Published on November 16, 2011
Functionality of the Visapoint system
As part of several cases the ombudsman found that for certain destinations (the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam) the Visapoint system does not allow users to register to submit applications for long-term visas or short-term/permanent residency.
On the basis of these cases, from 1 April 2011 the ombudsman began to continuously monitor the functionality of the Visapoint system.
It is essential that the Visapoint system works properly as the Czech embassies de facto reject applications for long-term or permanent residency if such applications are not filed through Visapoint. Although this requirement has no legal basis (a fact the ombudsman has drawn to the attention of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and has asked him to rectify the matter), it is crucial that until the matter is rectified, applicants are able to submit their applications. It was also found that, for example, the Visapoint registration in Lvov ceased to function on 21 March 2011 (originally for 7-10 days) and, during a check carried out on 1 April 2011, it was found that the Ukraine did not appear at all in Visapoint. This situation is particularly alarming as regards applications for long-term stays for the purpose of studying or bring families together, and is also in contravention of European Union guidelines. Therefore, the ombudsman decided to inform the Chamber of Deputies about his findings.