Czech Republic Tourist Visa

Prague on a budget, with a visa file that does not look like a budget file

Prague is where many Indian travellers take their first trip to Europe. Hotels cost less than Paris or Amsterdam. The old town, the castle, the bridges and the beer halls fit in three or four days. Český Krumlov is a day trip away. And thousands of Indian students at Charles University mean parents and friends visit too.

The visa you need is the Schengen short-stay visa, lodged with the Czech Republic. Here is what that means, and here is where "budget" trips get into trouble at the consulate.

The rule that governs everything

A type C Schengen visa allows up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The clock runs across all Schengen states. A trip that goes Prague, Vienna, Budapest uses days in all three.

You apply to the Czech Republic when it is your main destination, meaning the country with the most overnight stays. If the nights are equal across countries, you apply to the one you enter first. This is the single rule most people get wrong on a Central Europe tour, so we check it first.

Fee and timing

• €90 per adult; €45 per child aged 6 to 11; no fee under 6.
• VFS service charge on top, paid in rupees. Use the fee calculator.
• Earliest lodgement: six months before travel. Latest: 15 days before.
• Standard decision: 15 calendar days. Can extend to 45.

The Czech Republic uses VFS Global in Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi. Prague's popularity means Delhi slots are contested in the summer and around Christmas markets in December. Our Czech appointment tracker shows the current picture. We never write a date on this page; it would be wrong by tomorrow.

The documents

• Passport valid at least three months past your exit, with two blank pages.
• Schengen application form and photos.
• Return flight booking.
• Accommodation for every night. Hostels count, but the booking must show your name and the dates.
• Travel medical insurance, minimum €30,000, valid throughout Schengen.
• Six months of bank statements and proof of income.
• Proof of your life in India: job, business, property, family, studies.
• If visiting a student: their invitation, residence permit copy and enrolment letter.

We prepare the whole file and book the appointment. You go once to the centre to give biometrics, which is fingerprints and a photo, and to hand in your passport.

Where files from India go wrong for the Czech Republic

The trip is cheap, so the bank balance is thin. People budget exactly what the trip costs and show a balance that just covers it. The officer sees no cushion and no history. What matters is a steady balance over six months, not a one-time top-up.

Hostel bookings with no name on them. Many booking sites issue a confirmation to the person who paid, not to each traveller. Every traveller's name must appear.

Prague as the entry point for a longer Austria or Germany tour. If you land in Prague for two nights and then spend ten in Germany, Germany is the country to apply to.

First-time travellers with no travel history and no explanation. A blank passport is not a refusal reason by itself, but the file must work harder. Strong ties and a clear day-by-day plan matter more.

Students' parents showing the student's Czech bank account. The visitor's own money is what counts. Show the parent's accounts, and add the student's invitation separately.

Young single applicants with a group tour. Group tours are fine, but the file must still be personal: your own employer letter, your own bank statement, your own leave sanction.

If the answer was no

You will get the standard Schengen refusal form, which lists 16 numbered grounds. Read our short explanation of each on the Schengen refusal reasons page.

For the Czech Republic, you can ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to review the decision within 15 days of receiving it. Or you can apply again with a repaired file. For a budget tourist trip, the honest answer is usually to reapply, because the review rarely moves faster than a fresh, stronger application. We look at the refused file, mark what was weak, and rebuild it so the same box cannot be ticked.

Talk to us

One call settles: which country your route must be filed with, whether your bank history will pass, how to present a first-ever trip abroad, and when you should book your appointment for the season you are travelling in.

Lifeset Overseas is a Punjab-licensed visa consultancy (Licence No. 849/DC/PTA/PLA/LC-3/2024) in Patiala. Call or WhatsApp +91 91155 80911, Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 7 PM. A ten-minute call before you pay for flights can save the whole trip.