I hope this is useful to you, I spent a lot of time collecting and researching as much as I could for my own visa application and I feel like posting it online is the best way for it to be of use to others.
First off, wow! You're looking at going abroad and you've decided to choose the Czech Republic! It's a very beautiful place full of history and wonderful cheese....and beer!
Now, what is the Youth Mobility Visa? It is essentially a working holiday visa that allows you to stay in the Czech Republic for up to 1 year. It is applicable to any Canadian citizen (and some other countries as well, but the details are different) between the age of 18 and 35 who wish to live and travel in the Czech Republic.
What do you need to apply?
It is a pretty straight forward visa application, however, it is a bit tricky because it's a) all in czech, and b) it's still not super well known so there's some contradicting information out there.
Essentially you will need the following:
1) A bank statement, signed/dated by your bank, with about $5,000. Or, proof of a return ticket, plus $4,000. (I had just under $5,000, and no tickets purchased) They say that you need to have a written statement saying you're able to access the funds abroad, but I didn't include that and was never asked for such a statement.
2) A passport that is valid for at least 3 months after your return from the Czech Republic. For example, I had a passport that was good for almost 2 more years, however, my application was to return to Canada in Septemeber of 2015, and my visa was to expire in June of 2015. I had to apply for a new passport, and write a short letter explaining why I needed a renewal so early.
3) 2 EUROPEAN passport sized pictures. Please make sure they are the right size, the Canadian standard is about a 1/2cm too big.
4) Photocopies of your debit card and credit cards. You can include a credit card statement as well to show your limit. I believe this can be used as part of your $5,000 total, but personally, it's better to have cash. Once you're abroad, paying for credit cards is annoying as hell. I didn't include my statements from my visa card and I was not asked for it.
5) A filled out application form for a long stay visa. PLUS a signed copy of a form saying you will make sure to get czech health insurance for your entire stay. DO NOT get regular travel insurance, you are wasting your money. PLUS, another form saying you intend to stay in the country mostly for vacation and with the possibility of getting employment. English versions are available on the embassy website so you know what you're signing, but you must fill out the Czech version.
6) Translated copies of everything that is not already in Czech. It does not have to be an official translation, so if you can find a nice Czech person who can translate it for you for a beer or two, that's fine. Don't spend a tonne of $$ doing so as there is a verification charge at the embassy anyways. It is about $16 a page.
7) ~$133** (the fee is converted from czech crowns, so don't be surprised if they email you saying it's not enough, check with the embassy for proper amount). Plus, $16 for every page that you had a translation for, so that they can validate that it's a correct translation. BS, I know. It's annoying, but it's almost better to send them too much money, and worry about getting it back than to have them delay your visa and wait while you send them more. It's weird, but you might want to add an extra $20 in there, and then they can send the extra back to you. Worst case you're out a few extra bucks, but the embassy doesn't delay your visa. (this fee changes constantly due to the currency exchange! Double check the embassy website)
8) 2 express post envelopes. 1 to ship everything it, and 1 that is a pre-paid return envelope with your address so you can get your passport back. Fold it up inside of the other one. Be sure to keep the carbon paper with the tracking info before you seal it up.
9) Approximately 2 months of time. My visa application took about 1 month, including the delay with me not sending enough money. However, they do reserve up to 2 months to process it. During this time you will not have your passport, keep this in mind if you want to cross-boarder shop or travel abroad during this time. This is why it is frowned upon for you to do this while abroad in the Czech Republic or otherwise. The embassy will not accept applications that do not come in Xpress post envelopes from a Canadian address, so you will need a friend who can be your go between to re-package any paperwork/passports if you want to apply from abroad.
Things to keep in mind:
1) Do not buy travel health insurance for your entire duration of your stay. Ex. BCAA Travel insurance for 1 year. You can do this, but there is a possibility that it will not be accepted for use with your visa. Essentially there was a law passed a while back that mandated that insurance for long stay visa (ie more than 90 days) must be comprehensive insurance and must be from a company registered with the Czech National Bank.
Essentially, the insurance must look like the same type of insurance that Czech nationals have (or like the insurance your province provides so you get free health care), but you gotta pay extra for it. It'll be a bit more expensive than a year of travel insurance, but worth the $$. You can either buy it from a Czech company with an online form (be aware they may/may not speak English) or buy it from the many companies here in the Czech Republic. There are a lot of visa services that could put you in touch with an English speaking company. Expect quotes of about $500-$1000 for your insurance. Try to go cheaper since they're pretty much all offering the same thing.
Personally, I bought travel health insurance for my first 60+ days as I came before my official long stay visa kicked in, and THEN bought the proper insurance for my visa with recommendations from others living abroad in the Czech Republic. I was able to get a really nice deal on health insurance.
2) When you arrive in the Czech Republic, your visa states that you must register with the Foreign Police within 3 days. However, if you don't have health insurance for your visa yet, or a permanent place to live, it's probably a waste of time. You also need to have your rental units owner sign a form stating that he/she is aware you (a non-Czech) are living there and that it's okay with them. Make sure it is the legal owner who is signing it, or the person who has power of attorney! There is a registry to check, but I'm not super familiar with it as I didn't need to confirm (a friend's dad was nice enough to rent me a room in his house). This form is only valid for a short period so make sure you get it signed just before you are ready to go to the Police.
3) The Foreign Police DO NOT SPEAK ANY ENGLISH for legal reas. If you have a friend who can come translate or someone who you want to pay to translate for you, that's probably a good idea. Generally you don't need to have someone there, since it's just them registering your info, but it might be helpful.
4) Bring more things than you think you will need to the Foreign Police. Bring your original paperwork that the embassy sent you (that paper that says you can work in the Czech Republic), bring all your health insurance info, bring your passport (duh!), bring the form your landlord/owner signed, bring your mum, etc. It's better to lug a few extra things than to have to go back again because you forgot something. When I went they looked at nothing aside from my health card, stamped my passport and charged me a fine ($75CAD) because I was super late (fair enough, I totally was). I think they're a little more lax about this in Prague, but I had the luck to go to Plzen, which meant they're sticklers cause it's not super busy. :/
5) If you're planning to teach English as a job (and you don't have experience/a certificate), there are a lot of TEFL courses here in Prague. Most of them are pretty amazing, but they are also expensive and book up very quickly. Through some crazy lucky I got into a class with only 2 weeks notice, but some classes fill up months in advance. Expect to pay about $2,000 for a course. I did a lot of looking and decided on The Language House, which I found was a really great course. It's tough as shit, but worth it. They also offered a whole 12 HOURS OF HANDS ON CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE. They are also fully accredited (you can use this certificate world wide and back in Canada to get a job). This is not to say other courses aren't good if they're not accredited, but if you're gonna spend $2K, I'd like to know I'm getting something at least semi-good. Plus, the hands on work really made me feel less nervous about teaching 'out in the real world'.
I'm sure there is more things I should write, but I think that this is enough for now. I hope this is helpful for at least 1 or 2 people! Feel free to comment with any questions. I'll be in the Czech Republic for a nice long while, I think.
March 2015 P.S.
Once you're here, and you decide you want to stay longer and get a trade license or something, there are lots of companies out there to help you for a price, or you can contact Inbaze, a non-profit that focuses on immigrants to Canada. They also offer free language lessons. Another non-profit to contact is ICPraha, they offer similar services.
Edit: March 2015 - some minor spelling and stuff. Added a few sentences here and there, nothing huge.
Edit: April 30, 2016 - to apply for the Zivnostensky list (trade license) you will need to get a name based criminal record check done shortly before you leave and then bring it with you. You will then go get it certified by the CZ government if you want to get the Zivno. It will also need to be officially translated into Czech. As of this month no embassy will issue these record checks anymore. You do not need this to work, but it can limit your employers if they demand it. Seriously though, in the CZ, where there's a will there's often a way.
First off, wow! You're looking at going abroad and you've decided to choose the Czech Republic! It's a very beautiful place full of history and wonderful cheese....and beer!
Now, what is the Youth Mobility Visa? It is essentially a working holiday visa that allows you to stay in the Czech Republic for up to 1 year. It is applicable to any Canadian citizen (and some other countries as well, but the details are different) between the age of 18 and 35 who wish to live and travel in the Czech Republic.
What do you need to apply?
It is a pretty straight forward visa application, however, it is a bit tricky because it's a) all in czech, and b) it's still not super well known so there's some contradicting information out there.
Essentially you will need the following:
1) A bank statement, signed/dated by your bank, with about $5,000. Or, proof of a return ticket, plus $4,000. (I had just under $5,000, and no tickets purchased) They say that you need to have a written statement saying you're able to access the funds abroad, but I didn't include that and was never asked for such a statement.
2) A passport that is valid for at least 3 months after your return from the Czech Republic. For example, I had a passport that was good for almost 2 more years, however, my application was to return to Canada in Septemeber of 2015, and my visa was to expire in June of 2015. I had to apply for a new passport, and write a short letter explaining why I needed a renewal so early.
3) 2 EUROPEAN passport sized pictures. Please make sure they are the right size, the Canadian standard is about a 1/2cm too big.
4) Photocopies of your debit card and credit cards. You can include a credit card statement as well to show your limit. I believe this can be used as part of your $5,000 total, but personally, it's better to have cash. Once you're abroad, paying for credit cards is annoying as hell. I didn't include my statements from my visa card and I was not asked for it.
5) A filled out application form for a long stay visa. PLUS a signed copy of a form saying you will make sure to get czech health insurance for your entire stay. DO NOT get regular travel insurance, you are wasting your money. PLUS, another form saying you intend to stay in the country mostly for vacation and with the possibility of getting employment. English versions are available on the embassy website so you know what you're signing, but you must fill out the Czech version.
6) Translated copies of everything that is not already in Czech. It does not have to be an official translation, so if you can find a nice Czech person who can translate it for you for a beer or two, that's fine. Don't spend a tonne of $$ doing so as there is a verification charge at the embassy anyways. It is about $16 a page.
7) ~$133** (the fee is converted from czech crowns, so don't be surprised if they email you saying it's not enough, check with the embassy for proper amount). Plus, $16 for every page that you had a translation for, so that they can validate that it's a correct translation. BS, I know. It's annoying, but it's almost better to send them too much money, and worry about getting it back than to have them delay your visa and wait while you send them more. It's weird, but you might want to add an extra $20 in there, and then they can send the extra back to you. Worst case you're out a few extra bucks, but the embassy doesn't delay your visa. (this fee changes constantly due to the currency exchange! Double check the embassy website)
8) 2 express post envelopes. 1 to ship everything it, and 1 that is a pre-paid return envelope with your address so you can get your passport back. Fold it up inside of the other one. Be sure to keep the carbon paper with the tracking info before you seal it up.
9) Approximately 2 months of time. My visa application took about 1 month, including the delay with me not sending enough money. However, they do reserve up to 2 months to process it. During this time you will not have your passport, keep this in mind if you want to cross-boarder shop or travel abroad during this time. This is why it is frowned upon for you to do this while abroad in the Czech Republic or otherwise. The embassy will not accept applications that do not come in Xpress post envelopes from a Canadian address, so you will need a friend who can be your go between to re-package any paperwork/passports if you want to apply from abroad.
Things to keep in mind:
1) Do not buy travel health insurance for your entire duration of your stay. Ex. BCAA Travel insurance for 1 year. You can do this, but there is a possibility that it will not be accepted for use with your visa. Essentially there was a law passed a while back that mandated that insurance for long stay visa (ie more than 90 days) must be comprehensive insurance and must be from a company registered with the Czech National Bank.
Essentially, the insurance must look like the same type of insurance that Czech nationals have (or like the insurance your province provides so you get free health care), but you gotta pay extra for it. It'll be a bit more expensive than a year of travel insurance, but worth the $$. You can either buy it from a Czech company with an online form (be aware they may/may not speak English) or buy it from the many companies here in the Czech Republic. There are a lot of visa services that could put you in touch with an English speaking company. Expect quotes of about $500-$1000 for your insurance. Try to go cheaper since they're pretty much all offering the same thing.
Personally, I bought travel health insurance for my first 60+ days as I came before my official long stay visa kicked in, and THEN bought the proper insurance for my visa with recommendations from others living abroad in the Czech Republic. I was able to get a really nice deal on health insurance.
2) When you arrive in the Czech Republic, your visa states that you must register with the Foreign Police within 3 days. However, if you don't have health insurance for your visa yet, or a permanent place to live, it's probably a waste of time. You also need to have your rental units owner sign a form stating that he/she is aware you (a non-Czech) are living there and that it's okay with them. Make sure it is the legal owner who is signing it, or the person who has power of attorney! There is a registry to check, but I'm not super familiar with it as I didn't need to confirm (a friend's dad was nice enough to rent me a room in his house). This form is only valid for a short period so make sure you get it signed just before you are ready to go to the Police.
3) The Foreign Police DO NOT SPEAK ANY ENGLISH for legal reas. If you have a friend who can come translate or someone who you want to pay to translate for you, that's probably a good idea. Generally you don't need to have someone there, since it's just them registering your info, but it might be helpful.
4) Bring more things than you think you will need to the Foreign Police. Bring your original paperwork that the embassy sent you (that paper that says you can work in the Czech Republic), bring all your health insurance info, bring your passport (duh!), bring the form your landlord/owner signed, bring your mum, etc. It's better to lug a few extra things than to have to go back again because you forgot something. When I went they looked at nothing aside from my health card, stamped my passport and charged me a fine ($75CAD) because I was super late (fair enough, I totally was). I think they're a little more lax about this in Prague, but I had the luck to go to Plzen, which meant they're sticklers cause it's not super busy. :/
5) If you're planning to teach English as a job (and you don't have experience/a certificate), there are a lot of TEFL courses here in Prague. Most of them are pretty amazing, but they are also expensive and book up very quickly. Through some crazy lucky I got into a class with only 2 weeks notice, but some classes fill up months in advance. Expect to pay about $2,000 for a course. I did a lot of looking and decided on The Language House, which I found was a really great course. It's tough as shit, but worth it. They also offered a whole 12 HOURS OF HANDS ON CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE. They are also fully accredited (you can use this certificate world wide and back in Canada to get a job). This is not to say other courses aren't good if they're not accredited, but if you're gonna spend $2K, I'd like to know I'm getting something at least semi-good. Plus, the hands on work really made me feel less nervous about teaching 'out in the real world'.
I'm sure there is more things I should write, but I think that this is enough for now. I hope this is helpful for at least 1 or 2 people! Feel free to comment with any questions. I'll be in the Czech Republic for a nice long while, I think.
March 2015 P.S.
Once you're here, and you decide you want to stay longer and get a trade license or something, there are lots of companies out there to help you for a price, or you can contact Inbaze, a non-profit that focuses on immigrants to Canada. They also offer free language lessons. Another non-profit to contact is ICPraha, they offer similar services.
Edit: March 2015 - some minor spelling and stuff. Added a few sentences here and there, nothing huge.
Edit: April 30, 2016 - to apply for the Zivnostensky list (trade license) you will need to get a name based criminal record check done shortly before you leave and then bring it with you. You will then go get it certified by the CZ government if you want to get the Zivno. It will also need to be officially translated into Czech. As of this month no embassy will issue these record checks anymore. You do not need this to work, but it can limit your employers if they demand it. Seriously though, in the CZ, where there's a will there's often a way.
