We tell you about the independent experience of obtaining a Schengen visa to the Czech Republic (type C): what documents are needed, prices in 2021, nuances, useful links and addresses. What the employees found fault with and how long we waited for a visa. Step-by-step instruction.
My old dream was a trip to Prague. But I had to get a visa to the Czech Republic, and I never had Schengen, so I was very worried about filling out the application form, collecting and submitting documents on my own. I checked everything a thousand times. I rummaged through a bunch of sites and read a lot of reviews. In fact, everything turned out to be simple - so don't worry! Schengen visa for a long time →
Why should you apply for a visa to the Czech Republic yourself? Because in fact you only pay for the consultation and filling out the questionnaire. And you can do all this yourself - now all the necessary information is on the Internet and on the websites of the embassies.
Our experience. We applied for a visa to the Czech Republic on our own in Perm at the official visa center of the embassy - VFS Global. For some reason, they sent the documents to the Moscow consulate, and not to the Yekaterinburg one. The registration took about 2 weeks. We submitted the documents back to back and were nervous that the visa would not arrive in time. Don't do this - it's better to take care of it in advance. As a result, the visa was given only for the dates of the trip. But our friend was given a year ago a few years ago!
What documents are needed for a visa to the Czech Republic in 2021
So, you are going to make a visa to the Czech Republic on your own. Russians need to collect a standard package of documents for Schengen:
international passport, valid for more than 3 months after the expected date of departure from Schengen + copy of the page with a photo.
Photo. One color photo 3.5 x 4.5 (it will show off on the visa). It should be fresh - less than six months. The face should occupy about 2/3 of the photo. You can also take a photo at the Visa Application Center.
Insurance for an amount of at least 30,000 euros, which is valid in all Schengen countries. We received free insurance with a Tinkoff All Airlines card for the whole world (Lesha has a credit one, I have a debit one). It can also be bought at a visa center or issued online at Sravn.Ru or Cherehapa services. Cost - from 300 rubles per week.
Passport + a copy of the page with a photo, registration and, in general, all the marks.
Application form. Only 4 pages. Filled in capital letters in English. Can be filled in by hand (black or blue paste, no more than 4 corrections) or online and printed. Write without mistakes and only the truth. You can download the forms and samples of the questionnaire on the website of the embassy and the website of the visa center.
Confirmation of hotel reservations, a voucher from a travel agency or an invitation. They can call the hotel and check your reservation. In the questionnaire, you must indicate the names, addresses and phone numbers of the hotels. They accept reservations with Airbnb - we rented an apartment in Prague, for example. Find out how to rent an apartment in Prague for short term.
Hotels we advise you to search on the Rumguru service. He will help you find the lowest price. Not sure how to use it? Read on for tips on how to book a cheap hotel.
Confirmation of booking air or railway tickets in both directions. Internal crossings in Europe are not interesting to them - only entries and exits from Schengen. These prints of domestic tickets will be useful to you later, since some collective farm carriers such as Slovak Lines still require paper tickets. If you are driving, you need a driver's license, registration certificate, green card (international car insurance).
Where to find cheap tickets? Use the search engines Aviasales and Skyscanner. Check prices in both and see tickets for different dates. For convenience, we recommend installing the Aviasales application on your smartphone: Android or iPhone. Read on for a cheap flight to Prague.
Proof of finance. Everything is simple here: an account statement, certified by a seal and signature. That is, a check from an ATM about the account balance will not work. The site says that it is desirable that the certificate reflects the movement of funds on the account for at least 3 months. We were told at the visa center that this is not necessary: it is enough to throw in the required amount and bring a statement of the balance.
How much money do you need to have in the account? Depends on the number of days, calculate yourself - 1100 Czech crowns (or in another currency) for 1 day.
Exchange rate: 1 Czech crown (CZK) ≈ 3 RUB.
Alternative: a certificate from the place of work (letterhead with an indication of wages) or certificates in the form of 2-NDFL and 3-NDFL.
All certificates must be fresh, no older than 1 month. We took the account statement right before submitting the documents.
Visa fees - 35 euros. Service fee - 25 euros. Express clearance - 70 euros. Regional centers do not express express. Children under 6 years old, as well as disabled people and 1 accompanying person do not pay consular and service fees.
Consent to the processing of personal data. DON'T FORGET to print and fill it out - no visa will be given without consent.
Documents required for minors
Above the listed documents are required to obtain a visa to the Czech Republic:
- Copy of birth certificate.
- A copy of a valid visa for the accompanying parent, if the visa is not issued at the same time as the parent.
- The consent of the parents or guardian for the departure of the child if he is traveling alone or without one parent. It must be notarized.
Biometric data (fingerprinting)
This is a simple procedure for getting your fingerprints in a separate booth. Children under 12 years old do not pass it. Visa Application Centers offer a "Mobile Biometrics" service - for 150 euros, they will come to your home and take your prints.
How many a visa to the Czech Republic is issued
You need to register in advance, but not earlier than 6 months before the trip. Usually the processing time is 5 days, but it can be delayed up to 45 days.
The strangest point for us sounds like this: "We do not recommend organizing a trip to enter the Czech Republic until you get a Schengen visa." What, then, about the paid reservations that need to be provided to the embassy? Unclear.
Where to independently make a visa to the Czech Republic
Now Schengen visas are issued only at visa centers.
VFS Global Visa Application Center in Moscow: Kashirskoe highway, building. 3, bldg. 2, bldg. 4, Sirius Park business center. Reception by appointment, Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. VFS Global website where you can sign up for filing.
VFS Global Visa Application Center in St. Petersburg: st. Bolshaya Raznochinnaya, 16A (entrance from Chkalovsky prospect 7), 2nd floor. VFS Global website where you can sign up for filing.
Those living in the regions do not need to travel to the capital to obtain a visa to the Czech Republic. You can do it yourself in many large cities. Find out if your city has a Czech visa center.
Exciting questions and answers
I am unemployed. What to write in the column about work? I wrote unemployed, you can also freelancer. Please attach an account statement or sponsorship letter.
Do you need a certificate from the place of study? Previously, a certificate was needed for students and schoolchildren, but now it seems to be optional.
Will booking with Airbnb work? Yes, it will do. They found fault with us and said that the names of all residents should be in English, but they also accepted in Russian, making some kind of postscript.
WizzAir or another low-cost airline sent the reservation by email in a non-PDF format. What to do? In this case, it is advised to take screenshots and paste in Word, and then print. We did just that.
I am a pensioner. What documents are needed? Original and copy of pension + account statement or sponsorship letter. In the field about work, write - pensioner.
I am an IP. What documents are needed? A copy of the last year's return, certified by the tax office. But at the visa center they said that you can just have a statement from your personal bank account.
Can I make unpaid hotel and ticket bookings? For example, such reservations can be made on agent.ru. We do not recommend doing this, as they can be checked.There was an experience of friends when they were called from the consulate and asked to provide the fact of payment for hotels and air tickets.
How to correctly fill out an application for a visa to the Czech Republic? See the samples for filling in the links above. Usually difficulties arise in points 6 and 7. If you were born in the USSR, in point 6 - country of birth - write USSR. In clause 7: citizenship is currently RUS, formerly SUN (Soviet Union). We also add that it is better to select "multiple entries" in the "Number of requested entries" column.
