Schengen Visa (Tourism and Visiting Friends) in Czechia: real experience from chats
Short answer
Apply for a Schengen visa through Hungary by booking a longer stay there to satisfy main destination requirements, ensuring your hotel reservations remain active. Since the Czech Republic is not currently issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens, verify all embassy regulations and requirements for biometric passports before traveling.
From real experience
To obtain a Schengen visa for a short trip to the Czech Republic (2-3 days in autumn), with friends attending a concert: If you have a French Schengen visa, be aware of strict rules regarding the 'main destination' country and hotel cancellations in France and Italy.
An alternative is to apply through Hungary, but be prepared for their requirements like upfront hotel payments and potential cancellation policies. A recommended strategy is to book 4 days in Budapest and 3 days in Prague, ensuring the Budapest hotel booking is not canceled. When traveling within the Schengen area with a valid visa and biometric passport, border checks are minimal, focusing on passport validity and visa presence, though random checks may occur.
✓ 1 report from chats
To travel to Brno, Czech Republic, from Russia without a Schengen visa, consider obtaining one from neighboring countries.
Options mentioned include Hungary, Spain, and France. It's advisable to check visa application requirements and availability on forums like 'Vinsky Forum'. Ensure your passport is biometric and be aware of potential age restrictions for visa applications. Direct travel to Slovakia or Austria for visa purposes might be difficult as they reportedly do not issue tourist visas currently. Always verify the latest visa regulations and travel advisories.
✓ 1 report from chats
As of late 2022, Czech Republic generally does not issue visas to Russian citizens based on family invitations alone, unless the inviting relatives are EU citizens and can sponsor the applicant under specific EU freedom of movement rules.
Information on embassy websites suggesting otherwise may be outdated or misinterpreted. Always verify current visa regulations directly with the embassy or consulate.
✓ 1 report from chats
Hungary has issued one-year multiple-entry Schengen visas to frequent visitors after three previous short-term stays within a year.
While there have been recommendations against issuing certain types of visas, Hungary has recently granted annual multiple-entry visas to regular visitors. The policy may be subject to change, and future applications might be processed differently, potentially issuing visas based on specific travel dates rather than long-term validity.