For International students, Czech Republic is one of the underrated study abroad destinations in Central Europe. Nine of the universities from the Czech Republic are listed among the top universities of the world by QS rankings 2020. The establishment of Universities in Czech Republic goes back to the fourteenth century. For International students, there are a number of English taught courses. If you want to study in Czech Republic, visa is one of the essential parts. Here is how to get a Czech student visa and its requirements
Student Visa for Czech Republic
If you are planning to stay in Czech Republic for less than 90 days, you can apply for a short stay visa to study in Czech Republic. For courses longer than 90 days, there is Long Stay Student Visa for students outside of European Union and Switzerland. Additionally, international students who are to stay in the country for more than a year need a Student Residence Permit in Czech Republic. The visa process will start at the Czech consulate or Embassy nearest to you. Here is how you can apply for Long Stay student visa in Czech Republic:
How to Apply
Students need to apply for the Long Stay Student visa in person to the nearest consulate or embassy in their home country. Students are required to fill application form for Long Stay Student Visa that can be found here. There are some Application fees for the Visa application such as:
Czech Republic Visa Fees:
The Long stay visa application fees: 2567 CZK/112 USD/100 EUR Approx.
Residence Permit Fees: 504 CZK/22 USD/20 EUR Approx.
Along with the Application form, you will need some documents to file the application:
- Firstly, you need to get your passport which must be issued within the last decade. The passport should have at a minimum of two blank pages alongside three months validity.
- You must consider getting your passport size photograph that covers your face and shoulders.
- Acceptance Letter by a Czech University as “Purpose of Stay”
- Proof of Accommodation
- You need to have a proof of your personal finance along with the travelling insurance. (US$3000 per semester or approx. 68700 CZK)
- Proof of Monetary Funds (US$3000 per semester or approx. 68700 CZK)
- Criminal History Record if Required
- A Medical Insurance (Coverage should be at least 60000 EUR)
International students need to file the visa application in person at the embassy. The Students who have course running for more than one year will have to visit the Foreign Police and register themselves within three days of arrival to get the residence card for Czech Republic. After that, they need to visit MOI Office to get their biometrics card issued in three working days.
Things to consider when filling the application form
The Czech Republic visa application form happens to be the most important requirement. You must attach the photocopy version of your mandatory documents alongside follow the below-offered instructions.
- One must use Latin alphabets when the form is being filled up.
- All the mandatory fields where an asterisk symbol is seen must be filled in the first place.
- The Czech Republic visa requirements also include you to fill the form prior to taking a print out of the application.
Depending on the country and application, students might be asked to appear for an interview at the embassy. The interview questions are generally about your program, intent to visit Czechia and other related questions:
Czech Republic Student Visa Interview Questions
These are some of the general questions you might be asked during your visa interview. The questions mostly revolve around your CV and education.
- What is your name?
- What are your Educational Qualifications>
- Why have you chosen Czechia?
- Why have you chosen this particular University?
- How will this course help you with short and long term goals?
- How are you planning to fund your Education?
Czech Republic Visa Processing Time:
The Application under review takes a general processing time of 60 days in general to reach a decision. If there is a document missing or an application revisit, the processing time can be even longer. Students are therefore advised to start the application process for Czech Student Visa as soon as they receive a confirmation of admission from their universities in Czech Republic.
Extending Visa and Residence Permit:
The extension of the Long Stay Visa and Residence Permit should be done before the deadline expires, that is before the given period for both the permits. The Long Stay Visa for Study should be renewed before the 90 days of expiration. The Residence Permit for the international students should be renewed before the 120 days of expiration. Both visa and residence permit cannot be renewed once the expiration period is over, therefore the students are required to keep an eye on the expiration dates for the documents.
Czech Republic Student Visa Requirements for India
Indian Students who are willing to study in Czech Republic will have to apply for the long terms student visa and residence permit if the course is longer than one year. The Visa Consulates and Czech Embassy in India are located at: Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. The students are also required to submit their biometrics, which basically means their photographs and fingerprints. The Czech Republic Embassy in Delhi also handles the applications for Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka.