Long-Term Visa (traineeship)

In order to be allowed to live in the Czech Republic for study purposes, Non-EU exchange trainees must apply for a long-term visa for the purpose of study in the Czech Republic If they want to stay for more that 90 days. Applications must be submitted to the Czech Embassy or Consulate in the respective country. If you are unsure whether you need a visa to stay in the Czech Republic, please consult the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of your country or the embassy of the Czech Republic nearest to you. 

IMPORTANT: Non-EU citizens who have residency in another EU state still need to apply for a long-term visa in case they are staying longer than 90 days.

The following is a step-by-step explanation of the visa process. Please make sure to follow provided information before you apply for a visa.

 Who needs to apply for the visa?

• Thirds Country Nationals living outside or in the EU.*
•  A third-country national is a citizen of a state that is not a member of the EU nor a citizen of Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.

The EU Member States are Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Austria, Rumania, Greece, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

Note: Citizens of the United Kingdom are also considered as Visa students.

Non-EU students who are already studying and living in the EU (holders of residency card for study purposes) can apply for an appointment for the visa in the Czech republic or at the Czech regional visa centre in Dresden. These students should first consult their visa application with the Department of International Relations.

 Applying for the visa appointment

The appointment must be scheduled by the applicants as UCT Prague has no authority to process visa applications or approve visa appointments with the Czech Embassy in other countries. The International Relations Department UCT Prague usually advises students to apply for a visa appointment as soon as they receive an acceptance letter (or signed Learning Agreement). For many students, it can take several weeks for appointments to be made!

Gathering all documents 

To apply for a long-term visa (visa for study purposes), among other documents, you must obtain three original documents (physical copies) from UCT Prague. You may request the documents after your application procedure is finished and confirmed. 

 Which documents can UCT Prague issue for you? 

1.  Document the purpose of stay 
2.  Letter of Acceptance 
3.  Proof of accommodation (ONLY IN CASE you are staying at UCT dormitories) 

What should you provide? 

Please contact the Department of International Relations (incoming@vscht.cz) and send: 

• copy/scan of your passport 
• information at which embassy you will apply for a visa (name of the city)
• information if you will be staying at UCT Prague dormitories

IMPORTANT: There may be variations depending on the country where you are applying for your visa, and additional documents may be required. Therefore, your primary source for obtaining the right and accurate information is the embassy´s website or the official website of the Ministry of Interior of the Czech republic. 

  Here is the general list of the documents that you need to obtain for the visa:

• PASSPORT
• APPLICATION FORM – application for a long-term residence permit (green form)
• 2 PHOTOS
• BIOMETRIC DATA (FINGERPRINTS)
• SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS ON:

PURPOSE OF STAY – most frequently acceptance letter or similar confirmation

ACCOMMODATION

FINANCIAL MEANS – OR proof that the student disposes of the financial amount that would constitute real housing expenses OR proof that all the costs will be covered by a third party (state institution, legal person or hosting organisation) – for example, a stipend OR grant

• PARENTAL CONSENT (minors)
• CRIMINAL RECORD EXTRACT
• FEE
• TRAVEL MEDICAL INSURANCE* – only if visa approved, not when applying; foreign nationals must take out travel medical insurance for their stay in the Czech Republic. When picking up your visa, submit an officially verified translation of the insurance policy and general conditions into Czech to prove that you possess such insurance and to what extent. Upon request, do submit the proof of payment for the insurance.

* As a result of being parties to the International Treaty on Cooperation in the Area of Health and Social Security, medical travel insurance is not required from citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cuba, Japan, Macedonia, Montenegro, Turkey, and Serbia. The same exception applies to participants of the Erasmus Mundus program, Fulbright scholarship program, European Voluntary Service of the EC Youth in Action programme, as well as holders of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) issued by another EU member state and a GHIC card issued by the UK.

Delivery of the documents 

You must submit all the documents in paper form. To receive documents from UCT Prague, students need to contact the Department of International Relations (incoming@vscht.cz) after they receive confirmation that the documents are ready to be sent. 

Students have two options: 

1.  use regular delivery – UCT Prague will prepare and register the delivery. It will take approximately 3-4 weeks to receive the documents (it can be even more, depending on the country); students do not have to pay for the service. 
1.  use DHL – Students need to visit the DHL website and create an order for delivery. It will take approximately less than a week to obtain the documents safely; students pay for the express delivery service. 
    
   We recommend choosing express DHL delivery, as getting the documents as quickly and safely as possible is crucial. From our experience, it is the best way to obtain the documents without any problems. If students’ visa requests are not approved on time, UCT Prague reserves the right to cancel their traineeship. 

 The Visa Appointment 

 For the visa appointment, please pay attention to the information the Czech Embassy will communicate. Consulates schedule their own appointments, mostly by e-mail or phone – refer to consulate websites for guidance.

Applications are lodged in person. An interview is held and fingerprints are collected.  After applying for your visa, it can take up to 60 days from your first visit to the Embassy until you receive a response. If you have not been contacted or have no news after these 60 days, you can contact us by email. As mentioned above, we have no authority with the Czech embassy in other countries. 

Do not overlook:

• Supporting documents may not be older than 180 days, with the exception of a passport and photo (if reflecting current appearance).
• Supporting documents must be submitted in Czech. Documents in another language must also be submitted in official translation into Czech.
• The following documents must always be submitted in their originals: passport and supporting documents on purpose of stay (in this case, acceptance letter or other similar confirmation). These originals will be returned to the applicant should they wish to keep them. The passport is always returned to the applicant and is submitted again when issuing the visa.
• Other supporting documents may be submitted as originals or officially verified copies.
• We kindly request that applicants also prepare a set of copies of all the requirements.
• A long-term visa for the purpose of studies is issued for a period that is demonstrated with the confirmation of studies, however, not longer than 1 year.
• Submit only complete applications containing all the documents ⇒ incomplete applications cannot be processed. Insufficient application processing must be suspended until the applicant adds the missing documents. This prolongs the overall processing!

 After the appointment, wait for the decision. The legal processing time for a long-term visa for the study is 60 days.

IMPORTANT:  Make sure to arrive at the appointment at the embassy on time! Not arriving at the appointment at all or being late will result in postponing the process of obtaining the visa. In some cases, you may not be given another time slot to visit the Embassy, which will result in the impossibility to arrive in the Czech Republic on time for your traineesship!

 Communication with the embassy

• Kindly note that UCT Prague cannot legally help you with the visa appointment at the embassies; this is a responsibility of yours. You are also responsible for collecting all the required documents.
• Please check the embassy website and follow their instructions and requirements. Note that the requirements vary from country to country; make sure to have the correct information related to your citizenship.
• Please bear in mind that UCT Prague cannot communicate with the embassy or Ministry of Interior on your behalf. Information about your visa status is confidential and cannot be provided to UCT Prague. We understand that it might be stressful to wait for the embassy to contact you, but note that embassies are extremely busy during the summer. Once the visa is ready to be collected, you will be contacted.
• UCT Prague provides no assistance or invitation letter for your friends/partners/family members. In such a case, you shall follow the instructions on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and the respective embassy of the Czech Republic.

  Arrival in Prague

The Department of International Relations UCT Prague can accompany you on your way to apply for a visa and provide information. Once you have arrived in the Czech Republic, we will gladly provide additional information regarding registration at the Foreign Police or visa extension. 

Third-country nationals are obliged to register their accommodation address in the Czech Republic with the nearest foreign police department within 3 working days of entering the Czech Republic if it has not been done by the accommodation provider (e.g. Hall of residence - dormitory). When performing their obligations, the third-country national must present a valid travel document and a completed registration form (available at the office). During the performance of registration obligations, the police are entitled to demand the presentation of a travel insurance certificate. More information here. 

 Visa Extension 

Exchange students who want to extend their traineeship at UCT Prague must apply for an extension of their long-term visa. The extension can be done in the Czech republic by visiting the MOI  - Office of the Department for Asylum and Migration Policy at Hládkov:

  MOI office Praha

Responsibility for foreign university students with residence in the Capital City of Prague and the Praha-Západ and Praha-Východ districts

Hládkov 682/9, 169 00 Praha III

Praha 6 - Střešovice

Tel.: 974 801 801

Opening hours: 

• Mo till Th: 8.00 - 16.00 (only for clients with an appointment)
• Fr: 8.00 - 12.00 (only for clients with an appointment)

IMPORTANT: Check the online reservation where you can apply for the appointment! Ministry of Interior offers the applicant the closest term for an appointment possible. It needs to be checked whether offered term falls within the time limit prescribed by the law for the respective legal act (i.e. for submission of the application).

The necessary documents and information that you need regarding the extension can be found here. UCT Prague will issue the confirmation of the prolongation of traineeship. If you are staying at the dormitories, the Halls of Residence accommodation will issue the accommodation proof.

Note: the visa extension is only possible upon discussion with the Department of International Relations.