Czech Consulate NYC, New York – 5 Easy Steps to Apply for Czech Republic Schengen Visa

The Czech Republic is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe and that’s not surprising considering what you can find there. If you love the country, head outdoors and get lost in the beautiful mountains or magical forests. If it’s the culture you’re after, spend time in any of the beautiful cities, enjoy a cool beer as you sit and watch the world pass you by. Whatever you do, the Czech Republic will win you over from the very first moment! In this article learn more about how to apply for Czech Republic visa at the Czech consulate in NYC, New York, 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 NYC consulate.

Applying for Czech Schengen Visa from the United States

Nationals of the following countries do NOT need a visa to enter the Czech Republic:

1. Albania*
2. Andorra
3. Antigua and Barbuda
4. Argentina
5. Australia
6. Bahamas
7. Barbados
8. Bosnia and Herzegovina*
9. Brazil
10. Brunei
11. Canada
12. Chile
13. Colombia
14. Costa Rica
15. Dominica
16. East Timor
17. Georgia
18. Grenada
19. Guatemala
20. Honduras
21. Israel
22. Japan
23. Kiribati
24. Macedonia*
25. Malaysia
26. Marshall Islands
27. Mauritius
28. Mexico
29. Micronesia
30. Moldova*
31. Monaco
32. Montenegro*
33. Nauru
34. New Zealand
35. Nicaragua
36. Palau
37. Panama
38. Paraguay
39. Peru
40. Saint Kitts and Nevis
41. Saint Lucia
42. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
43. Salvador
44. Samoa
45. San Marino
46. Serbia
47. Seychelles
48. Singapore
49. Solomon Islands
50. South Korea
51. Taiwan**
52. Tonga
53. Trinidad and Tobago
54. Tuvalu
55. Ukraine*
56. United Arab Emirates
57. United States of America
58. Uruguay
59. Vanuatu
60. Vatican
61. Venezuela

*The visa exemption applies only to holders of biometric passports

** Visa-free status applies to Taiwanese passport holders only if their passport contains an ID number

If you are a national of any other country but are currently living in the US, you will need a visa to be able to enter the Czech Republic.

You have to make sure you apply at the right Czech embassy and consulate. If you wish to apply for a Czech Republic visa you can do so at the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in New York if you live within its consular district of:

1. Connecticut
2. Delaware
3. Maine
4. Massachusetts
5. New Hampshire
6. New Jersey
7. New York
8. Pennsylvania
9. Rhode Island
10. Vermont

If you live in any other area, you must apply to the consulate that has jurisdiction over your location. You can check the consulate in New York’s website if this applies to you:

If you happen to hold a B1/B2 type visa, you can only apply for a Czech Republic visa from your home country.

Czech Republic Schengen Visa

During 2017, 623,255 Schengen visa applications were received by people wishing to visit the Czech Republic. Unfortunately, just under 28,000 were rejected. The Consulate General in New York dealt with 677 applications and they were all approved.

Types of Schengen Visas Offered at the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in NYC, New York

There are different types of visas available from the consulate in New York. The one you apply for will be determined by your reason for traveling to the Czech Republic and your reason for going there:

1. Short-term (Schengen) visa – for tourist, business, and study purposes up to a maximum of 90 days
2. Long-term (National) visa – for study, cultural, sports, medical, work, family reasons etc., for over 90 days
3. Student long-term visa – for study purposes at an institution that is accredited by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic

Visas are usually issued as: 

1. Single entry – Maximum of 1 entry
2. Multiple entry – Unlimited entries

Schengen Visa Application Process at the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in NYC, New York

The Consulate General of the Czech Republic in New York processes short term visa applications within 7-15 days, however, this time could be extended to 30 or 60 days. Long-term visa applications are processed between 90 and 120 days, and student long-term visas take around 60 days to process.

Applications can be submitted up to 3 months ahead of your trip and no later than 15 days beforehand, otherwise, there may not be enough time for your application to be processed.

When you come to apply for your Czech Republic visa, here are a few steps to help you along the way.

Step 1: Make an appointment

The first thing you need to do is to make an appointment in order to submit your application to the consulate in New York. You need to do this by sending an e-mail to them stating the reason you are traveling to the Czech Republic and the type of long-term visa you wish to apply for (if applicable) You can contact the consulate at visa.ny@mzv.cz.

Step 2: Complete your application form

You need to complete an application form for your visa and you can find this by going to the consulate in New York’s website and clicking on the type of visa you are applying for:

Next, click on: “Requirements for Schengen visa”:

Scroll down to “Required documents” and click on the link for “Visa application form”:

Here are the links for the application forms for long-term and student long-term applications:

1. Long-term application form
2. Student long-term application form

Step 3: Prepare the required documents

It’s worth spending time looking at the requirements for the type of visa you are applying for. The consulate in New York has everything you need to know on their website.

If you fail to comply with these requirements, the consulate will not accept your application and/or they will reject it.

1. Requirements for short-term (Schengen) visa
2. Requirements for long-term visa
3. Requirements for student-long term visa

Please note, that you should provide photocopies as well as original documents – don’t forget this part!

In addition, your documents should NOT be older than 6 months. (Except for your passport or travel document)

Required documents for your visa application include:

1) Completed visa application form – can be completed and printed online, but it must be signed in front of the visa official

2) Passport or official travel document – must extend at least 3 months after departure date from the Czech Republic, must have 2 blank pages, and must have been issued within the last 10 years

3) Documents proving legal status in the US – Green Card with a stamp in your passport, Advance Parole, or valid US resident visa and must have at least 3 months remaining after the trip

4) 1 recent passport photograph

– Specifications for acceptable photographs: full face and of an exact likeness of the applicant; no sunglasses or head covering, unless for religious or medical reasons; a plain, light background; good contrast in color or black and white; clear and good quality, printed on photographic paper

5) Proof of travel arrangements – Roundtrip flight or travel reservation and full confirmed itinerary

6) Proof of accommodation – Hotel bookings and/or travel plans or other proof such as a rental agreement; certificate of the travel agency (for groups)

7) Proof of sufficient means of subsistence for the trip – 3 x bank statements or payslips; tax return; proof of pension income; proof of financial support

8) Letter of continued employment – income statement OR business license and tax return forms

9) Proof confirming the purpose of your trip –

– Tourism(confirmed hotel reservation, invitation letter with verified signature, itinerary etc.)

– Medical treatment(health/medical facility confirmation etc.)

– Business trip(business relations confirmation, invitation/application for participation in consultations, supporting letter from the hosting company)

– Seminar/conference(invitation/ticket for congress, expo, conference, seminar etc.)

– Culture/sport(confirmation about cultural/sports activities in the Czech Republic etc.)

– Study(acceptance letter from the school, registration letter etc.)

– Scientific research(hosting agreement with a research institution etc.)

10) Employment(work permit issued by the employment office or employment contract, if the type of work is exempt from the work permit in accordance with Act. No. 435/2004 Coll. on employment)

11) Official invitation letter (formal invitation authorized by the alien police)

12) Schengen travel health insurance – to cover at least €30,000 ($45,000) for evacuation, repatriation, medical care and/or emergency treatment in hospital

13) Criminal history background affidavit

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 application 

When the day arrives for your appointment, there are a few things to remember:

1. Take your application and ALL supporting documents – if you forget anything, you may have to reschedule and this will delay things for you
2. Dress smartly – this always helps to make a good impression
3. Arrive early – don’t miss your appointment because you will have to make a new one
4. Don’t forget the fee for your visa application

When the visa official starts to examine your application, they may ask you extra questions in order to get full information from you. If this happens, simply answer the questions honestly and calmly.

They may ask you visa interview questions like:

1. Are you married?
2. What is your job?
3. What are you planning on doing in the Czech Republic or the Schengen area?
4. Do you know anyone there?

Don’t jeopardize your Schengen visa interview at the last minute. Use this comprehensive and thorough visa interview guide to crack the visa interview!

You will also pay the fee for your visa. You can pay by cash, money order payable to the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in New York. This fee is non-refundable even if your application gets rejected.

Czech Republic visa fees

If this is your first time applying for a Schengen visa, you will need to have your fingerprints scanned and a photograph. However, if you are a frequent visitor to the Schengen zone, this data can be re-used from the Visa Information Service (VIS) for up to 5 years.

Step 5: Receive your visa

No status updates will be given by the consulate in New York either by phone or email. However, you can check the consulate’s website to see whether a decision has been made on your application. Go to their website and you will the “Approved visa” page:

Click on: “Short-term visa approved” or “Long-term visa approved” and you will find a list of visa application reference numbers:

If your number is not there, this means your application is still being processed. If it is there, you have 2 options:

1. Collect your passport and visa from the consulate in NYC, New York – you must do this within their opening hours
2. Have your passport returned by mail – you must enclose a prepaid self-addressed US Postal Service Express Mail No FEDEX or UPS envelopes are accepted

You should find your Czech Republic visa in your passport, but if you don’t then it would have been rejected. Hopefully, this won’t happen to you. Just be aware of some of the reasons why Schengen visa applications get refused:

1. The application wasn’t completed in full
2. No invitation letter
3. Lack of funds
4. Photo not acceptable
5. You have submitted your application more than 3 months ahead of your trip

You cannot submit applications more than 3 months before your trip – the consulate recommends you apply between 15 and 90 days ahead. The application form must be completed in full and you must include all the necessary paperwork, including invitation letters, for your type of visa. Your photograph must also meet certain specifications. You must also be able to afford your trip and the documents you provide must prove this.

Contact details for the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in NYC, New York

Address: 321 East 73^rd Street, New York, NY 10021

Email: visa.ny@mzv.cz

Tel: +1 646 422 3306 or 3307 (Monday to Friday, 2.00 pm – 3.00 pm)
Fax: +1 646-422 3363

Hours:

Monday, 9.30 am – 12.30 pm

Tuesday, 9.30 am – 12.30 pm and 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm

Wednesday CLOSED

Thursday, 9.30 am – 12.30 pm

Friday, 9.30 am – 12.30 pm

Conclusion

All you need to do to apply for your Czech Republic Schengen visa is to follow these 5 very easy steps:

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

Then, with your visa in your hand, you can get excited about your up and coming adventure 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

Worldwide Visa Requirements