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EMBASSY/CONSULATE ADDRESSES

Diplomatic Representation in US:
Ambassador-designate to the U.S.--Petr Gandalovic
Embassy: 3900 Spring of Freedom St., NW, Washington, DC 20008
Telephone: 202-274-9100
FAX: 202-966-8540

US Diplomatic Representation:
Ambassador: designate--Norman Eisen
Embassy: Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1, Czech Republic
Telephone: 420-257-022-000

Consulates General are in:
Los Angeles
10990 Wilshire Bl., Suite 1100,
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 473-0889,
FAX (310) 473-9813

New York
1109-1111 Madison Av., 1st Floor,
New York, NY 10028
(212) 759-6078

Embassy and Consulate Web Sites for Czech Republic
Embassy of Czech Republic in Washington DC, U.S.A.
Embassy of the United States of America in Czech Republic


FOREIGN RELATIONS

U.S.-CZECH REPUBLIC RELATIONS

Czechoslovakia's communist regime fell in 1989, and the country split into two republics in 1993 -- the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. Although the U.S. Government encouraged political and economic transformation in Czechoslovakia, it was initially opposed to the idea of the country forming two separate states, due to concerns that a split might aggravate existing regional political tensions.

The United States established diplomatic relations with the Czech Republic in 1993, and the Czech Republic made integration into Western institutions its chief foreign policy objective. Relations between the United States and the Czech Republic are excellent and reflect their common approach to the many challenges facing the world. The Czech Republic is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU), and is an important and reliable ally in promoting U.S. interests. The two countries have worked together to strengthen security, promote economic development and democratic values, and defend basic human rights. The United States looks to the Czech Republic as a partner in issues ranging from Afghanistan to the Balkans, and seeks opportunities to continue to deepen the relationship.

U.S. Assistance to the Czech Republic

U.S. security assistance programs for the Czech Republic help secure the benefits of peace and stability for the Afghanistan region, and help support further participation by the Czech Republic in coalition operations alongside the United States in pursuit of mutual security interests and goals.

Bilateral Economic Relations

The Czech Republic is a member of the European Union. The U.S. economic relationship with the EU is the largest and most complex in the world, and the United States and the EU continue to pursue initiatives to create new opportunities for transatlantic commerce.

The United States and the Czech Republic have a bilateral investment treaty. Successive Czech governments have welcomed U.S. investment, and the United States has been one of the Czech Republic's top investors. Leading sectors for U.S. exports to and investment in the Czech Republic include automotive parts and equipment, education, energy, franchising, information technology, medical equipment, scientific equipment, EU-funded projects, and the agricultural sector. The Czech Republic participates in the Visa Waiver Program, which allows nationals of participating countries to travel to the United States for certain business or tourism purposes for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.

The Czech Republic's Membership in International Organizations

The Czech Republic and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization. The Czech Republic also is an observer to the Organization of American States.

Bilateral Representation

The U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic is Norman L. Eisen; other principal embassy officials are listed in the Department's Key Officers List.

The Czech Republic maintains an embassy in the United States at 3900 Spring of Freedom Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008; tel. (202) 274-9101.

More information about the Czech Republic is available from the Department of State and other sources, some of which are listed here:

Department of State Czech Republic Page
Department of State Key Officers List
CIA World Factbook Czech Republic Page
U.S. Embassy: Czech Republic
History of U.S. Relations With the Czech Republic
Human Rights Reports
International Religious Freedom Reports
Trafficking in Persons Reports
Narcotics Control Reports
Investment Climate Statements
U.S. Census Bureau Foreign Trade Statistics
Export.gov International Offices Page
Library of Congress Country Studies (see Czechoslovakia (Former))
Travel and Business Information





TRAVEL ADVISORIES

To obtain the latest Travel Advisory Information for Czech Republic check the U.S. State Department Consular Information Sheet.


TRAVEL TIPS

Driving U.S Driving Permit accepted
Currency (CZK) Czech Koruna
Electrical 230 Volts
Telephones Country Code 420, Praha 2+8D, Stredocesky 31+7D, Zlinsky 57+7D



Language
Apart from Czech language, which is the language of 98% of the population, Czechs are divided into three groups. The first one, the older generation – above 70 years old, speaks German, the middle group, people between 30 and 70 should be able to speak Russian as most of them studied it at school. Young people speak English. English is more and more popular among the older generations too – it's the language of business and trade and a lot of people attend language courses in order to catch up with the rest of the world.

Time Zone
Time in the Czech Republic is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. Daylight Saving Time begins in late March and ends in late September.

Post office
The main post office on Jindrisska 14 (the big orange building just off Wenceslas Square) is open 24 hours a day. It is large but quite easy to getaround in. A few tips:
Stamps, postcards and stationery are available at windows 22-26 and 36-39. Often only one or two of these windows are open at a time.
Faxes and telegrams can be sent from the room to the right of the entrance hall.
The telephone room is to the left of the entrance hall. You can make international calls by paying a deposit to one of the clerks, who will tell you which booth to enter.

Postal rates
Postcard to Europe: 6 Kc; to America, 7 Kc.
Basic air-mail letter rate to Europe: 8 Kc; to America, 10 Kc.


CUSTOMS/DUTIES

Tobacco................200 cigarettes (or corresponding quantity of tobacco products) liquor....................1 litre of spirits; 2 litres of wine (only half of the above mentioned quantities for stays of 2 days or less)

Perfume................50g of perfume or 250ml eau de toilette

Cameras...............should be declared on arrival

Film......................reasonable for personal use

Agriculture items....refer to consulate

Gifts......................up to a value of kc6000 (if over 15 years of age)

Note: the export of antiques is prohibited. firearms can be imported if accompanied by a firearms permit issued by a czech diplomatic mission abroad. in this case up to 1000 shot cartridges and 50 bullets can be imported free of duty.



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