In order to apply you will need:

• Travel document
• Proof of accommodation
• Proof of funds for the stay (finances)
• Comprehensive medical insurance (information on children under the age of 18 can be found here)
• Photograph

• Document certifying completion of university studies (holder of a long-term residence permit for the purpose of studies) or document certifying completion of research activity issued by the corresponding research institution (holder of a long-term residence permit for the purpose of scientific research).

Upon request provide also:

• Medical Report
• Document similar to an Extract from the Penal Register Record, issued by other states where you have resided for a total of six months during the three years preceding your application.

• Document similar to an extract from the Penal Register record, issued by the state of which you are a citizen.

• A proof of payment for the insurance stated on the proof of comprehensive medical insurance.

Upon application you must pay an administrative fee of CZK 2,500 in the form of stamps.

If you want your application to be processed as soon as possible, you have to provide all the necessary documents already when submitting the application. If your application is incomplete, the Ministry of the Interior can suspend the administrative proceedings, which may lead to prolonging the application processing time (for more information please see the section additions to the application).

However, if there is a time limit for submitting the application stipulated by law and you do not have all the necessary documents yet, submit the application anyway, even though it may be incomplete. As if the time limit expires, your right to reside in the Czech Republic may cease to exist along with it.

Please review the formal requirements that the documents must meet.

You can fill in the application form online. Then print out the filled-in form and sign it.

You can also download a blank application form, print it out and fill it in by hand – it must be filled in legibly, in block capitals,  in Latin characters, and in Czech. You can also collect the form free of charge at one of the offices of the Ministry of the Interior.

Make an appointment online or by phone beforehand in order to submit your application. Although a timely appointment reservation saves your time, it is not a necessary condition for submitting the application – with no appointment reservation you have to wait for your turn.

The lack of accessible slots in the schedule of appointments does not justify your failure to submit the application in due time. If the closest accessible date of appointment is after your time limit for submitting the application expires (for example your visa-free stay would already have expired), submit the application without prior reservation. For more details see your office’s opening hours (choose the appropriate office according to the location of your reported address) to find out, which is the earliest permissible date that you can appear in person, without having made a prior reservation.

You must submit a long-term residence permit application or an application for a new long-term residence permit (changing the purpose of residence) in person at a Ministry of the Interior office.

Are you not sure whether you must submit the application in person? For more information click here.

If you submit the application in person, you will receive a slip confirming the submission and a reference number assigned to your application. You need to know the reference number, for example, to be able to track the state of your proceedings.

If you have submitted your application within the given time limit, during the time when your application is being processed you are staying in the Czech Republic legally, even if your current residence permit or visa expires (for more information please see the section Fiction of Residence). This is the case, with some exceptions, until a final decision on your application is taken. At the Ministry of the Interior offices you can also apply for a certificate confirming permission for your residence (Bridging Visa). A Bridging Visa allows you, for example, to leave the Czech Republic and return again during the time when your application is being processed.

The Ministry of the Interior will assess your application in administrative proceedings. If any errors are detected in the attached documents, you will be prompted in writing to remedy such errors. In the notice, the Ministry will explain in detail what the errors are and what you have to do to remedy them. It will also set a time limit for you to do so. When justified and if you apply for it in writing, this time limit can be extended.

The Ministry of the Interior also checks if you meet the requirements to obtain the residence permit you are applying for. In such case you may be invited for an interview.

In the course of the administrative proceedings you can:

• Add additional documents to your application.
• Be represented in the proceedings (a Power of Attorney).
• Ask for access to your file.
• Ask for a stay in the proceedings.
• Withdraw the application (Withdrawal of the Application).

You can track the state of your proceedings online on the website under Status of my Application or in your personal account. If you were prompted to provide documents or to remedy errors, the time limit for processing your application is not running until the errors are remedied or for as long as it is established in the notice.

For more information on the state of your application you can submit a written Application for a Notification on the State of the Proceedings. You can find the most common reasons for why processing may take longer in the Database of Frequently Asked Questions.

On the website under Status of my application you can see the following states:

• Being processed: No decision has been taken yet. For more information on what you can do in the course of the administrative proceedings please see the previous section.
• Granted: The Ministry’s decision is affirmative. Please see the following section.
• Rejected: The Ministry rejected your application or closed the proceedings. In such a case you will receive the decision in writing. You can appeal against the decision within 15 days of the date you were notified of the decision.

• The decision to reject the application consists of three basic parts:
  1. The Statement: It contains specific legal provisions based on which the application was rejected. It may also advise you that you must leave the country, including the time limit in which you must do so.
  2. The Statement of Grounds: It explains why the application was rejected and what documents and proofs served as grounds for the decision on your application.
  3. Your rights: It informs you on how to proceed if you wish to appeal against the decision.

• The decision to close the proceedings consists of three basic parts:
  1. The Statement: It contains specific legal provisions based on which the proceedings were closed.
  2. The Statement of Grounds: It describes the procedure and grounds that led to the proceedings being closed.
  3. Your rights: It informs you on how to proceed if you wish to appeal against the decision.

You may have only received a record of the decision to close the proceedings because in your case the proceedings were closed for reasons stipulated by law in which case the applicant does not receive a written decision (Section 169r (2) of Act No. 326/1999 Coll). 

If the application is granted, make an appointment by phone to have your biometric data taken. Please note that the appointment date is binding and you must follow the Administrative Procedure Code if you request a reschedule or cancellation.

Come to the scheduled biometric data scanning appointment. Take your travel document with you. At the biometric data scanning you will agree on a date to collect your completed biometric card.

The final step is to collect your residence permit (biometric card). The time limit for collection is 60 days from the date you had your biometric data scanned.