Zivno visa Czech Republic

Step by step process of applying for the zivno visa

Now you know if you have to apply for the visa in the country of your origin or if it can be done somewhere else. What to do next?

1. Choose the Embassy where you want to apply (in case you have the opportunity to choose) and check their availability. Most Embassies are booked for weeks/month in advance so everything must be well planned.
2. Collect all the required documents – we are listing the documents below.
3. Prepare for the immigration interview – part of the zivno visa process is an immigration interview usually conducted at the Embassy. The Officers will ask you about your business plan, your housing in Prague, education, experience and how much you know about the Czech tax/social security/health care system.
4. Go to the chosen Embassy, pass the interview and submit your zivno visa application.
5. Wait – the official approval time for the zivno visa given by the immigration law is 90-120 days. In can be anything between two weeks and even longer than four months. It depends on many factors.
6. Provide additional documents or conduct additional interview – as mentioned above, the process is getting more complicated for everyone. So, even if you submit all the required documents, the MOI (Ministry of the Interior responsible for visa decisions) can request some additional documents or invite you for additional interview.
7. Collect your approved visa – once your zivno visa is approved, you have to go back to the Embassy where you applied for it and collect it. Czech private health insurance will be needed for that.
8. Activate your zivno (trade license) and get registered for paying income tax, social security (and public health care – where applies) and be good for a year.

What documents are needed for the zivno visa

Now, you know the process ahead, one important part is still missing though – what documents you will actually need to get the zivno visa. Here you go the list:

• application form
• passport – can not be older than 10 years, must have at least two blank pages and must be valid for another 1,5 years
• 2 passport sized photos
• proof of accommodation – this is one of the most trickiest documents – regardless the Embassy you apply through (i.e. even if you are an Indian applying in India), you have to present a document showing that you have accommodation arranged at least for a year. Finding a place to live if you are not physically in the Czech Republic is close to impossible so this part is usually hard. Get in touch with us through the form on the right if you need more info about how to solve this problem.
• proof of funds – you need to show that you have equivalent to at least 124 500 CZK (effective from 1.4.2020) in your account. You should also keep the money there during the whole process since the MOI might want to see that you still have enough before your approval.
• trade license + other documents on the purpose of your stay – you need to prove that you have a real business plan related to the Czech Republic. So the trade license (zivno) is a must for everyone. In case of English Teachers, we also usually use a few letters from different language schools saying that once your visa is approved, they will be happy to hire you as a freelance English Teacher. This will not work for so called “digital nomads” since they do not really have any links to the Czech Republic.
• health insurance – health insurance is only needed to collect your visa so you do not need to worry about that when submitting your application. Also, different rules apply for different nationalities and age groups. Get in touch with us to find out more.
• criminal check – even though this document is officially only required “upon request”, the MOI requests it every time. You officially need the criminal check from the country of your origin and from all the countries where you have lived for longer than 6 months in the last three years. Conditions apply so please get int touch to find out more.
• medical check – this document is still a real “upon request” document and we have only seen the request once in 8 years we have been in business. So you do not need to worry about that now.