Czech RepublicVisits and short stays

Czech Republic tourist visa (Schengen type C)

Schengen visa (type C) for tourism

In short

Holiday trips with Czechia as the main destination need a uniform Schengen visa if your nationality is visa-required, lodged at the Czech embassy or consulate responsible for your place of legal residence or its external service provider. You must show at least CZK 1,565 per day and insurance of EUR 30,000; the decision normally comes within 15 days.

checked 23 October 2026

Key facts

Maximum stay
Up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area.
Validity
Single or multiple entry, as the consulate decides; the 90/180-day limit applies to every visa.
Fee
€90Standard adult Schengen fee; EUR 45 for children aged 6–11, free under 6. Paid at submission; an external service provider may charge its own service fee on top. Not refunded after a refusal.
Funds required
CZK 1,565 per dayCzech minimum for stays of up to 30 days. For 31–90 days you need CZK 46,950 plus CZK 6,260 for each full month; applicants under 18 need half. Proof can be a bank statement with an international card, a prepaid voucher or invoice, a police-verified invitation, a stipend or a grant.
Processing time
15 calendar days as a rule; up to 45 days when a case needs closer examination.
Work
No. Paid work needs a separate Schengen visa for employment backed by a Labour Office permit, or a long-term permit.
Family
Each traveller, including children, needs an own application; family members of EU citizens apply free of charge.
Where to apply
The Czech embassy or consulate responsible for your place of legal residence, or the external service provider it uses.

Who needs it

If your nationality needs a Schengen visa, you need this visa for any tourist trip in which Czechia is the main destination, meaning the place of the longest stay. If you spend more nights in another Schengen state, apply to that state instead.

Supporting documents

Each Czech mission publishes the list of supporting documents it expects. Besides passport, form and photo, it usually asks for travel reservations, accommodation, recent bank statements showing regular income and, depending on your status, proof of employment, company papers or a student certificate.

Czech consulates add their own rule on funds: an application without proof of money is not accepted. Keep copies of bookings, insurance and funds with you, because border guards can ask for them again on entry.

Required documents

Identity

  • Completed and signed Schengen application form and one recent photo

Travel

  • Passport issued in the last 10 years, valid at least three months beyond departure, with two blank pages
  • Flight or other transport reservation and, for touring, a travel itinerary

Money

  • Bank statement for the last three months showing regular income, plus salary slips for three months or a pension booklet

Work

  • Employees: employer letter with start date, position and leave, plus proof of employment and social insurance registration

Insurance

  • Travel medical insurance valid in all Schengen states with at least EUR 30,000 cover for the whole trip

Other

  • Proof of accommodation such as a hotel booking or an invitation covering lodging

Supporting documents (where they apply)

Work

  • Company owners: company registration, trade register extract and tax documents; farmers: proof of agricultural activity

Study

  • Students: student certificate (other pupils: school certificate)

Family

  • Minors travelling alone or with one parent: notarised consent of the other parent or proof of sole custody

How much money you need

Czechia links the amount to its existential minimum. For a trip of up to 30 days you need at least CZK 1,565 per day. For longer trips the base is CZK 46,950 for the first period plus CZK 6,260 for each full month; children under 18 need half. Bank statements are usually combined with an internationally accepted card in your name.

Where and how to apply

Applications are lodged at the Czech embassy or consulate responsible for your place of legal residence, or at the external service provider it uses. You can apply no earlier than six months and no later than 15 days before departure. Fingerprints are stored in the VIS for 59 months, so frequent travellers do not always give them again.

  1. Check which Czech embassy or consulate is responsible for your place of legal residence and whether it uses an external service provider.
  2. Book an appointment as that mission instructs, no earlier than six months and no later than 15 days before the trip.
  3. Fill in the Schengen form and gather the documents on the mission’s list plus your hotel booking and itinerary.
  4. Attend in person, give fingerprints (not required under 12) and pay EUR 90 plus any service fee.
  5. Wait for the decision, normally within 15 calendar days.
  6. Collect the passport; at the border register in the EES and, outside a hotel, register your address with the Foreign Police within three working days.

Forms

On arrival in Czechia

Since April 2026 the Entry/Exit System records your face and fingerprints at the first Schengen border crossing instead of a passport stamp. Foreigners over 15 must report their address to the Foreign Police within three working days; hotels do this for their guests.

Refusal and appeal

A refusal comes on a standard form listing the reasons. You can ask for a review in writing at the consulate that refused the visa within 15 days of receiving the form; the review fee is EUR 80 and new documents cannot be added. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs decides within 60 days, and after a confirmed refusal you may turn to the competent Czech court within 30 days.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for a Czech tourist visa directly at the consulate?

It depends on the location. Where a Czech mission uses an external service provider, ordinary Schengen applications are lodged there, and the mission’s website says who may still book directly at the mission, for example family members of EU citizens.

Is a hotel booking enough as proof of accommodation?

Yes, a hotel booking is accepted. If friends or relatives host you, they can instead send an invitation verified by the Czech Foreign Police, which can also cover funds and Czech insurance.

How early should I apply in summer?

You may apply up to six months ahead, and the latest admissible date is 15 days before travel. Appointment slots can be scarce in spring and summer, so booking several weeks before the 15-day limit is sensible.

Does a Czech visa let me visit other Schengen countries?

Yes. A uniform visa with the code for the Schengen states is valid in the whole area, as long as Czechia remains your main destination and you respect the 90/180-day limit.

Official sources

Summarised from the official sources above. Rules, fees and processing times change: confirm with the embassy or the official portal before you apply.

Other visa types for Czech Republic

Visits and short stays

Business and self-employment

  • Business visa Maximum stay: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area.
  • Self-employed and freelancer visa Maximum stay: Up to one year; extendable or convertible into a long-term residence permit for business in Czechia.
  • Investor visa Maximum stay: Issued for up to two years; renewable in Czechia.

Study and training

Work

  • Job seeker visa Maximum stay: Up to nine months, no extension.
  • Work visa Maximum stay: For the length of the contract, at most two years per card; renewable in Czechia.
  • Skilled worker visa Maximum stay: Depends on the permit obtained (employee card up to two years, Blue Card up to three).
  • EU Blue Card Maximum stay: Contract length plus three months, at most three years; renewable.
  • Intra-company transfer visa Maximum stay: Duration of the transfer: at most three years for managers and specialists, one year for trainees.
  • Seasonal work visa Maximum stay: Long-term seasonal visa: at most nine months in total, extensions included.
  • Digital nomad visa Maximum stay: Long-term visa for up to one year, then a long-term residence permit for the same purpose in Czechia.

Family

  • Family reunification visa Maximum stay: Same validity as the sponsor’s permit, at least one year; two years if the sponsor holds permanent residence.
  • Spouse and partner visa Maximum stay: Residence card for the expected length of the EU citizen’s stay, at most five years.

Residence

  • Permanent residence Maximum stay: Permanent; the residence card itself is renewed periodically.

Faster processing

Protection

  • Asylum and international protection Processing time: Time limits follow the amended Asylum Act and the EU Asylum Procedure Regulation applicable since 12 June 2026; manifestly unfounded claims go through an accelerated procedure.

Czech Republic visa guide