The Embassy of the Czech Republic in Dublin has published its latest schedule for booking Schengen and long-stay visa appointments, confirming four email ‘lottery’ windows in January, the most recent of which opened on 21 January for interview slots on 4 February. Under the embassy’s system, applicants must send a compliant email request during a six-hour period; requests are then randomly selected for appointments, a process designed to curb queuing and agent manipulation.
The Czech mission has one of the busiest Schengen desks in Ireland because Czech-registered multinationals in technology and pharmaceuticals increasingly post employees to Dublin and back again for training, while Irish companies send technicians to Czech plants. Mobility advisers report that the embassy typically receives three times more requests than it can handle at each window, with rejection automatically triggering a 30-day black-out for duplicate applications.
Business-immigration specialists are urging employers to plan assignments at least eight weeks in advance and to ensure that email requests comply precisely with the embassy’s formatting rules (subject line, passport scans, planned travel dates and proof of Irish residence). Incomplete submissions are discarded without appeal. Travellers should also note that appointments are only granted for trips at least 15 days after the interview date—effectively pushing earliest travel to late February for those securing the 4 February slot.
![Czech Embassy in Dublin releases January visa-appointment windows as demand from Ireland surges]()
Irish passport holders do not require a Schengen visa, but the appointment rush affects the large community of non-EU employees on Irish work permits who need visas for short-term business travel inside Europe. Failure to secure a timely slot can delay client meetings, plant installations and revenue-generating work.
For applicants who would rather avoid the stressful race for slots, VisaHQ’s Ireland portal offers a managed service that pre-checks documents against Czech Embassy requirements, tracks upcoming release windows and submits on your behalf as soon as the lottery opens, greatly improving the odds of success. Companies can learn more at https://www.visahq.com/ireland/.
The embassy has not indicated whether it will move to an outsourced visa-centre model, but Czech missions in London and Kyiv have recently expanded capacity through external providers, raising hopes that Dublin may follow later in 2026.
The Czech mission has one of the busiest Schengen desks in Ireland because Czech-registered multinationals in technology and pharmaceuticals increasingly post employees to Dublin and back again for training, while Irish companies send technicians to Czech plants. Mobility advisers report that the embassy typically receives three times more requests than it can handle at each window, with rejection automatically triggering a 30-day black-out for duplicate applications.
Business-immigration specialists are urging employers to plan assignments at least eight weeks in advance and to ensure that email requests comply precisely with the embassy’s formatting rules (subject line, passport scans, planned travel dates and proof of Irish residence). Incomplete submissions are discarded without appeal. Travellers should also note that appointments are only granted for trips at least 15 days after the interview date—effectively pushing earliest travel to late February for those securing the 4 February slot.
Irish passport holders do not require a Schengen visa, but the appointment rush affects the large community of non-EU employees on Irish work permits who need visas for short-term business travel inside Europe. Failure to secure a timely slot can delay client meetings, plant installations and revenue-generating work.
For applicants who would rather avoid the stressful race for slots, VisaHQ’s Ireland portal offers a managed service that pre-checks documents against Czech Embassy requirements, tracks upcoming release windows and submits on your behalf as soon as the lottery opens, greatly improving the odds of success. Companies can learn more at https://www.visahq.com/ireland/.
The embassy has not indicated whether it will move to an outsourced visa-centre model, but Czech missions in London and Kyiv have recently expanded capacity through external providers, raising hopes that Dublin may follow later in 2026.
