Czech Republic · Visa guide
Czech Republic · Visa guideCzech Republic Family & Friends Visit Visa
A short-stay Schengen visa to visit family or friends living in Czech Republic — up to 90 days.
- ProcessingUsually about 15 calendar days from submission
- Visa categoryFamily & Friends Visit Visa
- Your guideOne consultant
Reading is not the hard part. Knowing if YOUR bank statements and ties will pass is. Call us and tell us your travel month. We tell you honestly if your Czech Republic file is ready.
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Czech Republic Family & Friends Visit Visa — overview
A Czech family-and-friends visit visa is a short-stay Schengen visa (Type C): up to 90 days in any 180-day period, decided by the Embassy of the Czech Republic in New Delhi.
What distinguishes the Czech file is the invitation. Where your host is sponsoring you or putting you up, the embassy asks for the original of an official invitation verified by the Alien Police Service in the Czech Republic — a private letter does not replace it. The embassy also wants bank statements and tax returns from both you and your sponsor.
Earliest slot we saw
Checked by hand · 26 September
- Goa
- 28 Sept
- Mumbai
- 28 Sept
- New Delhi
- 28 Sept
- Pune
- 28 Sept
Tourist / short-stay appointments only. A snapshot from the portal on the date above, not a live feed. Slots move hour to hour and we never hold or sell them. All Czech Republic centres & earliest dates
The invitation is verified by the Czech police
A Czech host cannot sponsor a visitor with a letter. The checklist asks for "proof of sponsorship and/or private accommodation by completing a national form of the Schengen State — original of an official invitation verified by the Alien Police Service."
Three words in that sentence set the timetable:
- official — it is the Czech national form, not something your host drafts;
- verified — the Alien Police Service checks and endorses it in the Czech Republic;
- original — the endorsed document itself is submitted, so it has to be couriered to India.
The verification in the Czech Republic and the courier to India both come before your VFS slot. Ask them to begin as soon as the dates are agreed.
Two sets of financial papers
The Czech checklist is unusually explicit that sponsorship adds to your evidence rather than replacing it: every applicant has to submit original bank account statement of their own and of the sponsor. The same goes for the income-tax acknowledgements for two assessment years — yours and the sponsor's.
So a parent visiting a son in Prague submits their own stamped three-month statement and their son's. If the parent's account is small, that is acceptable; leaving it out is not.
When the person paying is not the person travelling
If a parent, guardian or anyone else is funding the trip without travelling, the embassy wants their written consent certified by a public notary. This catches adult children whose father is paying, as much as it does minors.
Details the Czech embassy checks
- Two photographs, high definition, face filling at least 80% of the frame.
- A cover letter that lists the names and passport numbers of accompanying travellers.
- Copies of the passport's biodata page and last page, and old Schengen stamps.
- For the self-employed, an income-tax return that is barcode verifiable.
Source: Embassy of the Czech Republic in New Delhi — Checklist for Schengen visa (visiting family and friends), as held in our knowledge base. Requirements change; confirm against the current checklist before you submit.
12 items
Documents you need
Application form
Completely filled in and signed by the applicant.
Passport and copies
Issued within the last 10 years, valid more than three months after the scheduled return, at least two empty pages. Copies of the biodata page, the last page (Indian passports), and Schengen entry and exit stamps from previous passports.
Two photographs
Recent (under six months), high-definition, colour, white background, with the face covering at least 80% of the frame, to ICAO specifications.
Cover letter — with passport numbers
Signed by you, giving the purpose, duration, the names and passport numbers of anyone accompanying you, and transport and accommodation details.
Marriage certificate, where needed
If you are married and your passport does not show it; a ration-card copy where applicable.
Official invitation verified by the Alien Police
If you are sponsored or staying privately: proof of sponsorship and/or private accommodation on the Czech national form — the original of an official invitation verified by the Alien Police Service.
If someone other than the traveller pays
Where the trip is sponsored by a parent, guardian or any other person who is not travelling: their written consent, certified by a public notary.
Proof of transport and itinerary
Flight reservation and itinerary.
Travel medical insurance
All Schengen countries, at least EUR 30,000, dated to cover the whole trip including arrival and departure days.
Bank statements — yours and your sponsor's
Original personal bank statement for the last three months, stamped and signed by the bank. Every applicant submits their own original statement and the sponsor's, if there is one.
Income-tax returns — yours and your sponsor's
ITR acknowledgements for the last two assessment years, for you and for the sponsor if applicable.
Proof of occupation
Employed: three months' payslips, employment contract and leave approval. Self-employed: company registration, GST registration, business bank statement and a barcode-verifiable ITR. Retired: three months' pension statements. Students: proof of enrolment and a copy of the student ID.
5 steps
How the process works
Typical processing: Usually about 15 calendar days from submission — may extend up to 45 calendar days. Apply at least 2-3 weeks before travel.
Step 1
Free eligibility review
We assess your profile and build a document checklist matched to the embassy's requirements.
Step 2
Build the file & cover letter
Every document — finances, bookings, insurance and the cover letter — is prepared and verified.
Step 3
Book the VFS Global appointment
Applications in India are submitted through VFS Global — we schedule your slot.
Step 4
Submit & give biometrics
You attend the VFS centre to submit the file and provide fingerprints and a photograph.
Step 5
Decision & passport return
The embassy decides the application and your passport is returned through VFS.
Transparent
Costs & fees
Item
Amount
Schengen visa fee (adult)
EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 11; under 6 exempt. Payable in INR.
EUR 90
VFS Global service charge
Plus optional add-ons such as courier.
Confirmed at booking
Government and third-party fees change often — we confirm the exact current amounts for your case before you pay anything.
5 answers
Frequently asked questions
Not if they are sponsoring you or accommodating you. The Czech checklist asks for the original of an official invitation verified by the Alien Police Service — the Czech national form. Your host arranges that in the Czech Republic and sends you the original.
Yours and your sponsor's. The checklist says every applicant has to submit their own original bank statement and the sponsor's, if applicable — and the same for income-tax returns for the last two assessment years.
His written consent, certified by a public notary. The Czech checklist asks for that whenever the trip is sponsored by a parent, guardian or any person other than the applicant who is travelling.
Two recent high-definition colour photographs on a white background, with the face covering at least 80% of the frame, meeting ICAO specifications.
The purpose and duration of the trip, transport and accommodation details, and the names and passport numbers of everyone travelling with you. The passport numbers are a Czech detail that is easy to miss.
Why it matters
Going it alone vs filing with us
On your own
- Guessing the document list — one missing or wrongly formatted paper triggers a refusal.
- Generic cover letters copied from the internet that officers recognise and flag.
- No read on peak rejection windows or what this visa post is strict about.
- Government and VFS fees are non-refundable — money lost if you are refused.
- A refusal stamp follows you and weakens every future visa application.
With Lifeset Overseas
- An honest case assessment before you spend a rupee on government fees.
- A file built to the embassy's exact checklist and in the exact order.
- Weak finances, ties or purpose identified and fixed before submission.
- Previously refused? We can rescue and rebuild the file.
- Every case handled by one consultant, end to end.
Refused before?
A refusal isn't the end
A refusal is not a permanent bar — but it only improves if the actual reason is found and answered, and nobody can tell you a second application will succeed. If a Czech Republic visa has been refused, we:
- Read the actual refusal letter and pinpoint the real gaps.
- Advise whether to pull the officer's notes (CAIPS / GCMS) for the true reason.
- Identify which part was weak — funds, employment, purpose or ties.
- Tell you honestly whether to reapply now or strengthen the file first.
- Refused? Your fee back, or a rebuilt application free — your choice.
Other Czech Republic visas
Czech Republic Tourist Visa
A short-stay Schengen visa for tourism and holidays in Czech Republic — up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Czech Republic Business Visa
A short-stay Schengen visa for business meetings, conferences and training in Czech Republic.
Czech Republic Study & Research Visa
A visa for study, research or an internship in Czech Republic — short stays use a Schengen visa; longer study needs a residence permit.
Czech Republic Cultural, Sports & Religious Visa
A short-stay Schengen visa for cultural, sporting and religious events and film crews in Czech Republic.
Start here · One message away
Czech Republic visitor visa: get a straight answer before you pay the fee.
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