends and family (by invitation)
• Official activities (e.g., political)
• Studies
• On-site training/internship
• Volunteering
• Working holiday
• Seasonal employment
• Entrepreneurship
• Other relevant activities

Gather your documents

In order to apply for a long-term visa, you must gather the following documents:

• Valid passport
• Visa application form
• 2 photos
• Biometric prints
• Letter, detailing the purpose of your stay in Czechia
• Proof of accommodation in Czechia
• Proof of sufficient financial means for the duration of your stay
• Criminal record check certificate
• Proof of fees paid (e.g.: receipt)
• Travel medical insurance

Discover the full list of required documents.

Additional Information for Students

• Supporting documents should be no older than 180 days

• Supporting documents must be submitted in Czech

• Foreign public documents must be legalised i.e. equipped by an apostille or superlegalised

• Original passport and supporting document on the purpose of stay in this case employment contract/work agreement/letter of intent and employment permit, if applicable.

How to apply

Students should apply at their nearest Consulate/Embassy. The Consulate requests that applicants prepare copies of required documents beforehand. 

The processing time for long-stay visas is 90-120 days. 

Long-term Residence Permit/Employee Card

If UK/non-EU/EEA students want to gain employment in the Czech Republic, they must apply for a long-term Residence Permit.

You may apply for a single-entry visa for the purpose of collecting a long-term Residence Permit. This allows you to stay in the Czech Republic for a duration of up to 60 days, with a validity of 6 months.

Your Residence Permit may also be for the purpose of:

• Employment (employee card or blue card)
• Study
• Scientific research
• Family unification

Students must apply for an Employee Card for specific job positions lasting more than 3 months.

Additional information

Please take note of the below information when considering studying and working in the Czech Republic:

• supporting documents should be no older than 180 days
• supporting documents must be submitted in Czech
• foreign public documents must be legalised (i.e.: equipped by an apostille or super legalised)