Do I need a visa to Prague? Of course. After all, the Czech Republic, since 2004, is located in the Schengen area. And that means that every person who wants to visit her needs a permission to enter.
Key Documents
So, whether a visa to Prague is needed is clear. Now we can talk about what documents will be required for its execution. The most important thing is a foreign passport. It must remain valid for another 3 months after the person returns to his homeland. Still need a copy of the page on which the biographical data of the “foreign” and the questionnaire are indicated. It is filled in by hand in block letters or on a computer. Language choice is provided. The questionnaire can be filled out either in English or in Czech. The form is usually received at the consulate, embassy, or official resources.
It is filled simply - each item is extremely clear. A person just needs to transfer his passport and personal data to the form. It is only necessary to remember that the country of birth before 1991 is the USSR. And one more thing: the 10th paragraph is intended for minor travelers. So those who travel abroad themselves do not need to fill it out. And in the paragraph under the designation "Date of intended entry" you need to specify the day on which a person plans to cross the border of the Schengen zone (not the Czech Republic!). Otherwise, everything is simple.
Other papers
Talking about whether you need a visa to Prague and how to get it, you need to mention the other documents that are required to be submitted to the consulate / embassy.
In addition to the application and passport, you need one color photograph, format 3.5 x 4.5 cm. Also need paper, which will confirm the financial viability of the traveler. Be sure to present a medical insurance certificate - both a photocopy and the original.
You need to make copies and round-trip tickets. A confirmation of their reservation is also suitable. Are you planning to travel in your own car? You will need the original and a copy of the driver’s license, and also the vehicle registration certificate, + a green card (international insurance). The fact of having a place to stay will also need to be confirmed - a hotel reservation or an apartment rental agreement is suitable.
In addition to the above, you need a civil passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation and copies of all the completed pages and confirmation of the purpose of the trip. If a person needs a multivisa, then you must also provide a plan of all the planned trips with the reservation of hotels in which you plan to live during the trip.
Financial issue
Speaking about whether a visa to Prague is needed, it is worth returning to the topic regarding the confirmation of the financial viability of a potential traveler.
To solve this issue, a person needs to get a certificate with salary data from his employer. An extract from the applicant’s bank account is also suitable. Only it should be official - with the signature and seal of a financial organization. There should be enough money on your account to pay for your stay in the Czech Republic. 1 100 kroons (about 40 euros) must be allocated per day. Accordingly, if a person plans to stay in Prague for 10 days, then at least 400 at. e. (it is better to play it safe, and replenish it with a larger amount).
Also, confirmation of 2-NDFL or 3-NDFL may be suitable as confirmation. But the best option is a bank statement.
Insurance
This topic is important. And it also needs to be addressed, if it is a question of whether a visa to Prague is needed for the Russians.
So, the policy form must be filled out exclusively using a printing device. That is, a computer. Also, the policy is required to cover all expenses associated with transportation and treatment (if necessary).
It must also be remembered that the minimum coverage is 30,000 euros. And yet - insurance with a franchise, implying the personal participation of the policy holder in the notorious treatment costs, are not suitable.
And finally, the last nuance. The issued policy must be valid throughout the Schengen area, and throughout the time that the Russian plans to stay in Prague.
If there is no work?
For many people, the need to confirm their financial viability in the aforementioned manner is perplexing. Some people do not work, others are students and retirees, while others are not officially registered. What then? Is the road to the Czech Republic closed? No, it is not.
Just such people are conditionally designated financially non-self-sufficient. And their trip, in fact, is paid by someone else. As confirmed by the provision of a sponsorship letter. In which it is indicated that this same "Someone" takes all the expenses upon himself. The letter must contain the sponsor's address of residence, his mobile phone, email. The appendix to this paper is a statement of income or from the bank, + copies of the completed pages from the civil passport. Confirmation of kinship is also necessary. This is important because only relatives (parents, children, official second half) can be a sponsor. But everything is a convention. If a person is not officially registered, then he can simply replenish the bank account of his formal “sponsor” with personal funds, and the matter is small.
By the way, pensioners can provide a photocopy of their ID and bank statement.
Transit
For reference, it is worth noting that Prague is a major interchange point in Europe. Indeed, in this city are based two of the largest airlines selling tickets to various destinations. And many travelers who have planned a train somewhere have a change in Prague. Is a visa necessary in this case? Of course, but there are some nuances.
If through Prague a person goes to Germany, then a Schengen visa issued by the German consulate is quite suitable for him. The zone is one. But if a person from Russia goes through Prague to London, for example, then he will not need a visa. In the event that the duration of the transplant does not exceed 24 hours. London is not part of the Schengen area, so the lack of a visa requirement is understandable.
That's all the nuances that transit through Prague implies. Is a visa necessary for this? As you could understand, it all depends on the route planned by the traveler.
What else do you need to know?
There are several nuances that are worth mentioning when talking about whether a Schengen visa is needed in Prague. Here, for example, individual entrepreneurs. How do they confirm their financial condition? In their case, you will need to provide a copy of the TIN and PSRN certificate, as well as a tax return.
What if a child needs a visa? Well, the design principle is the same as with adults. The child must have his own passport, and the parents fill out the questionnaire for him. They sign too. But if the child is already 15 years old, then he does it himself.
He is not even 12? Then parents can apply without his presence. But if the child is older than the declared age, then he must be.
You also need to remember that everyone, under the age of 18, can cross the border only accompanied by their parents (or one of them). Or with a trustee. And consent to this is issued by parents. Nowadays, everything is especially strict with this. Moreover, if a child travels with only one parent, then permission from another is required. It is important to know this.
Where to go?
It is worth noting the attention of another topic regarding the issue of whether a visa to Prague is needed. Design is what is meant. Where to go? The best option is to the Consular Section of the Embassy of the Czech Republic. It is located in Moscow, on Julius Fucik Street , in the house 12/14 (6th building). There you need to record. After clarifying the time, you will need to collect all the documents listed above, and go with them to the reception at the appointed hour. If everything goes smoothly and the consul does not raise questions - the person receives a receipt containing information about when he will be able to pick up the passport with the coveted stamp.
There is another option. You can contact the visa service center. For people who can’t go off hand in Moscow, this is a convenient option. After all, visa centers are located throughout Russia - in Sochi, Khabarovsk, Ufa, Omsk, Rostov-on-Don, Krasnoyarsk, Kaliningrad, Vladivostok, etc. Of course, you will have to pay for their services. But given the fact that you need to go to Moscow for a lot of money - there is practically no difference, sometimes it turns out even more profitable. The only negative - through such a center you can apply for only a short-term (tourist) visa.
Information for residents of Belarus
Do Belarusians need a visa to Prague? Of course, it is necessary. The conditions for its design are the same as for the Russians. Only the embassy is located in Minsk (Muzykalny lane 1, building 2). It is also necessary to record there.
By the way, from Belarus to go to Prague is more profitable. The distance in a straight line from Minsk is less than 1,000 kilometers. Moreover, the inhabitants of Belarus only need to cross one country - Poland. There are regular regular buses in the direction Minsk-Prague.
Cost
Much has been said about whether a visa is needed to travel to Prague. Finally, a few words about the price. The consular fee is standard - 35 euros. At the current rate, it is about 1,590 rubles. But it is paid anyway in euros. An urgent visa costs twice as much. Just in case, you need to mention that in case of refusal, the consular fee is not returned. If you do it through the visa center, you will have to overpay.
It is important to note that you need to submit documents to the embassy no earlier than three months before the planned trip. Usually a visa is issued in 5-10 business days. But if you want to play it safe, then the best time for submitting documents in advance is 2 weeks. In the season, you can take care of your vacation a little earlier - for 20 days.
In general, this is all the information you need to know when going to Prague. Having collected all the documents and correctly filling out the questionnaire, a person gets all the chances to find the coveted visa stamp in his "foreign country".