Czech Consulate Los Angeles – 5 Easy Steps to Apply for Czech Republic Schengen Visa

The Czech Republic has an interesting history and, in the past, many different nationalities visited the country. The result is an impressive range of unique castles and monasteries, and stately homes across this Schengen country. Medieval and Renaissance towns like Cesky Krumlov and Telc have lots to see, and the different architectural styles of the buildings will make you want to see more. It’s a fabulous destination to explore! In this article learn more about how to apply for Czech Republic visa at the Czech consulate in Los Angeles, California, Czech visa appointment booking, Processing time at the Czech visa application center, flight itinerary for Czech visa, hotel bookings for Czech visa, Schengen travel insurance for Czech visa application, and Czech Visa Application Process at the Los Angeles Consulate.

Czech Schengen Visa

In 2017, there were a total of 623,255 Czech Republic Schengen visa applications received worldwide. 27,936 of them were rejected. The Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles received 358 applications and rejected just 1 of them.

Applying for a Czech Schengen Visa from the United States         

If you are a US citizen, you do NOT need to apply for a Schengen visa to visit the Czech Republic. However, if you are not a US citizen by birth, but you live in the United States on a permanent basis, you DO need to apply for a Czech Republic visa. In order to do this from the United States, you must be able to prove that you have a legal right to stay in the country.

You have to make sure you apply at the right Czech embassy and consulate. The Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles accepts visa applications from those who reside within its jurisdiction. Therefore, if you live in the following areas, you may apply through the consulate’s office in Los Angeles:

1. Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming

Types of Schengen Visas Offered at the Czech Republic Consulate in Los Angeles

There are different types of visas you can apply for and the one you need will depend on the duration of your trip and your reason for traveling to Slovakia:

1. Short-term (Schengen) visa – this visa is for the purposes of tourism, business, visiting family or friends, cultural, sports, medical reasons, study, airport transit etc., for stays up to a maximum of 90 days within a 180 day period
2. Long-term visa – this visa is for the purposes of medical, employment, cultural, family, invitation, business, sports, study etc., for stays exceeding 90 days up to a maximum of 1 year
   

If you are planning on staying in the Czech Republic for study, scientific research, family reunification, employee card or blue card for longer than 1 year, you will need to apply for a residence permit. See the consulate’s website for more information if this applies to you.

When applying for your visa, you can choose the number of times you can enter the country within the validity of your visa. For example:

1. Single entry – you can enter one time only
2. Double entry – you can enter twice
3. Multiple entry – you can enter the country as many times as you like

Schengen Visa Application Process at the  Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles

When you apply for your Czech Republic visa, you may do so up to 90 days ahead of your departure date. Applications older than 90 days will not be accepted. The Czech consulate aims to process Schengen visa applications in 15 days, so you can hand over your documents AT LEAST 15 days ahead of schedule. If you submit your application later than 15 days, the consulate may not have time to process it. In some cases, it could take up to 30-60 days to reach a decision, so apply well in advance.

Applications for long-term visas take between 90 and 120 days to process.

Here are a few steps to help you apply for your Czech Republic visa:

Step 1: Make an appointment

If you are applying for a Schengen visa for any purpose of stay (including tourism), you will submit your application on a Tuesday between 9.00 am and 11.45 am. You can just turn up at the consulate without making an appointment, but you must do so on this particular day during the opening hours.

If you are applying for a Schengen visa for business, conference or congress reasons, you will submit your application on a Thursday between 9.00 am and 11.45 am. You can just turn up at the consulate without making an appointment, but you must do so on this particular day during the opening hours.

If you are an eligible family member of a Czech or an EU citizen, you should contact the Czech consulate. Send an email to visa_losangeles@mzv.cz and attach a scanned proof of your Czech/EU family member status. The consulate will contact you as soon as possible and offer you the earliest available appointment.

If you are applying for a long-term visa, you will submit your application on a Wednesday between 9.00 am and 11.45 am. However, you must make an appointment. In order to do this, send an e-mail to visa_losangeles@mzv.cz. You must include the following information:

1. Name and surname
2. Name of the country which issued your passport
3. Passport number and expiration date
4. Type of visa/permit you are applying for
5. Purpose of your stay
6. Scan (attachment in PDF or JPG format only) of the document written in the Czech language and confirming the purpose of your stay  (for study: confirmation of enrollment, for scientific research: signed hosting agreement, for employment: signed contract of employment, for business: statement from the Czech Trade Register or from the Czech Commercial Register, for family reunification: certificate of vital records demonstrating applicant’s relationship to the holder of the authorisation for reunification
7. Intended date of arrival to the Czech Republic
8. Preferred date for the appointment at the consulate

As long as you have provided all the required information, the consulate will respond by e-mail and assign you the earliest available appointment. The appointment e-mail confirmation from the consulate usually takes about 3 business days but may take longer during the visa high season in the months of May, June, July, August, November, and December.

After the receipt of an e-mail from the consulate you must re-confirm your assigned appointment by sending an email with the following information:

1. Simply state “I confirm this appointment”
2. Name and surname

You must do this by the end of the following business day, otherwise, your assigned appointment will be cancelled and given to another applicant.

Remember to apply for your visa well in advance because the earliest date available to submit your application to the consulate may be more than 30 days from your initial email particularly during visa high season.

Step 2: Complete your application form 

Step 2 is to complete your application. Go to the consulate’s website and click on: “Visa information”:

On the next page, click on the link for the type of visa you are applying for:

For Schengen visas, scroll down to “How and what to submit” and click on the “Requirements for Schengen visa”:

For long term visa, scroll down to visa types:

On the next page, you’ll find the link for the Schengen visa application form:

Or long-term visa:

You’ll then be directed to the relevant forms. You can then print it off to complete and sign it.

Schengen visa application form:

Long-term visa application form:

Step 3: Prepare your documents

Before you begin this step, it’s a good idea to spend time looking at the requirements on the consulate’s website. If you submit an incomplete application, it may be rejected by the consulate.

You need to submit originals as well as photocopies of everything, so remember to do this too!

Documents include:

1. Visa application form
2. One recent color passport size photograph (3.5 x 4.5 cm or 2 x 2 inch) – white background, the entire face must be clearly visible, no sunglasses or headgear, except when worn for religious reasons. Good print quality on high-quality photo paper and must be glued to the application form
3. Valid passport – expiration date must be at least three months after the last intended date of departure. Must contain at least two blank pages and issued within the previous 10 years
4. One copy of the passport data/photo page
5. Valid alien registration card (green card) OR valid US visa (type A, E, F /plus endorsed I-20, F-1, DS-2019 or IAP-66/, G, H, I, J /plus J1 document/, L, O, R) AND your I-94 Arrival/Departure Record. Must be valid for at least 3 months after the last intended date of departure
6. Proof (visa, passport) that you can legally enter the next country on your trip after you visit the Schengen Area
7. One copy of all previous US visas, Schengen visas, and visas of the United Kingdom, Canada or Australia
8. Documents confirming the purpose of stay e. g. invitation to a business meeting/conference/congress, original of the official invitation authorized by the Czech Immigration Police, tour itinerary from the travel agency, applicant’s own day-by-day plan of the trip
9. Reservations of return/onward tickets
10. Hotel/Lodging reservations
11. Schengen Medical health/travel insurance – valid for the entire Schengen Area. To cover at least € 30,000 (US $40,000) for urgent medical care, hospital emergency treatment, evacuation, and repatriation for medical reasons
12. Proof of sufficient financial funds – bank statements covering the last 3 months. Plus, a copy of the front side of the valid VISA/MasterCard debit/credit card
13. Confirmation of employment or study – if employed: confirmation from the employer including applicant’s name, work position, starting date, length of contract and knowledge of leave of absence; if self-employed: copy of business license; if student: written confirmation from school/college; if the applicant is minor (under 18) and travels without parents or with one parent only: notarized statement from both parent (s) or legal guardian authorizing the minor to travel (form Consent for minor (PDF, 102 KB)
14. Confirmation of salary – if employed: payslips covering the last 3 months; if self-employed: tax return forms OR proof of previous economic activity and of income during the previous fiscal year; if retired: copy of pension certificate OR other proof of income/pension; if student or unemployed: declaration of financial liability by a sponsor (spouse, parent, etc.) (form Sponsor (PDF, 125 KB) AND and a copy of sponsor’s valid ID. The declaration must be notarized if the applicant travels without the sponsor
15. Affidavit/Criminal history records
    
16. Trackable prepaid self-addressed USPS or UPS envelope for mailing passports back to your home address (if you cannot pick up the passport personally at the Consulate). Plus, one copy of the front side of the envelope

If you’re planning to obtain your flight reservation for visa without paying for the ticket, all you have to do is follow the 3 simple steps below:

1. Visit the Visa Reservation website to choose the right package
2. Submit the travel details and make the payment online
3. Receive flight itinerary in email

Step 4: Submit your file

In order to submit your file, you need to go to the consulate’s office on the specified days:

1. Tuesdays – for any purpose of stay applications. On Tuesdays from 7.00 am there is a registration form, available in the lobby reception area, which must be completed by all applicants. You will be seen in order of registration, so arrive early! Usually, between 5 and 7 applicants are seen on Tuesdays. If you did not register OR you have not been seen by 11.45 am, you are welcome to apply on a different Tuesday
2. Thursdays – for business, conference, and Congress applications. In order to be eligible to apply on Thursdays, you must provide an invitation letter from the person/company who is inviting you to the business meeting or conference/congress. If you have any doubts, you can email a scan of the invitation letter to the consulate for advice: visa_losangeles@mzv.cz. If you are not seen by 11.45 am, you are welcome to apply again on a Tuesday or Thursday
3. Wednesdays – for prearranged appointments for long-term visas. All applicants are seen on a first come first served basis. Usually, up to 7 applicants are seen on Wednesdays

You can see that the consulate has a strict procedure for applying for visas and a limited number of people are seen on the above days, so it’s important that you arrive early and remember to take ALL the required documents with you. If you miss the appointment or have to provide any further documents you will potentially have to wait a whole week to repeat the process.

Once you get in front of a visa official, they will examine your application and supporting documents. If they need any additional information, they may question you further. If they do this, simply answer honestly and politely.

Typical questions include:

1. Is this your first time traveling to the EU?
2. How much do you earn?
3. Can you afford this trip?
4. What is your role in the company you work for?
5. What are your plans in the Czech Republic?

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You will also pay the fee for your visa. You can pay in cash and by money order payable to the Consulate General of the Czech Republic. Fees are paid in US dollars.

If this is your first time applying for a Schengen visa, you will also provide a scan of your fingerprints and you will have your photograph taken. If you have applied within the last 5 years, this biometric data can be reused.

Step 5: Receive your visa

Once you have submitted your file, you have the option to check the status of the application. Please note, this is only for long-term visas and residence permits. Go to the consulate’s website, scroll down and click on: “Pending applications”:

There are instructions on how to read the list:

Click on the link and you can search for your application to see what stage it is at:

Once a decision has been reached, you can collect your passport from the consulate’s office or you can have it mailed back to you.

There are 2 outcomes:

1. Approved – your visa application has been accepted and you will find your visa inside your passport
2. Denied – your visa application has been rejected for a specific reason

Common rejection reasons include:

1. No invitation letter was included – if you are being invited to the Czech Republic for ANY reason, you must include an invitation letter from your host
2. You have applied for the incorrect type of visa – you must apply for the correct type of visa and the one you need will depend on how long you are going for, i.e. up to or exceeding 90 days, and your reason for traveling to the Czech Republic, i.e. as a tourist, you need a Schengen visa; for employment, you need a long-term visa etc
3. It looks like you cannot afford this trip – you must be able to afford your trip and the documents you provide, e.g. bank statements, must prove this
4. Your passport does not have 3 months remaining after your trip – your passport MUST have at least 3 months remaining after your trip. If it doesn’t, you need to obtain a new one before applying for your visa

Contact details for the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles

Address: 10990 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1100, Los Angeles, CA, 90024

Telephone: +1 (310) 473-0889, (310) 473-9713, (310) 473-5279

Fax: +1 (310) 473-9813

Email: visa_losangeles@mzv.cz

Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 9.00 am – 11.45 am

Conclusion

5 very simple steps to apply for your Czech Republic visa:

1. Make an appointment
2. Complete your application form
3. Prepare your documents
4. Submit your file
5. Receive your visa

At the end of these steps, you’ll have your visa ready for your exciting trip to the Czech Republic.

At Visa Reservation, we strive to simplify the visa process by providing free visa consultations, cover letter templates and no objection letter templates for our clients from US, UK, Canada, Philippines, India, China, UAE, Europe, Nigeria and globally. We also offer flight itinerary for visa, travel medical insurance, hotel reservations for visa , Book Visa Appointment, Travel Guides, Visa Interview Guides and many more. To learn more about how we can help you with our visa services, please feel free to contact us today.

See Also

How To Apply for Czech Republic Schengen Visa at Czech Consulate in Chicago, Illinois

How To Apply for Czech Republic Schengen Visa at Czech Consulate in NYC, New York

Worldwide Visa Requirements