The Czech Republic Introduces Open-Ended Visa Ban Against Belarusians

Nevertheless, there are exceptions.

The Czech government extended the ban on issuing visas to citizens of Belarus imposed after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, which expired on March 31, 2024.

This was reported to journalists by the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala, denik.cz reports.

Petr Fiala noted that the Czech Republic, due to the invasion of Ukraine, will keep its policy of banning visas and residence permits for citizens of Belarus and Russia.

The government extended the ban on the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, which proposed to make it indefinite.

According to Fiala, the Czech Republic will, among other things, create conditions for the entry and stay in the country of "representatives of the opposition and students who do not want to have anything to do with the regimes of Belarus and Russia."

After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the Czech government cancelled the issuance of visas to Belarusians, as well as to Russians, except for humanitarian reasons. In June 2022, the Czech Republic stopped issuing not only visas, but also residence permits to citizens of Belarus and Russia, the ban was introduced until the end of March 2023. After that, it was extended for another year.

At the same time, a visa or residence permit can also be issued to those who constitute interest for the Czech Republic, but in this case, the Minister of Foreign Affairs must justify it. In addition, the decision does not apply to obtaining a residence permit if the applicant is a family member of a foreigner who has a residence permit in the Czech Republic. The ban also does not apply to Belarusians applying for a residence permit to study at a university based on scholarships provided by the Czech Republic, the European Union or international organizations.