The Czech Republic or Czechia is a sovereign country located in central Europe. Formerly known as Bohemia, this landlocked country is bordered by Austria, Germany, Poland, and Slovakia from south, west, northeast, and southeast respectively. The Republic of Czech covers an area of 78,871 km2 with a population of 10.7 million approximately.
Due to its developed high-income economy and the social welfare nature of government, people from around the world aspire to relocate to Czechia. In 2018 alone, the country received more than 50000 people on a long-term or permanent residence basis.
Long-stay visas
As a Lebanese citizen, one must acquire a Schengen travel visa first to enter Czechia. A travel visa can be applied for at the Czech Embassy located in Beirut at St. Bechara Church Street. Once in the country, the aspirant can apply for long-term residence on grounds such as education, scientific research, employment, business, family reunion, investment, medical reasons, etc. The application must be submitted to the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic.
Similarly, Lebanese planning to work in Lebanon must first obtain a work permit along with a long-stay National D visa. The D visa allows the bearer to stay in the country for a maximum of 12 months; during which time the applicant shall apply for a residence permit if he/she wishes to stay longer. The permit overrides the D visa status of the holder and allows a long-term stay in the country.
Furthermore, Lebanese citizens having immediate family members who are Czech citizens can apply for a family reunion visa. The validity of this visa is 12 months.
Living for 5 continuous years in Czechia a Lebanese citizen can apply for permanent residency.
Requirements for National Visa D
The requirements and fee for the National Visa D may vary from case to case depending on the purpose of the visit. However, the general requirements are listed down below:
- Valid passport (minimum 180 days validity and 2 blank pages)
- Copy of all previous passports (visas if any)
- Duly filled application form (in Czech)
- Academic credentials (if applying for a student visa)
- Employment contract and work permit (if applying for a work visa)
- Admission documents of the university or institute (if applying for education)
- Health insurance for the entirety of the stay in Czechia
- Accommodation proof (hotel reservations, apartment lease, affidavit if living with a relative, etc.)
- Financial statements (bank statements, salary slips, etc. to prove adequate financial means)
- Passport-sized photographs (not older than 3 months, 3.4cm x 4.5 cm in white background)
- Receipt of paid application fee
- Professional experience certificates
- Other supporting documents
In the case of applying for a family reunion, visa below are additional documents that must be attached to the application:
- Marriage certificate
- Proof of relationship (if living together under any arrangement other than marriage)
- Joint bank account
- In the case of a child then custody records
Rejection of application
Regardless of how strong the applicant’s ground may be, there are times when the applications do get rejected. In such cases the applicant can adopt one of 2 measures mentioned below:
Re-apply
with consideration to the reasons for rejection, the applicant has the right to re-apply for the visa. In many cases, there are one or two documents that the applicants fail to produce, or the documents are not in good health, or they need additional verification of the same. Whatever the cause of rejection may be, addressing these and reapplying can increase the chances of success.
Appeal
A formal appeal may be submitted to the Embassy in Beirut stating why the reasons for rejection do not hold true in the applicant’s case. An appeal form can be obtained from the Embassy’s website or in person.
