Third-Country Nationals
Obligations and rules for entry and stay on the territory of the Czech Republic
- Entry to the territory of the Czech Republic
- Stay in the territory of the Czech Republic
- Conditions for a short-term stay
- Types of visas that allow a short-term stay
- Uniform visa
- Conditions for a long-term stay
Entry to the territory of the Czech Republic
The state borders of the Czech Republic, which are internal borders within the Schengen area, can be crossed at any point without a border check on persons, irrespective of their nationality.
Border checks are performed only at external Schengen borders, i.e., at international airports in the Czech Republic on flights originating in or ending in countries outside the Schengen area. The border check consists of a thorough check, during which the identity of third-country nationals is verified on the basis of a validity check of the submitted travel document and it is ensured that all of the conditions for entering the Schengen area have been met, specifically that they:
- are in possession of a valid travel document or documents authorizing them to cross the border;
- are in possession of a valid visa, if required (a visa is not required of third-country nationals who have a valid residence permit issued by a Schengen Member State);
- justify the purpose and conditions for the intended stay, and they have sufficient means for subsistence, both for the duration of the intended stay and for the return to their country of origin or transit journey to a third country into which they are certain to be admitted, or are in a position to acquire such means lawfully;
- are not persons for whom an alert has been issued in the Schengen Information system (SIS) for the purposes of refusing entry; and
- are not considered to be a threat to public policy, internal security, public health or the international relations of any of the Schengen States.
The obligation to submit a travel document does not apply to persons younger than 15 years of age if their data are recorded in the travel document of an accompanying person.
At the time that Schengen external borders are crossed, i.e. at the time of entry to and exit from the Schengen area, the travel documents of third-country nationals are stamped.
The rules for crossing external borders, border checks and entry conditions for the Schengen area are specified in detail by the Schengen Borders Code (pdf, 1,86 MB).
Department of Asylum and Migration Policy, 24th March 2011