Getting Married in Prague - Step 6

Foreigners' Police Visa Validity Confirmation




What is it and why do I need it?

This document states that you are in the Czech Republic legally.



Note: The tourist visa (entry stamp) on your passport must be printed clearly, because this is what the Foreigners' Police use as proof. Also, this document can't be more than five days old when you go to the town hall (Step 7).




Cost

15 CZK in kolky. Buy these in advance, from a post office or newsagent - for some reason, the Foreigners' Police can't legally sell them.




How and where do I get it?

Go to the regional Foreigners' Police headquarters at Olšanská 2 in Žižkov. Get there as early as you can - this place is a nightmare.



Tickets are handed out at the beginning of every hour, and clerks sometimes take a three-hour break in the middle of the day, meaning no new tickets - you'll have to go home and try another day.



The insane and immediate crowding when tickets are handed out is the hardest part to handle. Keep your Czech buddy close at hand so they can ask for the correct type of ticket - it should refer to matrika (registry) or svatba (wedding).



Also, watch out for pickpockets. There are plenty of jerks waiting to jam into the moshpit and start robbing.



Luckily, not many people come here for marriage-related paperwork. I almost wet myself with joy when, 20 minutes after getting my ticket, my number was up. Pretty much everyone else is here for residency permits.



But the bureaucracy is strong in this one, young Skywalker, and you don't know what might happen here.



We made some cute jokes about my horrendous passport photo and that lightened the mood. Just be sure to have all your documents and the kolky, and you should be fine.



Going to this office for anything else, however, is an unfortunate necessity.




Difficulty Rating

8 out of 10

(1 = Easy; 10 = Hair-Pulling Devilry)




Now here comes the big one...