Czech Republic

Czech Republic Investment Immigration Programs Overview

The Czech Republic launched a new investment visa in 2017, aimed at deep-pocketed investors with 75 million koruna (just over $3.6 million) to spend and a business idea capable of creating employment for at least 20 Czechs or other European Union citizens. That’s a much higher price tag than many other European business-investor visas — the equivalent German visa demands an investment of just 1 million euros ($1.2 million), for instance — and the program is hence best-suited to applicants who have specific reasons to relocate to the Czech Republic.

The Czech investment-visa program, which confers a renewable two-year residency permit, allows multiple investors to obtain visas through a single investment, and is potentially a more streamlined route to residency than the country’s existing business and employment visas.

How To Apply

Investment visa applicants can expect plenty of paperwork: each application must be accompanied by documentation including a full business plan, a risk assessment, growth projections, financial statements, and in some cases documentation of the project’s source of funds. The application process is relatively streamlined, however, with only nominal application fees, and officials say applications will be processed within 30 days.

Business visa applicants also face significant documentation requirements but can expect a longer 90-day to 120-day processing period and potentially additional scrutiny relative to investment-based applicants. Business applicants must also show proof of financial independence, and secure accommodation in the Czech Republic as part of their application process.

Mobility

The Czech Republic is a European Union member state, and also a member of the Schengen Area, so residents receive the ability to travel freely throughout the Schengen region.

As a residency-based program, the Czech investment visa does not confer mobility benefits beyond the Schengen Area. Still, successful applicants who subsequently obtain Czech citizenship will receive one of the world’s top passports, ranked 8th in the world, with visa-free travel to 170 nations.

Country

The Czech Republic is one of the European Union’s fastest-growing economies, with strong trade ties to neighboring countries, a well-developed industrial base, and an increasing focus on high-tech engineering and R&D. The country has a democratic political system often marred by factionalism; Prime Minister Andrej Babis, a populist billionaire carried to power amidst a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment in 2017, has so far struggled to establish a workable parliamentary majority. The capital city, Prague, is an iconic tourist destination renowned for its historic architecture, museums, and other cultural attractions.