The Czech immigration law grants the right to apply for a business visa, in the case in which you are a foreigner who is interested in developing a business activity in this country (investing in the local economy or starting a business). The Czech Republic business visa is granted to those who are interested in moving to Czech Republic for at least 90 days in order to make their business arrangements in this country, which will grant them the right to the Czech long-term residence permit, depending on the duration of the stay.
You must know that the Czech authorities will charge different fees for the processing of a visa. Visas and residence permits which grant the right to long-term residency in Czech Republic cost minimum CZK 2,500.
According to the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic, a business visa is currently charged with a fee of CZK 5,000. The nationals of certain countries benefit from lower fees or of exemptions on the payment of the fee.
Foreigners interested in this document must know that the maximum duration of the visa is of one year since the moment when it was issued and that very stringent regulations have to be met prior to the issuance of the document; we advise you to request information on how to apply for this document from our immigration lawyer in Czech Republic. Investors can also address to our lawyer if they want to obtain the Czech citizenship.
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What are the general aspects of the Czech Republic business visa in 2023?
Foreign businessmen or persons who are interested in developing a commercial activity in this country can apply for a business visa. The document is generally required for nationals of third party countries, who must contact the consulate or the embassy of the Czech Republic when making their application.
The application for the Czech Republic business visa must be made in person and the applicant must make an appointment for it. Please note that the process of obtaining the document is bound by the participation in an interview with the Czech authorities working at the respective consulate/embassy.
You must also be aware that the processing time required for this type of visa is of 90 days (calculated after the date in which the complete application is submitted with the Czech authorities). More complicated cases can increase the duration of the visa processing, reaching a total period of 120 days.
When the investor prepares his or her application, it is best to verify several times if all the documents required are added to the file, as incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant, and this can lead to important delays in the issuance of the Czech Republic business visa. In order to ensure a smooth process, you can also rely on the services of our immigration lawyer in Czech Republic, who has in-depth expertise in the issuance of this document. You can also receive advice on how to obtain a Czech long term residence permit.
Other aspects that should be taken into consideration are the following: the documents have to be notarized (or submitted in original) and their translation in the Czech language is compulsory. The decision on the issuance of the Czech Republic business visa is not taken by the consulate or the embassy where the application is made, but by the representatives of the Ministry of Interior.
The procedure for the issuance of the business visa in Czech Republic has been maintained in 2023, without fulfilling any other legal steps; however, in the context of the Covid-19 health measures, in 2022, those who arrive here for business purposes must have a negative PCR test if they arrive from countries that are not included in the list of states with low risk of transmission. Although Czech Republic still imposes restrictive travelling measures, arriving here for business purposes shouldn’t be an issue.
What are the documents investors need for the Czech business visa in 2023?
As per the Czech immigration legislation, foreign investors preparing their visa application issued for business purposes have to present documents that are generally required for other types of visas. For example, investors should prepare the visa application form, pay the visa fee, present two photographs and the original passport and provide a document stating that the applicant has the necessary financial resources to live in this country.
Then, the person must prepare documents attesting the purpose of stay, documents regarding his or her accommodation in Czech Republic, as well as the criminal record issued by the police authorities in the home country; given the fact that the purpose of stay refers to business related activity, the applicant must present specific corporate documents, which can be detailed by our immigration lawyer in Czech Republic.
Is there an investment visa in Czech Republic?
Yes, foreign businessmen interested to migrate to Czech Republic for the purpose of making an investment here can benefit from the advantages of the investment visa, as long as they will be able to comply with the minimum requirements and maintain them for the agreed period of time.
The investment visa is a type of Czech business visa and it opens the right to immigration in this country for persons who are investors (individuals and companies able to develop a large investment), shareholders (individuals or companies owning companies set up in Czech Republic or registered elsewhere and expanded on the Czech market) and the directors of foreign companies.
There are various legal requirements that have to be met in order to obtain the investment visa in Czech Republic and you can find out the basics in the list below, prepared by our immigration lawyer. If you want to apply for this visa, you can rely on our attorney for advice on the procedure:
- the person who will be issued with the Czech Republic business visa will have to create 20 jobs on the Czech market;
- the minimum investment required to obtain this visa is of CZK 75,000,000;
- a large proportion of this investment, of 60%, can be represented by tangible or intangible assets;
- in the case in which the foreign company has more than 5 executive directors, it is required to provide evidence on how the relocation of the directors in Czech Republic will have a positive impact on the outcome of the business and this is a compulsory process in the issuance of the visa;
- the same applies for shareholders who own less than 30% of the company’s shares.
One of the main advantages of relocating to Czech Republic under this visa is that the application process is much shorter compared to other business visas that can be obtained here (the time can be reduced by 50% and the visa can usually be issued in a period of 30 days to maximum 45 days).
Another advantage is the validity of the document. If, in most cases, the Czech business visa is issued for a period of one year, this type of visa grants the right to residency in Czech Republic for a period of two years. Besides these, the visa offers advantages when it comes to the family members of the persons who will be granted with the visa.
Here, we mention that the family members of the applicant will receive the long-term residence visa without any difficulties and that they can easily relocate to Czech Republic, under the basis of family reunification rules. In other cases (for other visa types) this procedure can last a long period of time, the shortest period being of six months and the longest, of even 15 months. In this particular case, the family members will get the documents immediately after the investment visa is granted to the investor.
With regards to the conditions mentioned above, one must know that the 20 jobs that will be created in Czech Republic have to be filled by employees who are EU nationals. Another condition is to prepare a solid business plan that will be analyzed along with all other documents submitted in the application form. In order to be able to receive this Czech Republic business visa, the investors will have to obtain an approval from the local authorities on the business plan.
Foreign investors must know that the visa can be extended upon its expiry, as long as the investment made in this country is maintained; our immigration lawyer in Czech Republic can offer additional information on other conditions that can apply for this type of business visa.
What institutions handle Czech business visa immigration in 2023?
The Czech immigration legislation prescribes which are the entities that can enforce the immigration rules and which have responsibility in the process of obtaining a visa. Czech embassies and consulates are the main institutions which are responsible for immigration matters, but other institutions can participate in this process, depending on the type of visa required.
When we refer to business visas, besides the consulates and the embassies, the Czech Ministry of Interior will also need to analyze and approve application forms, as well as the Czech Labor Office. The Czech Ministry of Interior participates in the Czech immigration process where long-term visas are involved.
For matters related to short-stay visas, one must address to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If you want to address to any Czech institution, we invite you to request legal assistance from our immigration lawyer, who can advise you on the procedures that can follow once you start an immigration procedure with any of the local institutions that will participate in the issuance of a visa or a residence permit.
What is the data on foreign investments in Czech Republic?
Most of the foreign investors that have very good investment activities in this country are from other European countries, which means that their relocation to Czech Republic does not imply obtaining business visas. However, the country has strong business relations with Japan and India, which are some of its main investors. Considering that these countries are seen as third party countries, investors who are residents here may need to obtain a Czech Republic business visa. The foreign investment sector is characterized by the following:
• in 2017, the country’s main trading partner was Germany (accounting for 41.9% of all foreign investments);
• the next most important partners were Japan (6.6%), Austria (6.4%), France (5.9%), Belgium (4.4%) and India (4.1%);
• the most attractive investment sector was the car manufacturing industry (accounting for 27.1%);
• metallurgy and metalworking accounted for 17.5% and electric devices sector for 12.7%;
• investors moving to Czech Republic must know that the country has a competitive index on the shareholders’ power (9.0, the same as the United States of America).
We invite foreign investors to request other relevant information from our immigration lawyer in Czech Republic. Our attorney can provide in-depth details on how to apply for a Czech Republic business visa and may also help you with advice on other procedures that may apply after relocating here, including for the procedure related to the Czech citizenship.
Please know that, depending on the country of residence, the Czech law can impose the respective consulate/embassy a maximum number of visas that can be issued for a certain purpose (work, scientific research, business, etc.).
There are 2 categories of consulates – the 1st is the one of the consulates that have a year quota of visas that they can issue, and the 2nd, the consulates that do not have any limitations concerning the visas they can issue in 2023.
For instance, those who want to apply for a visa in 2023 in Czech Republic, must know that consulates from locations such as Istanbul, Pretoria, Nairobi, Delhi, Belgrade, Beirut, Ankara, can only issue a limited number of visas, which are capped as per the applicable regulations for 2023.
