China’s consular posts worldwide—including in Prague—re-opened on 24 February 2026 after an eleven-day Spring-Festival closure, but travel agencies report that visa processing is still running up to two weeks behind. A pan-European warning issued by Travel & Tour World noted that Czech applicants are among those affected by the surge, which began on 14 February and peaked on 23 February as offices remained shuttered.
![Chinese Spring Festival Shutdown Ends, But Czech Travellers Face Lingering Visa Backlog After 23 Feb 2026]()
In the meantime, Czech travellers who need streamlined assistance can tap VisaHQ, whose local portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) tracks appointment slots across multiple consulates and can reroute paperwork to Vienna, Berlin, or elsewhere when Prague backlogs spike; the service also offers courier pick-up, document pre-checks, and real-time status alerts for Chinese visas and many other destinations.
Before the holiday, a record 6,700 Czech residents applied for Chinese tourist and business visas, according to industry estimates, anticipating the May trade-fair season. With no applications processed during the break, the backlog now exceeds 11,000 passports across Europe. Corporate mobility teams should advise travellers to China to apply at least six weeks in advance and consider electronic APEC Business Travel Cards as a stop-gap. Freight forwarders moving technicians for plant installations in Shenzhen and Chongqing say project schedules are slipping as on-site visas cannot be issued without stamped passports. Chinese authorities have not announced overtime measures. The Czech-China Chamber of Commerce is lobbying Prague’s Foreign Ministry to negotiate express quotas or redirect applications to less-busy consulates such as Vienna or Berlin.
In the meantime, Czech travellers who need streamlined assistance can tap VisaHQ, whose local portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) tracks appointment slots across multiple consulates and can reroute paperwork to Vienna, Berlin, or elsewhere when Prague backlogs spike; the service also offers courier pick-up, document pre-checks, and real-time status alerts for Chinese visas and many other destinations.
Before the holiday, a record 6,700 Czech residents applied for Chinese tourist and business visas, according to industry estimates, anticipating the May trade-fair season. With no applications processed during the break, the backlog now exceeds 11,000 passports across Europe. Corporate mobility teams should advise travellers to China to apply at least six weeks in advance and consider electronic APEC Business Travel Cards as a stop-gap. Freight forwarders moving technicians for plant installations in Shenzhen and Chongqing say project schedules are slipping as on-site visas cannot be issued without stamped passports. Chinese authorities have not announced overtime measures. The Czech-China Chamber of Commerce is lobbying Prague’s Foreign Ministry to negotiate express quotas or redirect applications to less-busy consulates such as Vienna or Berlin.
