CZ
Czech Republic · Dlouhodobé vízum za účelem podnikání · Freelancer visa · apply embassy, in country · processing 90–120 days
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 also offers these long-term residency programs
Last verified Oct 9, 2026 Last changed Oct 10, 2026 Source
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 (mzv.gov.cz).
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