If you are coming to work as a researcher in the Czech Republic and your family members wish to join you (your partner, spouse, children), then the rules for their residence will be different from yours, and will depend on their nationality and yours.
Good news: it's easy! Citizens of EU member states, as well as Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, may stay in the territory of the Czech Republic without a visa or other special permit. A valid travel document (passport or national identity card) is sufficient.
If you stay longer than 30 days - within 30 days of entering the Czech Republic, you are required to report your presence to the appropriate Foreign Police Department according to where in the Czech Republic you are staying, if the person providing accommodation does not submit the registration forms on your behalf.
If you (the family member) stay longer than 90 days and apply for a certificate of temporary residence, the purpose of your stay will be "family reunification". For further information about this procedure or in case of any questions please contact your nearest EURAXESS centre.
For a short-term stay (up to 90 days)
If your family member wishes to stay less than 90 days, we recommend they apply for a short-stay visa based on an official invitation.
Your family member must apply for this visa at the nearest diplomatic mission of the Czech Republic in their home country. The timeframe for processing the application is 7-15 days (in some cases it can take up to 30 or 60 days). They will need to submit these documents: an invitation to the Czech Republic authorized by the Foreign Police, an application form, a travel document, a passport picture, proof that you will return to your home country (return ticket, financial proof, etc.), and a travel health insurance document.
Status of your application you can verify here.
This procedure will provide your family member with a short-stay Schengen visa. Please note that holders of these visas are not entitled to apply for long-term visas or long-term residence during their stay in the Czech Republic - to do so, they would need to leave the Czech Republic and apply again from abroad.
All nationals of third countries (visa-free or with a short-term visa) are obliged to report their presence in the Czech Republic to the appropriate Foreign Police Department, within 3 working days of their entry to the Czech Republic. If your family member is staying in a hotel, hostel, student residence or similar, this will be done for them. If they are staying in private accommodation they will need to do so themselves.
For a long-term stay (more than 90 days)
Your family member will need to apply for a long-term visa or long-term residence permit in order to stay in the Czech Republic for more than 90 days. For family members accompanying researchers we recommend a long-term residence permit for the purpose of "family reunification". The application must be submitted at a Czech embassy and will be processed within 60 days. Status of your application you can verify here.
Applicants should submit the following documents (in Czech, with official translation if the original was not in Czech):
- travel document
- proof of accommodation
- 2 photographs
- documentary evidence of the family relationship (e.g. a birth or marriage certificate)
- proof of finance - a document showing you can afford to stay in the Czech Republic
- extract from the Penal register record
- upon request a medical report if there is a suspicion that you suffer from a serious illness
- a completed green application form
- travel health insurance in the scope of comprehensive healthcare as required by the Act on the Residence of Foreign Nationals may be concluded exclusively with Pojišťovna VZP, a. s.).
Third country nationals accompanying nationals of EU/EEA member states must usually have a visa to enter the Czech Republic (a short-term Schengen visa), unless they are a citizen of these countries. However, no visa is required for a stay of up to 3 months if your family member (regardless of their citizenship) possesses a certificate of temporary residence or a permanent residence permit issued by another EU state, or Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.
For a long-term stay, your family member should apply (during their first three months in the Czech Republic) for a temporary residence permit, based on being your family member. Further information about this procedure and the documents required can be found on the Ministry of the Interior's website, here. This has a number of advantages over other types of long-term residence permit, as it lasts longer, and your family member will have more rights (including the right to work without any other work permit) while in the Czech Republic.
All nationals of third countries (visa-free or with a short-term visa) are obliged to report their presence in the Czech Republic to the appropriate Foreign Police Department, within 3 working days of their entry to the Czech Republic. If your family member is staying in a hotel, hostel, student residence or similar, this will be done for them. If they are staying in private accommodation they will need to do so themselves.