Bridging Visa
A Bridging Visa serves as proof of your legal stay in the Czech Republic if you are residing in the country based on the legal fiction of residence. Legal fiction of residence occurs when your previous residence permit or visa has expired, but you submitted an application for a new residence permit or for the extension of an existing residence permit or visa within the stipulated period.1.
When is a Bridging Visa necessary?
During the processing of your application, you are legally residing in the Czech Republic until a final decision is made, and both the Ministry of the Interior and the police can verify your residence status if needed. A Bridging Visa is not mandatory, but you typically need it if:
- you plan to travel outside the Czech Republic while your application is being processed,
- you work in international transport, or
- you need to extend the validity of your self-employment license.
What does a Bridging Visa look like?
How long is a bridging visa valid for?
The validity period of the Bridging Visa is determined by the Ministry of the Interior officer. It usually corresponds to the expected duration of the administrative procedure.
Where is the Bridging Visa issued?
At a Ministry of the Interior office – in order to receive the visa, you must arrive to the office in person and bring your travel document with you. For children under the age of 15, the legal guardian (typically one of the parents) handles this process. The child does not need to be present, but the original travel document of the child must be presented.
What is the processing period for the Bridging Visa?
The Bridging Visa is usually issued immediately on the spot.
What does the Bridging Visa allow you to do?
The Bridging Visa proves the legality of your stay in the Czech Republic, even if your visa or residence permit has already expired. During its validity, the Bridging Visa also allows you to leave the Czech Republic and re-enter.
What is a legal fiction of residence and how is it related to the Bridging Visa?
A fiction of residence refers to a situation in which your stay in the Czech Republic is deemed to be legal even though you do not hold a valid physical residence permit or visa. This situation occurs most often if:
- in the stipulated time period you submit an application for an extension of your long-term residence or visa, or an application for a new long-term residence permit for a different purpose and at the same time
- your biometric card or visa expires, and at the same time
- no final decision on your application has been made yet.
If your stay in the Czech Republic is based on the fiction of residence and you need to leave the Czech Republic, you may apply at a Ministry of the Interior office for a bridging visa, which serves as a certificate of your residence permit.
Example:
- Your residence permit is valid until 30th August 2023.
- You submit an extension application on 15th August 2023, and the Ministry initiates the administrative procedure.
- Your previous permit expires on 30th August 2023, and the Ministry issues a positive final decision on 15th September 2023.
- Between 30th August and 15th September, you are legally residing in the Czech Republic on the basis of the legal fiction of residence.
- If you need to travel during this time, you may request at the Ministry to place a bridging visa in your passport.