The Youth Work and Holidays Programme started on 1 March 2018. As of this date, Australian nationals may apply for a long-term visa to facilitate their experience of the Czech Republic.

GENERAL CONDITIONS OF ELIGIBILITY

The participation in the Programme is open to Australian nationals under the following conditions:

(a) The applicant is a citizen of Australia;

(b) The applicant intends to holiday in the Czech Republic, with employment being only an incidental reason for the visit;

(c) The applicant is, on the date the application is received by the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Sydney (“the Consulate General”), between the age of eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26) years, both inclusive;

(d) The applicant will not be accompanied by dependent persons;

(e) The applicant possesses an ordinary passport with a validity period at least three (3) months longer than the anticipated length of the visit;

(f) The applicant possesses sufficient funds to cover the costs related to his/her stay in the Czech Republic;

(g) The applicant complies with all health requirements for entry in the Czech Republic in accordance with the national legislation of the Czech Republic;

(h) The applicant presents a proof of health insurance coverage as required by the national legislation of the Czech Republic;

(i) The applicant presents a declaration in writing that he/she has no record of criminal convictions;

(j) The applicant presents proof of having made arrangements for his/her accommodation for the duration of his/her stay in the Czech Republic; and

(k) The applicant pays the visa application fee as required by the national legislation of the Czech Republic.

Participation in the Programme is subject to the applicable laws of the Czech Republic regarding the entry and stay of foreigners and is limited to twelve (12) months from the date of issuance of visa and will not be extended or repeated by the same person. The maximum number (quota) of participants in the Programme in a calendar year is five hundred (500). Applicants can enquire as to whether or not the quota has been reached by contacting the Consulate General.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications for the visa are to be submitted only to the Consulate General and in person (submission by mail is possible only in exceptional, justified cases upon discretion of the Consulate General; in such a case the Consulate General may nevertheless insist on personal attendance for an interview). Should applicants who filed their application by mail wish that their passport is mailed back to them while their application is pending approval, they must provide for this purpose a self-addressed (addresses in Australia only) prepaid envelope.

An application for the visa must be submitted on the appropriate visa application form (completely filled in and signed by the applicant him/herself) and accompanied by the following documents:

1. An Australian passport with validity at least three (3) months longer than the expected duration of stay;

2. Two (2) identical photographs (35 x 45 mm, one glued to the application form, the other containing your legibly printed/typed family name on the back of the photograph);

3. Proof that you have sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay in the Czech Republic (in the form of a current bank statement, letter from a financial institution and proof that you would be able to withdraw these funds while in the Czech Republic, such as a copy of an internationally recognized credit/debit card); the required amount varies depending of the length of intended stay (in 2018, in case of a stay for 12 month, the amount is 81 400 CZK, i. e. approximately 4 858 AUD; the amount may change depending on the current amount of subsistence income);

4. Proof that you hold travel medical insurance or declaration to arrange for health insurance prior to the entry into the Czech Republic; proof of holding travel medical insurance must be presented at the latest when the visa, if approved, is affixed to your passport; the insurance must cover the entire period of your intended stay in the Czech Republic (during the validity of the visa plus non-cumulative period of stay before or after the validity of the visa) and must cover the costs of emergency medical care, including medical evacuation or, in the event of death, repatriation of remains; the insurance policy must not exclude coverage for injuries and damage caused by fault or contributory fault, and injuries and damage caused by consumption of alcohol, narcotic and psychotropic substances; travel medical insurance may be purchased (a) from an insurance company licensed to sell such insurance in the Czech Republic (a list of such insurance companies is maintained by the Czech National Bank), or (b) from an insurance company licensed to sell such insurance in any Member State of the European Union or in any Contracting Party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, (c) or from an insurance company licensed to sell such insurance in Australia; if the insurance is obtained from a company under (a) or (b), the proof of holding travel medical insurance must be accompanied by a certified Czech translations of the insurance policy and of the general insurance terms and conditions, proving the existence of the travel medical insurance, the scope of coverage, the amount of coverage (at least 60 000 EUR, i. e. approximately 91 449 AUD), and proving that there is no coinsurance or copayment;

5. A signed declaration that you have not been convicted of a crime in Australia;

6. A document proving ownership of a flat or a house in the Czech Republic or a document proving conclusion of a rental agreement, sub-letting contract, accommodation agreement or an agreement with similar content or a written confirmation of an owner or authorised user of a flat or a house in the Czech Republic consenting to his/her accommodation for the duration of his/her stay in the Czech Republic; for further information on acceptable documents, see the webpage of the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic;

7. Visa fee (see rates); the fee can be paid to the Consulate General in cash, money order or bank cheque.

Important notes:

- In the visa application form, answer question No. 28 (Purpose of stay) by ticking “Other” and filling in “Working Holiday – Australia” under “Specify”.

- All documents must be presented as originals or authenticated copies. Scans/simple photocopies are not sufficient.

- All statements and declarations (counts 3 through 6 above) must be submitted in Czech language or accompanied by translation into the Czech language. Please, note that due to the specifics of the Czech language automated computer translators usually yield very poor results and, therefore, will usually not be acceptable).

- A bank statement proving sufficient funds (count 3 above) may be printed on the bank’s letterhead, signed and stamped by the bank’s representative, stating (for example) that: “Mr./Ms. X has been the client of our bank since ......... and his/her accounts are in good standing. The balance on his checking/savings account No. ......... as of today’s date is ......... AUD. He/she is a holder of a Visa/Mastercard/......... credit/debit card that will allow him/her the access to his/her funds from the territory of the Czech Republic.” A copy of the front page of the credit/debit card (the card number does not need to be visible) has to be enclosed as well.

- Certification and authentication of documents may require payment of additional fees. Obtaining an Employment Permit (see below) will require payment of additional fees as well.

- With the exception of the passport, documents submitted in support of a visa application (enclosures to the visa application form) must not be older than 180 days.

- Please, include your contact details (phone number, e-mail, etc.) and indicate how your passport is to be returned to you. The Consulate General cannot be held responsible for loss of any documents sent by mail.

- Processing time may be up to 60 days. Officials of the Consulate General have no means of expediting the process and there is no emergency service for expedited processing.

Living and Working in the Czech Republic

Australian nationals living in the Czech Republic are subject to the national laws and regulations of the Czech Republic, including legislation concerning the entry and stay of foreigners and legislation concerning employment of foreigners.

Participants in the Programme may be employed in the Czech Republic only if they obtain an Employment Permit. An Employment Permit is issued for a specific position. Application for an Employment Permit has to be addressed and submitted to the regional office of the Public Employment Service in the region where the participant is to be employed (form available online). An application has to be accompanied by a fixed-term employment contract (“pracovní smlouva na dobu určitou”), a fixed-term contract on work activity (“dohoda o pracovní činnosti na dobu určitou”) or a preliminary contract (“smlouva o smlouvě budoucí”) in which the parties undertake, within a fixed term, to enter into a fixed-term employment contract or a fixed-term contract to perform work; it has to be clear from any such contract that the monthly wage, salary or pay will not be lower that the legal minimum pay as required by the national legislation of the Czech Republic; in 2018, the legal minimum monthly pay is 12 200 CZK (approximately 728 AUD).

For further information, see the webpage of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic .

The length of study or training of participants in the Programme must not exceed four (4) months.

Participants in the Programme are advised that if they obtain income during their stay in the Czech Republic exceeding 15 000 CZK (approximately 895 AUD), they must file a tax report and pay income tax in accordance with applicable laws of the Czech Republic.