Entering the territory, border control

A person is entitled to enter the territory of the CR at border checkpoints, i.e. at points marked out at the external borders of the state, within the space of an international airport or within the space of an international train. When crossing the border, a person is obliged to submit himself/herself to the border control if required by the police. Documents which a person is obliged to submit depend on the country of origin on the one hand (obligation to submit visa or to enter the country visa-free), and on the length and purpose of his/her stay on the other hand. It can be concluded in principle that citizens of the EU, eventually citizens of other states with whom the CR signed an agreement on visa-free relations, submit a travel document at the border checkpoint. Foreigners coming from countries requiring visa are obliged to submit a valid visa, a document confirming that they have sufficient funds to cover their needs during their stay (cash, account statement, international credit card, invitation verified by police), a document confirming health insurance coverage (up to 30 000 euro as minimum), a document indicating that he/she is provided with lodging, eventually visa of a state which a foreigner wants to enter traveling via the territory of the CR. This obligation does not concern a citizen of the EU or his/her family member (see provisions of Articles 5 and 6 of The Residence of Aliens Act)

Basic terms and concepts

Documents proving that a person has sufficient funds to sustain himself/herself include:

acknowledgement by an employer of the income level in case that a person has a job and is employed         in the territory of the CR, letter of intent signed by a future employer indicating income level in case that a person will have an employment in the territory of the CR, confirmation of bank balance or a statement of an account opened in a financial institution operating in the territory of the CR or in the territory of another state held in the name of an applicant.

Subsistence minimum is defined by the Act on Subsistence Minimum. Subsistence minimum is a socially recognized minimum level of income which needs to be achieved to avoid the situation of material distress. It consists of an amount covering sustenance and other basic needs and an amount covering essential needs of the household (see www.mpsv.cz )

A new Act on Subsistence Minimum No.110/2006 of the Col. becomes effective as of January 1st, 2007.

Document evidencing that a person is provided with lodging includes:

-  document of title to an apartment or a house,

-  document evidencing the rightfulness of the use of an apartment (e.g.  lodging contract,

   lease or sublease contract), or

-  officially verified signature of an eligible person on a written document which indicates

   his/her consent  with the lodging of an alien,

-  abstract from the Land Register,

-  verified “Invitation Form”.