Zivno Freelance Visa

1. Visa12 months
2. Renewrenewable
3. Permanent residencyafter 5 years
4. Citizenshipafter 10 years

• Leads to residency 5 years
• Leads to citizenship 10 years

Country

Czech Republic

Visa name

Zivno Freelance Visa

Local name

Dlouhodobé vízum za účelem podnikání

Program type

Freelancer visa

Status

Active

Initial duration

12 months

Max duration

—

Income requirement

$7,175 savings

Application fee

$229

Tax status

Standard

Application method

embassy, in country

Processing time

90–120 days

Can apply in-country

No

Multiple entry

Yes

Schengen access

Yes

Can open bank account

Yes

Renewable

Yes

This is the ordinary long-term visa for business, not a digital-nomad visa. It is for third-country nationals who will trade, be self-employed, or act as a statutory body of a company. Citizens of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland do not apply for it. The živnostenské oprávnění is the trade licence that proves the purpose of stay. It is not itself the visa. The application is lodged in person at the territorially competent Czech embassy, with an interview and fingerprints. The visa is issued for at most one year. The Ministry of the Interior decides within 90 days, or 120 days if the case needs more examination. Before the visa expires the holder can apply in the Czech Republic for a long-term residence permit for business. That permit is issued for at most two years and can be renewed, again for at most two years at a time. Five years of continuous temporary residence can lead to permanent residence. There is no published cap on the total stay short of that. There is no monthly income test. For a business stay of more than 90 days the Aliens Act requires funds of 50 times the existential minimum. The minimum is still CZK 3,130, so the amount is CZK 156,500, about $7,175 at the Czech National Bank rate of 21.811 CZK per US dollar on 8 October 2026 (the 9 October fixing was not in the daily file). The embassy fee for this visa is CZK 5,000, about $229 at the same rate. A first trade notification is a separate CZK 1,000, or CZK 800 if it is filed electronically. From 1 July 2026 the minimum monthly social-security advance for a self-employed person is CZK 5,005. The file also needs a trade-register or company-register extract, proof of accommodation and a criminal-record extract. Travel health insurance is shown when the visa is collected, not when the application is filed. A free (unqualified) trade needs no degree. A craft, vocational or licensed trade needs the qualification for that trade. The visa allows the registered business, including Czech clients, and repeated entry. It is not an employee work permit. Travel in the rest of Schengen for a non-gainful purpose is limited to 90 days in any 180. Some embassies have annual caps on business-visa applications under Government Regulation No. 220/2019 Coll. Tax residence follows the ordinary permanent-home or 183-day tests, and residents pay standard income tax at 15%, with 23% on the upper band. The business-visa page does not itself provide for family members.

• Czech Republic Investment Residenceinvestor visa
• Czech Republic Business Visafreelancer

1. Oct 10, 2026
   • Official page https://www.mvcr.cz/ https://mzv.gov.cz/jnp/en/information_for_aliens/long_stay_visa/entrepreneurship.html
   • Max duration months 24 none
   • Savings requirement (USD) none 7175
   • Application fee (USD) 158 229

   cleared the 24-month overall maximum. The visa is at most one year and the follow-on business residence permit is at most two years per grant, with no published end. Decision window set to 90 days, or 120 in harder cases, replacing 180 (https://mzv.gov.cz/jnp/en/information_for_aliens/long_stay_visa/entrepreneurship.html).