VisaApplicants in Iraq need European insurance for Czech Schengen visas
The Czech consulate in Erbil says it cannot accept Iraqi health insurance policies. Applicants should check the issuer, coverage and local appointment rules before submitting a short-stay visa application.
Official source date: 2026-11-02
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Check the insurer before buying a policy
The Czech Consulate General in Erbil’s insurance notice, updated on 24 July 2026, says it cannot accept Iraqi health insurance policies for Schengen visa applications. Applicants must instead provide Czech or European insurance meeting the required conditions. The notice was originally published in July 2025; this is a current application guide, rather than an announcement that the restriction began today.
The policy must cover every Schengen country throughout the intended stay, with at least EUR30,000 of cover, including medical emergencies and repatriation following death. It must be presented in Czech or English. The consulate lists several recognised providers as examples, not an exclusive list. Its statement that Iraqi providers are under review is not confirmation that a particular Iraqi policy has since been accepted. Seek clarification before relying on one.
Establish whether Erbil can accept your application
The consulate’s visa-services page explains that Iraqi citizens need a visa to visit Czechia. A short-stay visa covers visits up to 90 days; a longer stay requires the appropriate national visa or residence permission. The insurance notice should not be used as a substitute for the different requirements of a long-stay route.
Non-Iraqi applicants must establish local eligibility as well as visa nationality requirements. For Schengen applications, the consulate requires qualifying Iraqi residence permission held for at least one year, extending at least three months beyond the requested visa’s validity. Include a copy. The same services page says Baghdad’s Czech embassy receives applications only from diplomatic and service passport holders. Ordinary-passport applicants should therefore identify the correct office before arranging travel within Iraq.
Build evidence of the trip and ties to Iraq
The consulate’s Iraq-specific supporting-document list, published on 15 July 2026, asks for a national identity card and evidence of sufficient resources, such as signed and stamped bank statements covering at least six months. Where a host pays expenses, the host supplies financial evidence with the invitation. The practical issue is not merely having an invitation: the funding arrangement must be documented.
The list also asks for evidence of economic and personal ties in Iraq, a return flight booking and accommodation covering the stay. Tourism applicants provide an itinerary. Business visitors need additional evidence of the invitation, companies and employment. A child travelling with one guardian needs an original notarised consent from the non-travelling guardian; a child travelling without guardians also needs the specified consent. Use this list to identify the documents for the actual purpose and family situation.
Request an appointment early and attach the documents
The consulate’s appointment instructions recommend registering at least three months before travel. It will not schedule submission where the trip is less than 15 days after the visa application. That minimum is a scheduling restriction, not a promise that every decision takes 15 days.
Send the prescribed registration email to [email protected], with the passport name as the subject, identity and contact details, travel purpose and required attachments. Passport and purpose evidence must be attached as PDF or JPG files, with a maximum size of 4 MB; cloud links are not accepted. Individual registration is required except for accompanying minors. After the automated acknowledgement, wait for a reply rather than repeatedly resending. An appointment depends on a compliant request and available capacity.
Budget for the application fee, not a guaranteed visa
The Czech Foreign Ministry’s fee schedule lists a standard EUR90 Schengen application fee and EUR45 for children aged six to eleven; children younger than six are exempt. Other exemptions include qualifying EU-family cases and specified study or research travel. Check the category rather than assuming all family visits or students qualify.
Erbil’s local payment instructions specify cash in euros at submission. The ministry states that the fee pays for accepting the application and is not refunded after refusal. Insurance premiums and document costs are separate. The fee schedule establishes the consular charge; the local services page establishes how to pay it. Neither payment nor purchase of a compliant insurance policy establishes entitlement to a visa.
