South African citizens can immigrate to Czech Republic for various purposes, such as employment or for business. They can also arrive here for personal reasons, such as visiting the country, visiting friends and family or for family reunification purposes (this applies when the South African wants to live here for a long period of time with close family members who chose to relocate to Czech Republic).
Depending on the reason of arrival here, the process for immigration to Czech Republic from South Africa will vary, and some of the main situations will be described in this article. If, at the end of the presentation, you will require further information, our immigration lawyer in Czech Republic can provide legal advice. You can always rely on our lawyer to relocate to Czech Republic.
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Immigration to Czech Republic from South Africa for short-term stays
Persons who will arrive to Czech Republic from South Africa for a short period of time can apply for the Schengen visa. The Schengen visa is an immigration document that can be obtained when a person will move to Czech Republic for a visit with a duration of maximum 3 months, and which can be issued for a wide range of reasons.
Czech Republic is part of the Schengen area, which includes numerous states of the European Union (EU), but not all of them. According to the law on Czech Republic immigration, when you apply for a Schengen visa, provided that the document is granted to you, then you will have access not only to the Czech Republic territory, but also to other Schengen states, if you have the time to visit them.
Also, if you will move in Czech Republic after having arrived in any other Schengen state as a South African, mind that you will not need to obtain another visa from the Czech authorities. The Schengen visa is issued a single time from the authorities of the country that is the first point of entry. If your first point of entry is Czech Republic, then you will need to start the immigration formalities with the Czech embassy or consulate operating in your home country.
What are the required documents for the Schengen visa in Czech Republic?
The documents that you must prepare for immigration to Czech Republic from South Africa represent a standard set of papers which are required if you apply in any other Schengen state as well. Below, our immigration lawyer in Czech Republic has prepared a short list of documents necessary for this visa:
- the standard application form, completed with all the information required;
- the valid passport, and a recent photograph that meets certain characteristics;
- all the documents that can attest the reason for which you will immigrate to Czech Republic;
- having a valid health insurance that is recognized under the Czech Republic law;
- documents showing your arrival and departure from Czech Republic.
What are the visa fees in Czech Republic?
When starting the process of immigration to Czech Republic from South Africa, you should be mindful on the fees that you will have to pay. The fees charged for visas are regulated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and they can vary based on the nationality of the applicant. Below, you can see the main visa fees for third country nationals (a category in which South Africa is included):
- the issuance of the Schengen visa is charged with a fee of EUR 80;
- for the same visa, a fee exemption is applied for children with an age below 6 years, while those with an age of 6 to 12 years old will have to pay a fee of EUR 40;
- the visa issued for long-term stays (the type D visa) is charged with a fee of CZK 2,500 or EUR 98;
- however, the immigration to Czech Republic from South Africa under a long-term visa is exempt from the payment of the fee, which is normally charged with CZK 2,500;
- South Africans who want to obtain a Blue Card, which is an employment card for third country nationals, will need to pay a fee of CZK 5,000 or EUR 197 for the issuance of the document.
What to do in case in which the Czech visa application is refused
In the case in which the foreigner received a negative answer on the visa application, according to the Czech immigration law, the person has the right to request an appeal, a procedure through which the applicant is entitled to receive more details as to why the application was denied.
In the case in which we refer to a Schengen visa, the applicant is entitled to submit an appeal in a period of maximum 15 days since the day when he or she received the negative answer. The application can be made in person or via e-mail. We invite you to contact our immigration lawyer in Czech Republic in the case you need to prepare an appeal for a visa application form, regardless of the visa type you have applied for.
South Africans who want to stay in this country for a period longer than 90 days will have to explore the visa options that grant them this right (such as work visas).
Please mind that if you will obtain visas issued for long term stays, you will also need to obtain a residence card (permanent residence in Czech Republic is possible after 5 years of living in this country).
