Filipino nationals heading to the Czech Republic face a new ₱1,250 (EUR 20) non-refundable charge when they reserve a Schengen-visa appointment through VFS Global. In an update posted at 08:00 on 22 October 2025, the Czech Embassy in Manila confirmed that the fee—introduced on 1 July—will remain in place and that walk-in slots are no longer available.
The post clarifies that only bookings made via the VFS website for Manila or Cebu centres will be honoured; applicants who attempt to bypass the system by emailing the embassy directly will be rejected. Visa officers say the measure has already cut no-shows by 40 per cent and reduced lead times for business-travel applicants to an average of 15 calendar days.
Family members of Czech or Slovak nationals can still email the embassy for priority slots, but they must attach scanned proof of relation. The embassy warns that VFS desks stop accepting applications on the last business day of each month, a detail many corporate travellers overlook when scheduling urgent trips.
Czech employers with operations in the Philippines are advised to factor the booking fee into relocation budgets and to remind assignees that biometric capture is mandatory for every application, even for repeat travellers.
The embassy says further changes may follow once the EU Entry/Exit System stabilises, as biometric data captured for visas will eventually integrate with the new border-management platform.
The post clarifies that only bookings made via the VFS website for Manila or Cebu centres will be honoured; applicants who attempt to bypass the system by emailing the embassy directly will be rejected. Visa officers say the measure has already cut no-shows by 40 per cent and reduced lead times for business-travel applicants to an average of 15 calendar days.
Family members of Czech or Slovak nationals can still email the embassy for priority slots, but they must attach scanned proof of relation. The embassy warns that VFS desks stop accepting applications on the last business day of each month, a detail many corporate travellers overlook when scheduling urgent trips.
Czech employers with operations in the Philippines are advised to factor the booking fee into relocation budgets and to remind assignees that biometric capture is mandatory for every application, even for repeat travellers.
The embassy says further changes may follow once the EU Entry/Exit System stabilises, as biometric data captured for visas will eventually integrate with the new border-management platform.
