Visa FAQ
1. If the waiting time for the appointment at the Czech Embassy or Consulate in my country is very long, can I book an appointment early before receiving the hard copies of the admission documents? What if the documents do not arrive by the appointment date?
You can apply for the date of appointment ahead of time without having the documents in your hands, but there is a certain risk:
If you are applying for a VISA, you need to provide all documents, so if some documents are missing at the time of the appointment, you would have to cancel it and request a new date.
If you are applying for a RESIDENCE PERMIT, the additional provision of documents is generally possible. However, since the admission to the study programme is one of the most important documents (proving the purpose of stay), you may be required to present it at the first appointment. You would have to individually agree with the particular Embassy or Consulate on providing such documents at a later time.
2. If I arrive in the Czech Republic on the basis of the visa free stay (90 days), can I apply for the long-term visa or residence permit in the Czech Republic?
No, it is not possible to apply in the Czech Republic. You must apply outside the country according to the territorial consular competence rule.
3. If my long-term VISA is delayed, can I arrive in the Czech Republic on the basis of the 90 days visa free stay (if allowed for my country) to start the study programme? Can I then pick up the VISA in the Czech Republic?
You may arrive to the Czech Republic to start the programme, such as for the Registration Day and the initial classes, but you will need to travel back to the country where you applied for the visa to have this visa placed in your passport. This cannot be done in the Czech Republic.
4. If my RESIDENCE PERMIT is delayed, can I arrive to the Czech Republic on the basis of the 90 days visa free stay (if allowed for my country) to start the study programme? Can I pick up the RESIDENCE PERMIT in the Czech Republic?
If you have applied for the residence permit (not the “visa”), you may pick up the permit in the Czech Republic and do not have to go back to the original country where you have applied. However, you must physically obtain the permit within the 90 days period. And in addition to the 60 days decision time, you must also factor in the time needed to visit the Ministry of the Interior (after the decision is made) for the biometrics and waiting time for the card itself, (another 30 to 60 days). Therefore, this should be done only by those who have applied early enough and can expect the decision to be made soon after their arrival. If you do not obtain your residence permit card within the 90 days free stay, you must return to the original country where you applied to pick up your decision.
5. If my long-term visa or residence permit is delayed, can I also apply for a short-term visa to arrive for the beginning of the programme?
Even though the law does not prevent you from placing two types of visa applications, if you have already applied for a long-term visa/residence permit, the Czech Embassy or Consulate, in most cases, will not accept a short-term visa application for the same period of time. Moreover, a short term visa application needs to be supported by different types of documents that the university cannot provide.
6. Can the university speed up the process of my visa?
No. We cannot contact the Embassy to arrange an earlier appointment date or contact the Ministry of the Interior to speed up the process. We, as a university, are a third party that cannot in any way interfere with this process.
7. If my visa/residence permit is delayed, can I arrive later for the beginning of the programme?
Generally this is possible. However, missing the opening weeks of the first semester is a significant hindrance to successfully passing the first year of studies (especially for students of bachelor programmes). Therefore, if you are not able to arrive for the start of the semester or during the first few weeks of the semester, we recommend not enrolling in the study programme for that academic year, especially if you know you will not be able to come to Prague by the end of October.
8. Do you provide online lessons for students who are delayed due to the visa?
No, there is no online instruction. The programme is a full-time study programme requiring students to be present in classes. Students arriving late are responsible for getting information about the classes they missed and materials available through the website or from the teachers and making up for the classes they missed. Generally, late arrivals are always a serious hindrance to your success at the university.
