Visa for the Czech Republic
The immigration/visa laws are constantly changing.
This constant changing of laws breed confusion.
Roughly speaking: there are three systems in place for the zivnostenksy list system.
They are:
for Czechs,
for Eu citizens,
for third country nationals.
Each of the above have their "own rules".
Examples: if you are an EU citizen you do not need a visa for the Czech Republic but, you should at least register with the foreign police. If an EU citizen has permanent residency (obtained by five years continuous residency permits) they then come under the CZech rules for a zivnostensky list.
As a third country national your visa is "tied" to your zivnost. That is unless you have work permit and use a zivnsotensky list a a secondary form of employment.
And then again if a third country national is married to a Czech they can fall under the "Czech version of the rules".
We shall ignore the rules for Czechs and try to untie some of the confusion surrounding the zivnostenky list system.
Czech short term visa as of 5/4/2010
Czech long term visa (more than 90 days)
It would appear that the Czech government is trying to close any open loopholes in the zivnostesky list visa system.
You will need Czech health insurance.
You will need to apply at the embassy your self. And most importantly, the government has removed the short term visa from the process. There is no longer the possibility to use a short term visa to cover the period while you wait for your long term visa to be issued. You now need a letter of invite.
The application form for a Czech Schengen visa is changing. the down load from the government site is now black and white.
The foreign police as of early April still do not know this. The Foreign Police are still supplying people with the "old" red forms. So it appears there is a transition phase. Where the "old" red Schengen forms are still being accepted.
In order to make a successful visa application, you need to supply the correct paperwork/documents on time.
This is not as easy is it sounds under the current system, since the requirements vary from case to case.
Each application should be considered unique and that there is no one formula that applies "to everyone".
Visa applications depend on many things. The main factor is the country of your birth or rather the passport that you currently hold.
The paperwork that you will be asked to submit is directly related to the passport under which you are making the application.
There are currently three main passport groups:
EU nationals
Visa wavier countries
Non visa waiver countries
The latter two groups are referred to as third country nationals
These three passport groups split down into further subsections such as:
direct applicant
spouse
family
partner
etc
Then there is the main part of a Czech visa application, your reason to stay.
In order to successfully apply for a Czech visa, you need to give a reason to stay in the country.
There are many reasons that can be used:
employment
study
to be with your spouse/partner
tourism
business visa
etc.
If you do not have a valid reason to stay in the Czech Republic, the government will see no reason to grant a visa.
Then you will need to have health/medical insurance.
As of 1/1/2010 all people applying for or renewing a Czech visa must have Czech health insurance.
Other than this health insurance is split int two basic kinds. Czech and none Czech. If you are planning on being here some time it is normal that you would have Czech health insurance. Foreign health insurance is accepted at Czech hospitals. And you would need to ensure that your health insurance is valid for the Czech Republic and that the insurance is long enough to cover the length of your stay in the country (if you are making an application for a year long visa then your health insurance should be at least a year long).
Proof of funds
You will need to prove that you have sufficient funds for the duration of your stay. Further information ...
Accommodation
When making a visa application. You will to supply an address where you are going to be staying in the Czech Republic to the foreign police
The foreign police may ask for any supporting documents they wish to see.