In a move aimed at curbing abuse of its appointment slots and streamlining workflow, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Hanoi has announced that, from 1 November 2025, all bookings to submit long-term visa, long-term residence-permit, and permanent-residence applications must be made exclusively by e-mail. The new system, officially updated on 30 October 2025, replaces a patchwork of phone lines and in-person sign-ups that consular staff say had become unmanageable and vulnerable to fee-charging “fixers.”
Under the new rules, applicants will write to purpose-specific addresses (Studies, Employment, Family Reunification, Scientific Research, etc.). Each mailbox will automatically confirm receipt and assign appointments on a first-come, first-served basis once monthly quotas—set under Government Regulation 220/2019 on migration programmes—open. The embassy reiterated that it does not accept business-purpose long-term visa or employee-card filings outside the Key & Research Staff Programme, warning that anyone paying intermediaries for priority access is “wasting money” and gaining no advantage.
The embassy currently handles one of the world’s highest volumes of Czech long-term visa demand, especially from Vietnamese students and skilled-worker candidates. Consular officials told local chambers of commerce that fraudulent bookings had risen by double digits in 2025, with some brokers reselling slots for up to US$2,000.
For employers relocating talent to Czechia, the change means tighter planning: HR teams will have to gather complete paperwork before a limited booking window opens each month. Immigration advisers recommend building at least a six-week buffer and instructing applicants to monitor spam folders for automated confirmations, which must be printed and shown on the appointment day.
The email-only model mirrors similar changes recently introduced at Czech missions in Kyiv, Cairo, and Yerevan. If the Hanoi roll-out proves successful in cutting fraud and improving transparency, Prague’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expected to mandate the approach network-wide in early 2026.
Under the new rules, applicants will write to purpose-specific addresses (Studies, Employment, Family Reunification, Scientific Research, etc.). Each mailbox will automatically confirm receipt and assign appointments on a first-come, first-served basis once monthly quotas—set under Government Regulation 220/2019 on migration programmes—open. The embassy reiterated that it does not accept business-purpose long-term visa or employee-card filings outside the Key & Research Staff Programme, warning that anyone paying intermediaries for priority access is “wasting money” and gaining no advantage.
The embassy currently handles one of the world’s highest volumes of Czech long-term visa demand, especially from Vietnamese students and skilled-worker candidates. Consular officials told local chambers of commerce that fraudulent bookings had risen by double digits in 2025, with some brokers reselling slots for up to US$2,000.
For employers relocating talent to Czechia, the change means tighter planning: HR teams will have to gather complete paperwork before a limited booking window opens each month. Immigration advisers recommend building at least a six-week buffer and instructing applicants to monitor spam folders for automated confirmations, which must be printed and shown on the appointment day.
The email-only model mirrors similar changes recently introduced at Czech missions in Kyiv, Cairo, and Yerevan. If the Hanoi roll-out proves successful in cutting fraud and improving transparency, Prague’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expected to mandate the approach network-wide in early 2026.
