Czech Visa from the UK: Appointments, Checklist & Fees

Do UK residents need a visa for the Czech Republic?

British, Irish and EU citizens do not need a visa to visit the Czech Republic for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Most other nationals living in the UK do, even with indefinite leave to remain, a Skilled Worker visa or a family visa.

That includes, among others, nationals of India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, China, South Africa, Turkey and the Philippines. UK residence does not exempt you, but it can let you apply in London rather than in your home country. The Embassy says it accepts Schengen visa applications from British citizens and long-term or permanent UK residents. Its stricter two-year residence condition is stated for long-term visas and residence permits; if you have only just moved to the UK, email the Embassy to confirm before booking.

Your UK permission must also run beyond the trip: the EU supporting documents list for the UK asks for a residence permit valid at least one month after you leave the Schengen area, and more margin is safer; see UK visa validity for a Schengen visa. Visitor-visa holders should normally apply in their home country; see Schengen visas on a UK visitor visa.

You prove UK status with a UKVI eVisa share code, not a BRP; our eVisa share code guide shows how. ETIAS, the €20 travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers such as British citizens, has no launch date yet and never replaces a visa for anyone who needs one.

Czech Republic visa appointments in the UK

Every Czech short-stay application in the UK is lodged in person at VFS Global’s visa application centre in London. There is no Czech centre in Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham or Cardiff, so the whole of the UK, including Scotland and Northern Ireland, submits in London.

VFS checks your file, takes biometrics, collects fees and returns your passport; the Embassy of the Czech Republic in London decides every application.

London

The Embassy lists the Czech Visa Application Centre, run by VFS Global (VF Services (UK) Limited), at 66 Wilson Street, London EC2A 2BT, near Moorgate, Old Street and Liverpool Street stations. It lists opening hours of 8.30am to 4pm and passport collection from 4pm to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. Always follow the address and instructions on your booking confirmation if they differ.

A small number of applicants can apply directly at the Embassy, 26-30 Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8 4QY (entrance no. 28, from Bayswater Road), by arranging an appointment through [email protected]: family members of EU citizens, holders of diplomatic, service or official passports, members of official delegations and people in urgent humanitarian situations. They can still choose VFS instead. Everyone else goes through VFS, and the Embassy sees the public by appointment only.

How to book

1. Check eligibility first. Confirm Czechia is your main destination, you are a long-term or permanent UK resident, your passport is valid long enough and your UK permission runs past your return.
2. Complete the Schengen application form and sign it. Print it, as you hand in a paper file.
3. Create an account on the VFS Global Czech Republic UK site with an email address you will keep.
4. Choose a date and time at the London centre, with a slot for each applicant. The Embassy says appointments can only be made within a 90-day period from the day you register, and suggests booking at least 45 days before you travel.
5. Skip or choose optional services; none are required. Save and print the confirmation.

Booking a standard appointment is free and always made in your own name. If plans change, reschedule in your VFS account rather than holding a second booking.

Important: We do not book, hold or supply appointments, and nobody can legitimately sell you a VFS slot. We help you create your account and complete the booking correctly in your own name on the official system, and prepare your file so it is ready for the day.

Availability by season

With one centre for the whole UK, demand concentrates in London, and the Embassy itself points to high demand for Schengen visas. Slots usually tighten before Easter, through the summer holidays and before Christmas, so keep your file complete and book as soon as your dates are fixed.

On the day

Arrive on time and follow the entry rules on your confirmation. Staff check your file, take fingerprints (unless you are under 12 or gave fingerprints for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months), collect the visa fee and service charge, and keep your passport.

The Embassy notes that VFS may charge more for optional services you select. They are conveniences only and do not affect the Embassy’s decision.

Czech Republic visa document checklist for UK residents

The Czech checklist follows the EU harmonised list of supporting documents for the UK, which the Embassy publishes, with two Czech features that decide many files: a fixed daily funds amount in Czech crowns, and the option of a Foreign Police verified invitation for family visits. Every date, address and employer name on your form must match your supporting documents.

Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years, be valid for at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area and have two blank pages; bring copies of the photo page and any previous Schengen visas. The photo must meet ICAO standards; check the size and background rules on the VFS checklist.

Travel insurance needs at least €30,000 of medical cover, valid in every Schengen state for every day of the trip; policies starting the day after you fly are a common slip (see our travel insurance guide). A flight or coach reservation is enough; you do not need a paid ticket. Accommodation must cover every night: hotel bookings, a rental confirmation or your host’s invitation.

Funds evidence carries more weight than usual because Czechia publishes a minimum. Your last 3 months of UK bank statements, in your name and showing the balance, should show the daily amount (see the money section below) comfortably on top of your normal outgoings. The UK list also asks for credit card statements showing your name, address and credit limit, so include them if you hold a credit card.

For family or friends visits, your host can either write an ordinary invitation letter, with a copy of their Czech ID card or residence permit and their address, or obtain an ověřené pozvání (verified invitation) from the Foreign Police. On the official form the host commits to covering either all your costs or only your accommodation, and the Ministry lists a verified invitation as accepted proof of funds; if it covers accommodation only, show the daily amount yourself as well. The form is only available from the Foreign Police (it can be pre-filled online through the e-Pozvání service, but your host must then attend the regional Foreign Police office in person to sign it and later to collect it); the Police say they certify it within 7 working days and charge the host a CZK 300 fee. Start several weeks before your appointment so your host can send you the certified invitation in time. Our invitation and sponsor letter guide has a structure to follow.

The Embassy works in Czech and English, so check the VFS checklist for whether documents in other languages, such as a birth certificate from your home country, need a translation. A short cover letter tying your itinerary, funds and return together is optional but helps.

Employed

A recent, signed employer letter on headed paper confirming your position and salary, with the employer’s address, contact details, the signatory’s position and its UK registration number, plus your last 3 months’ payslips. Mention your approved leave too. The salary on the payslips should match the credits on your statements.

Self-employed

The UK list asks for a recent, signed letter from an accountant, bank or solicitor describing your self-employment or business and the annual income you draw, plus your HMRC self-assessment (SA302 or tax year overview). Add 3 months of business statements and your Companies House record if you have a company. See our self-employed guide.

Students

A recent, signed letter from your UK institution stating your course, weekly hours and attendance record (ask for term dates too), and your own funds or a parent’s statement of support and bank statements. Travel in the holidays; see our students guide.

Retired

Pension statements or award letters, plus 3 months of bank statements showing the pension arriving and enough to meet the daily amount.

Sponsored

The sponsor’s signed letter, their 3 months of statements, proof of their identity and UK or Czech status, and evidence of your relationship. A verified invitation in which a host in Czechia covers all your costs can stand in for your own funds evidence.

Children

A birth certificate for every child. If a child travels alone or with one parent, add consent from the parents or legal guardian, both parents’ passports or certified copies of their photo pages, and a UK school certificate; where one parent has sole custody, a court ruling or death certificate instead. See Schengen visas for children.

How much money do you need for a Czech Republic visa?

Czechia sets a fixed minimum: CZK 1,565 per person per day for stays of up to 30 days. For stays over 30 days, it is CZK 46,950 plus CZK 6,260 for each full month.

The figures come from the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs and are tied to the Czech existential minimum (currently CZK 3,130), so they can change; check the Ministry’s page shortly before you apply. The Ministry accepts a bank statement with an internationally accepted bank card, a prepaid voucher or paid travel agency invoice, a verified invitation, or a stipend or grant.

Treat the figure as a floor. A balance that only just meets it, or a large unexplained deposit before applying, attracts questions; see bank statements for a Schengen visa.

Czech Republic visa fees from the UK

The visa fee is €90 for adults, €45 for children aged 6 to 11 and free for under-6s. The Embassy says fees are collected by card on submission in Czech crowns or euros, and VFS Global adds its own service charge, which the Embassy lists as EUR 26.20 per application.

Because the fee is charged in a foreign currency, your bank’s exchange rate and any foreign transaction fee apply. The visa fee is not refunded if the visa is refused. Family members of EU or EEA citizens covered by free movement rules pay no visa fee, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also lists pupils, students and researchers travelling for study or research as exempt. Our Schengen visa fee guide covers exemptions across all countries.

How long does a Czech Republic visa take from the UK?

The Embassy decides within 15 calendar days of accepting your application, extendable to up to 45 days if more checks are needed. It does not give status updates during that period and contacts you when a decision is made.

The clock starts when you submit, not when you book, and in peak months the wait for a slot can exceed the decision time. Apply no earlier than 6 months and no later than 15 calendar days before travel. The Embassy suggests booking at least 45 days ahead, and VFS slots can only be booked within 90 days of the date you register.

VFS keeps your passport while the application is processed, so do not book an appointment if you need to travel elsewhere in the meantime. Our processing time guide compares countries.

Czech Republic visa types for UK residents

Most UK residents apply for a short-stay (type C) Schengen visa for tourism, a family visit or business. The purpose you select changes the evidence the Embassy expects.

Tourist. Hotel or rental bookings for every night and a simple day-by-day plan. Czechia must be your main destination: where the main purpose of the trip is or where you stay longest, and if both are equal, your first point of entry into Schengen. Prague is often paired with Vienna, Budapest, Berlin or Kraków, so count nights carefully; our guide on which country to apply to covers edge cases.

Family or friends visit. An invitation letter from your host with a copy of their Czech ID or residence permit, or a Foreign Police verified invitation, which also covers the funds requirement. See our family visit visa guide.

Business. An invitation from the Czech company with dates and purpose, plus a letter from your UK employer confirming your role and who pays. Trade fairs in Brno and conferences in Prague are common reasons; see our business visa guide.

Medical treatment and spa stays. A letter from the clinic or spa in Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně or elsewhere confirming treatment dates, and proof that costs are paid or covered.

Culture, sport and short courses. The organiser’s or institution’s confirmation. Courses of up to 90 days fit a short-stay visa.

Students on holiday. UK students apply as tourists, with an enrolment letter showing the trip falls in a break.

Stays over 90 days, for study, work or joining family, need a Czech long-term visa or residence permit, handled separately by the Embassy ([email protected]).

Czech-specific tips

A few points regularly catch UK applicants out with the Czech Embassy, starting with its residence rule above.

• Convert your funds into crowns. Officers think in CZK. A one-line note in your cover letter, such as “7 days x CZK 1,565 = CZK 10,955”, saves them doing the sum.
• Start a verified invitation early. The Police allow up to 7 working days to certify it, and your host then has to get it to you in the UK before your appointment.
• Pay in the right currency. Bring a card that works for payments in euros or crowns; a declined card can delay your submission.
• Email well ahead. The Embassy says it usually replies within about 5 days, so ask questions, such as whether a recent move to the UK affects where you apply, before you book.
• Register your stay if you are not in a hotel. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says foreign nationals over 15 must register their place of stay with the Foreign Police within 3 working days of arriving. Hotels do this for their guests; if you stay with family or in a private rental, check how it will be done.

Why Czech Republic visas are refused (and how to avoid it)

Most Czech refusals come from avoidable problems, usually funds or consistency rather than a missing document.

• Funds below the Czech daily amount, or statements that do not show a stable history or match your payslips.
• Czechia not being the main destination, for example more nights in Austria, Hungary or Germany.
• Doubtful UK residence, such as a short time in the UK or permission ending soon after the trip.
• Weak ties to return, with no clear job, studies or family commitments in the UK.
• Unclear purpose, where bookings, invitation and cover letter tell different stories.
• Insurance that falls short of €30,000 or misses days of the trip.

If you are refused, the standard EU form ticks the grounds. You can ask for a review of the refusal within 15 days of receiving it. The request must be signed and handed in or posted to the Embassy in London, with an €80 fee; family members of EU citizens do not pay. The Embassy forwards it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Prague, which decides within 60 days, and you cannot add documents that were not in the original file. If the refusal is confirmed, judicial review in a Czech court is possible within 30 days. Often a fresh, stronger application is quicker. Our refusal guide explains how to choose.