After weeks of anticipation, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) officially retired the decade-old Visapoint booking system at midnight on 30 November 2025 and activated a new reservation portal early the next morning. The change affects thousands of foreign nationals who must schedule embassy appointments to lodge long-term visa or residence-permit applications.
Visapoint had long been criticised for opaque “first-click-wins” rules that encouraged the use of bots and middlemen. The MFA says the new platform offers captcha-protected log-ins, multilingual guidance (English, Czech, Ukrainian and Vietnamese) and a queue-number allocation that randomises appointment slots opened each week. Existing Visapoint bookings dated through 30 November remain valid; all appointments from 1 December onward must be made in the new system.
![Czech Foreign Ministry Switches Off “Visapoint,” Activates New Visa-Appointment Platform on 1 December]()
The launch did not go entirely smoothly. Several users in India and the Philippines reported time-outs and error messages during the first two hours, while the Czech Consulate in New York warned applicants on social media that quota slots for employee-card filings were exhausted within 15 minutes. The MFA, however, said the system handled 18,300 simultaneous log-ins without crashing and promised incremental upgrades over the next 14 days.
For employers, the switch has immediate implications. HR teams sponsoring assignees should clear browser caches, create new user profiles and familiarise themselves with the randomised queue mechanism, which may require more lead time to secure appointment dates. Companies with critical start-dates in Q1 2026 are advised to explore appointments in neighbouring consular posts, such as Vienna or Bratislava, where capacity is less constrained.
Mobility advisers also note that processing times may lengthen temporarily as embassy staff adjust to the new back-office interface. Applicants are urged to monitor e-mail closely; failure to confirm a slot within 24 hours will result in automatic cancellation. The MFA says it will publish a formal user manual later this week and holds open the possibility of adding a paid premium-service lane in 2026 if demand outstrips capacity.
Visapoint had long been criticised for opaque “first-click-wins” rules that encouraged the use of bots and middlemen. The MFA says the new platform offers captcha-protected log-ins, multilingual guidance (English, Czech, Ukrainian and Vietnamese) and a queue-number allocation that randomises appointment slots opened each week. Existing Visapoint bookings dated through 30 November remain valid; all appointments from 1 December onward must be made in the new system.
The launch did not go entirely smoothly. Several users in India and the Philippines reported time-outs and error messages during the first two hours, while the Czech Consulate in New York warned applicants on social media that quota slots for employee-card filings were exhausted within 15 minutes. The MFA, however, said the system handled 18,300 simultaneous log-ins without crashing and promised incremental upgrades over the next 14 days.
For employers, the switch has immediate implications. HR teams sponsoring assignees should clear browser caches, create new user profiles and familiarise themselves with the randomised queue mechanism, which may require more lead time to secure appointment dates. Companies with critical start-dates in Q1 2026 are advised to explore appointments in neighbouring consular posts, such as Vienna or Bratislava, where capacity is less constrained.
Mobility advisers also note that processing times may lengthen temporarily as embassy staff adjust to the new back-office interface. Applicants are urged to monitor e-mail closely; failure to confirm a slot within 24 hours will result in automatic cancellation. The MFA says it will publish a formal user manual later this week and holds open the possibility of adding a paid premium-service lane in 2026 if demand outstrips capacity.
