Czech Freelance Visa (Business / Živno Visa) – Complete 2025 Guide

Thinking about moving to the Czech Republic as a freelancer or running your own business here?
Then you’ve probably come across a few confusing names – Czech Business Visa, Freelance Visa, Self-Employed Visa, or Živno Visa. The good news is:

💡 They all refer to the same type of visa – a long-term visa based on business activity, granted to foreigners who register as freelancers (self-employed) under a Czech Trade License (Živnostenský list).

It’s one of the most common and flexible ways for non-EU citizens to live and work legally in Czechia. But it’s not automatic: you must prove that you genuinely intend to do business, not just use the visa to live here.

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What is the Czech Freelance Visa?

The Czech Freelance Visa (also called the Business Visa or Živno Visa) is a long-term visa issued for up to one year to people who plan to work in Czechia as independent freelancers. It usually issued by a Czech Embassy in a form of a visa sticker directly attached to your passport.

This type of visa is suitable for professions like (sorter from most likely to least likely to get approved):

• English teachers or other language tutors,

• IT specialists, consultants, and developers,

• Marketing, business, and finance professionals,

• Designers, photographers, artists.

Once granted, you can live in the Czech Republic for the validity of your visa and work for multiple clients – Czech or foreign – as long as you pay Czech taxes and social contributions. If you plan on staying longer than the first year, you can apply for a two year freelance residence permit.

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Who can apply for a Czech Freelance Visa?

 Czech freelance visa is generally available to all nationalities. It does not mean that it is easy to get for all nationalities and all business plans though. We cover this in the below parts of this guide.

Please mind that there are quotas at all Czech Embassies in Africa and at most Czech Embassies in Asia (other than Japan, South Korea and Taiwan) limiting the amount of people who can apply for the freelance visa every year. These quotas might make even submitting your freelance visa application close to impossible. Check the current quotas in the official list of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

If you already live in Czech Republic under another type of visa or residence permit (for example an employee card, family reunification, or student), you can always get a trade license (zivno) on top of your visa but switching to the business purpose of stay might not really be possible until you reach 5 years of legally residing in the Czech Republic.

The only two exceptions here are holders of the Job Seeker residence permit and family members of EU citizen who broke up/got divorced. Contact us if you are not sure about your particular situation.

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Key steps to get the Freelance Visa

The process consists of three main parts – registering as a freelancer (trade license), applying for the long-term visa based on that registration, and getting you registered with all subsequent authorities (tax office, social security office and income tax office) after the freelance visa approval.

Step 1: Register your Trade License (Živnost)

You need to apply for a Czech Trade License as one of the first steps in the process since the trade license is needed to book your visa submission appointment with a Czech Embassy. Trade License (“Živno”) is the official document confirming you can legally do business here. The process involves:

• Choosing the right business activity from the official list of trades,

• Getting proof of business address and clean criminal record from the country of origin,

• Submitting an application at the Trade Licensing Office,

• Paying the registration fee (1 000 CZK),

• Receiving your “inactive” trade license.

This registration must be done before you apply for your visa since it is one of the main requirements for the freelance visa, proving your intended purpose of stay.

The trade license process takes about a week and incudes at least two visits to the trade license office.

You only get an “inactive” trade license (without a valid business number – ICO) that allows your to apply for the Czech freelance visa but it does not allow you to conduct any business activities until you get the freelance visa approved and you activate your trade license.

 If you work with us, we take care of the whole trade license process (both before you apply for the freelance visa and after you get it approved) on your behalf, based on a Power of Attorney. That makes the process way more efficient and smoother.

Step 2: Apply for the Long-Term Visa based on Business

Once you have your Trade License and all other documents required for the freelance visa, you go submit your visa application to a Czech Embassy (outside the Czech Republic). Which Embassy you have to go to depends on your nationality.

 Most nationalities can only submit Czech visa applications through a Czech Embassy in the country of their origin or in a country where they have been legally residing for more than 2 years. This rule does not apply to the nationalities in this list of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Besides the trade license, you’ll need the following documents for the Czech freelance visa:

• Valid (for at least 1.5 more years) passport

• 2 passport sized photos

• Completed long-term visa application form

• Proof of accommodation in the Czech Republic,

• Proof of financial resources (bank balance confirmation – typically around 160 000 CZK minimum)

• Inactive Trade License

• Criminal record extract – from the country of origin and from all the countries where you have lived for more than 6 months in the last 3 years,

• Supportive documents explaining your business plan – see next section!

Your freelance visa documentation must complete and perfect. If you have anything missing or incorrect, the Embassy will refuse to accept your application. The freelance visa documentation must also be submitted in person (exceptions apply) since the Embassy officers will also conduct a detailed interview with you.

 They usually ask you about your previous freelancing history, motivation to move to Czech Republic, your business plan, Czech tax, social security and health care systems and other important topics.

Once the interview is completed, the embassy will forward your physical to the Czech Ministry of the Interior. Since the documents must be delivered to the MOI in the Czech Republic in person, count with 2-4 weeks delay when applying outside of Europe.

Step 3: Apply for the Long-Term Visa based on Business

Once the decision about your application is made, the Embassy where you submitted your application will let you know. You then have to buy a private Czech health insurance and go back to the Embassy to receive your visa sticker.

With that sticker, you have to go to the Foreign Police or the MOI to get registered so you can activate your trade license. After that, you have to get yourself registered with the tax office, social security office, health care office (where applies), get the data box set up and register for paying the TV and radio fees. See full freelance guide here.

If you work with us, we take care of all these registrations on your behalf so you can focus on making money instead of running to different offices for couple weeks 🙂

If your Czech freelance visa application is denied, the Embassy will also, at some point, provide a denial letter from the MOI stating the reasons for the denial. In 90% of cases (especially when people try to submit the visa application on their own), the reason for the denial is a week business plan.

Check the below section for more details.

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Proving your genuine business purpose

This is one of the most misunderstood parts of the freelance visa application in the Czech Republic. The Czech authorities don’t just want to see a filled-out form – they want proof that you truly intend to run a business in Czechia, not simply live here.

Depending on your nationality and your business plan, proving this can be relatively straightforward (say for Americans willing to teach English here as freelancers), or very complicated (any other business plan basically).

 There are two main things the MOI wants to see – that you must be here physically to run the business (i.e. the Czech freelance visa will not work for online businesses since they do not require you to be specifically in CZE) and that you have some ties to the Czech Republic (i.e. if you say you want to teach English here but do not have any clients yet, the visa might be denied since the MOI can see your intention to teach hear more as a dream than a plan).

Examples of what helps your case:

• Contracts or letters of intent to hire your services from Czech clients,

• Detailed description of your business plan (what you will be selling, for how much, who your clients will be, how you’ll work, your experience, revenue estimates etc.),

• Rented business space, website focused on your Czech clients.

All the previously mentioned documentation (i.e. application form, trade license, proof of accommodation) are just essential prerequisities to get your application even considered. What actually decides about the outcome of your application is the interview and these supportive documents.

At Move To Prague, we often help our clients present these correctly so that the Ministry clearly sees the legitimacy of their business.

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Processing time

Officially, the Ministry has up to 120 days to decide.

 In our daily practice, we have seen everything from 10 days to 6 months or longer. Partially, it depends on objective factors such as the season (there are high seasons in Czech immigration where all approvals take longer), or on the Embassy where you submit the application (for example if you apply in the US, your documents often take 2-4 weeks to reach the Czech Republic).

 Partially it is completely random and depends on personal efficiency of the particular decision maker dealing with your case, their understanding of your business plan and on the fact if they decide to go for holidays while working on your application.

How well is the application prepared plays a significant role in the approval process as well – the better you prepare the application (and yourself for the interview) the faster and easier the process can be.

Part of working with our clients is a mock-up interview where we ask you all the questions you can expect at the Embassy. It usually calms our clients down and makes them feel better prepared for the visa appointment.

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Freelance Visa vs Digital Nomad Visa

If you do not meet the general Czech freelance visa requirement to have some local Czech clients or a business plan tied to the Czech Republic, you might look into the Czech Digital Nomad Visa. That is at this point (end of 2025) the only long-term visa option in the Czech Republic that can be granted to people who do not have any ties to the Czech Republic since the Czech Republic does not officially offer any form of Retirement or Investment visa.

 We have written a detailed guide for the Czech Digital Nomad Visa (see the link in the previous paragraph) and we recommend going there to find about more about the specifics and see if that might be the right option for you.

 Let us just share the basic differences between the standard freelancer visa and the Digital Nomad version of it below.

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Common reasons for rejection of the Czech freelance visa

We have already discussed the most common reason for denials of the freelance visa in the Czech Republic – the weak or unrealistic business plan. People applying on their own often get denied based on these reasons:

• No using originals documents – Czech Republic is still pretty far from being an “electronic country”. All documents you submit must be originals (hard copies, wet ink signatures etc) – no simple copies, scans or printouts are accepted.

• Missing translations or apostilles – almost all official documents issued outside of the Czech Republic must be either apostilled or superlegalized, all submitted documents must be in Czech or officially translated into Czech.

• Dropping below the required amount of money – you should have the required 160 000 CZKin your account ideally during the whole processing time of your Czech freelance visa. The MOI often (for some nationalities) requests a fresher balance confirmation and if you drop below the minimum during the approval process, that can be a reason for denial.

• “Copy-paste” applications that don’t show real intent – this usually occurs when people rely on the information they get from ChatGpt, the internet generally or when using unexperienced visa advisers. The internet (and ChatGpt specifically) makes the process seem easy with 100% approval rate. Some advisers also still use advice that does not work anymore (i.e. set up an s.r.o. instead of the trade license, that will make your application stronger). We always recommend speaking with at least two advisors and asking them direct questions about their approval rates, number of cases they have successfully handled and changes in the processes during the past couple years. Their answers might tell you more about how experienced they really are.

Many people think they can submit a basic set of papers and get the visa automatically. Unfortunately, that’s rarely the case anymore.

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How long is the visa valid for?

The first visa is usually issued for 12 months (can be shortened based on some documents you submit), and can later be converted into a business residence permit from within Czechia. After five years of continuous residence, you may qualify for Permanent Residence Permit. After 5 years of the permanent residence permit, you can apply for Czech citizenship.

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Need help with your Czech Freelance Visa?

Since 2012, Move To Prague has helped thousands of freelancers and entrepreneurs start their lives and businesses in Czechia.
We know what each embassy expects, how to present your case convincingly, and how to avoid unnecessary delays.

📩 Contact Move To Prague today – we’ll make sure your freelance visa application is approved and your business starts smoothly.

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Freelance Visa Czech Republic – FAQs

What is the Czech Freelance Visa?
It’s a long-term visa for non-EU citizens who plan to live in Czechia and work as self-employed under a Trade License (Živnost).

Is the Business Visa, Freelance Visa, and Živno Visa the same thing?
Yes – these are just different names for the same long-term visa based on business activity.

Do I need Czech clients to get a Freelance Visa?
Usually yes – you must show a real business plan tying you to the Czech Republic.

How long does the Czech Freelance Visa take to get approved?
Typically 2–4 months, depending on your embassy and the completeness of your documents.

Can I bring my family on a Freelance Visa?
Yes, close family members (spouses, children) can generally join you under a family reunification visa.

Can I switch from a Student Visa or other residence type to a Freelance Visa?
That is generally not possible. You can potentially switch to a business residence permit after five years of living in the Czech Republic legally or if you fall under one of the two exceptions (applying from the Job Seeker residence permit, or from the Temporary Residence Permit being canceled).

Any questions? Get in touch and we’ll be happy to discuss your case.

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