Job Discussion Forums

[ScoreFromAugusta]

I am a USA citizen and want to move abroad to the Czech Republic. I'm interested in taking a TESOL course in Prague then finding job after. I realize staying over 90 days requires you to obtain a class D visa and it appears that the Czech Police themselves do a background check as part of the process. On a standard CORI background check, and when local police run my name, nothing appears. However, I requested an FBI check and one "possession of class D substance" shows (it was marijuana and I was a teenager). This was a case which happened 9 years ago just after my 18th birthday, and was dismissed in court.

Is anyone familiar with what kinds of standards are involved in this check the Czech police perform, and how stringent it's means are? I don't want to go and study hard and get my heart broken if I discover I can't get a visa.

I understand many get on the zivnotensky list as well, which the program says they can assist you in going through. Is this easier or more difficult?

Thank you!

[ScoreFromAugusta]

I realize the way I wrote this might not be clear. The Czech Police background check is for anything committed in their country which is of course of no issue.

A better questions is: Will they accept a state background check (in my case a CORI) or will they need an FBI one? In some cases like South Korea and the United Arab Emirates it is the case that the latter is required

[Czexpat]

I'm not familiar with the visa process but I can't imagine anything other than a conviction would be considered relevant here, though permission for a non-EU citizen to work has got more difficult, I understand.

And few people in this country would be outraged at you possessing marijuana.

[Czexpat]

[ScoreFromAugusta]

I have a friend who did this program and it seems legitimate.

A devlopment is that USA citizens do not supply a criminal check at all, and instead you sign an affidavit stating you have a clear criminal history. This presents a problem as one translation I've found has said "I hereby declare on my honor that I have not commited any crime out of the area of the Czech Republic which might be considered in the processing of my application...." where another I've found replaces the word "crime" with "felony". For the latter, I am fine as it was not a felony charge. But if what I am to sign IS the word "crime" then I enter a weird area. Wouldn't ANYBODY in position of having commited any crime say "nah it's not relevant that I did 'x'" ??

Anybody know what exactly they are looking for? I don't want to lie on one of these, but if I say "No I can't sign this" then they might just say I'm out of luck then. I'd almost rather just present them with my CORI background check but the woman the TESOL school works with has everyone sign these sheets.

Anybody have an idea how I can make this work?

[spiral78]

Possession of marijuana is not a crime in most civilized countries (including the CR) and your case was dismissed in court even in the US, right?

Just sign it. You have done nothing that Czech foreign police would think twice about - so don't bother to stir the pot (hehehe).

They are looking for people who have been convicted of violent crimes, crimes against children, and real drug criminals (not pot), and probably big-time thieves.

You're over-thinking this. It's really ok. A nine-year-old dismissed pot possession charge is not a conviction for anything at all; it clearly falls into the category of NOT impacting your application in any way.

[AGoodStory]