Czech Zivno Visa (Freelance Visa) – How to Apply & Renew in 2025

If you’re a non-EU citizen moving to the Czech Republic to find self-employment, you probably have heard that you will need to acquire a  long term visa. This type of visa is very common for people moving to the Czech Republic, but it can be quite confusing for people who aren’t familiar with the application process.

The long term visa is commonly referred to as a Czech freelancer visa or Zivno visa. Typically, before you apply for your long term visa, you apply for and receive your work permit. In Czech, this work permit is called a  Zivnotensky list, hence the name “Zivno visa.”  Both of these terms, freelance visa, and Zivno visa mean the same thing.

The official, legal name is a Czech long term business visa, and the purpose of stay is classified as “business.” This means that you are living in the Czech Republic to work on a freelance basis, and have a freelance work permit, which is also known as a Zivno.

The Zivno visa is very common for TEFL trainees and English teachers from the US and other countries. Having this type of visa means that you invoice your employers each month, and are not a full-time employee for one company.

To apply for Czech Zivno( freelancer visa) visit the Czech Embassy of your residency.

Required documents:

1. Valid Passport.

2. Rent Contract or Proof of accommodation form.

3. 2 ID-size photos. Size 3.5 cm x 4.5 cm.

4. Criminal Clearance report( Affidavit for US citizens)

5. Purpose of stay document which is your trade license.

6. Proof of fund which can be a Bank Statement

7. Czech long term-visa application form.

8. Comprehensive Health Insurance( after the visa approval).

NOTE: The first Zivno visa can be issued for up to 365 days, which is the maximum period for this visa. Please note that your visa might be issued for a shorter period due to the duration of your accommodation document.

If you want to get the visa for the maximum period, you should negotiate and arrange with your landlord for proof of accommodation for an unlimited period.

You can also apply to Zivno( Freelance) visa at any Czech embassy if you qualify.

The Czech trade license, which you use to apply for your visa, doesn’t have the tax and business registration number, because it is completed in the following two steps:

1. Register for your Czech trade license for foreigners who don’t have a visa yet. Your trade license will be technically registered, but not activated until your Czech visa is approved. Zivno offices will register your trade license without a tax number, and you then have 180 days to get your visa.

You cannot legally invoice others for your services before your trade license is activated — which happens after your visa is approved.

2. When your visa is approved and you collect your visa, you must provide a copy of your visa to the Czech Zivno office within three days.  After that, your Zivno is activated and you can start working legally and invoicing your employers.

After your Trade license( zivno) is activated, you should get registered with Income tax, Health Insurance, and Social Tax and start paying your monthly contributions. You can check your first-year business financial obligations here

The Zivnostensky list expires when your visa expires. So, it is important to extend both your visa and trade license before they expire.  The first Zivno visa is valid for up to 12 months,  after which it can be extended for another 24 months. When you apply for your visa extension, you don’t need to go back to a Czech embassy. Visa extensions are completed in the Czech Republic at the Ministry of the Interior.

To extend your visa beyond one year, you cannot use the same bank letter you submitted for the initial visa approval. You must meet the required income minimum to fulfill the Ministry's conditions. For an extension of your zivno visa, you should provide documents related to your previous year's income tax and indebtedness confirmations from all government organizations.

You should also double-check if your Net income meets the requirements of proof of income for zivno visa renewal before using the tax method 60/40. The requirement of the proof of funds for visa renewal for 2025/2026 can be found here.

To avoid any issues with your visa and residency status, be sure to extend your Zivno as well as your visa and residency. If you don’t extend your trade license after your visa extension is approved and collect your biometric card, then your visa would be canceled, because you don’t have an active trade license.