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Birth of a Child

Once a foreigner gives birth to a child, the maternity hospital reports the birth to the local civil registry office. The civil registry office issues a document called a birth certificate for the child. The birth certificate is not a residence permit.

Download bilingual communication cards from the Prague Is Our Home microsite focused on the recognition of education. These cards will make communication with authorities and institutions easier. They contain commonly used phrases and a glossary of important terms in the following language combinations: English-Czech, Ukrainian-Czech, Russian-Czech, and Vietnamese-Czech.

Residence permit for a foreign national child born in the territory of the CR

If you plan to stay in the CR for more than 60 days after the child’s birth, you need to apply for a residence permit for your child within 60 days from the birth.

A foreign national child is granted the same type of residence permit (short-term visa, long-term visa, long-term residence, permanent residence) as their parent living in the same household. If each of the parents has a different type of residence, their child may be granted either of the two, based on the parent’s decision.

We recommend that you apply for the more advantageous residence permit. If, for example, one of the parents has a long-term residence permit and the other one has permanent residence permit in the CR, it is better for them to apply for permanent residence for their child.

If the child is a citizen of the European Union or a family member of an EU citizen, it is not necessary to apply for residence permit on behalf of the child. It is up to you, whether you apply for a Certificate of temporary residence of an EU citizen (providing that the child remains in the territory of the CR for more than 3 months after the birth) or for the permanent residence permit (providing that the child’s parent has also been granted permanent residence). The advantage of applying for permanent residence within 60 days from the child’s birth is that the child is automatically enrolled in the public health insurance system from the moment of birth.

If one of the parents is a Czech citizen, the child automatically acquires citizenship of the Czech Republic. There is no need to apply for it.

Health Insurance – Pregnancy, Childbirth, Child

If you are a foreign national who is an EU citizen and work or run a business in the Czech Republic, or if you have permanent residence here, public health insurance will cover your care during pregnancy, childbirth, and after birth. Check whether you fall into this group. If you do, your child will also be covered by the public health insurance system after birth, but only if you apply for a residence permit for the child within 60 days (see above).

Zdravotní péči během těhotenství, při porodu a poporodní péči má hrazenou z veřejného pojištění zejména žena cizinka, která je občankou EU (a je zde zaměstnána či podniká výhradně na území ČR), nebo která má uděleno povolení k trvalému pobytu v ČR a další. Ověřte si, zda do této skupiny spadáte. Pokud ano, vaše dítě bude po narození rovněž spadat do systému veřejného zdravotního pojištění, avšak pouze za předpokladu, že pro něj do 60 dnů od narození požádáte o povolení k pobytu (viz výše). 

If you have a long-term residence permit for work and are employed by a company in the Czech Republic, you are covered by public health insurance. However, you will need to buy commercial health insurance for your child after birth.

If you are expecting a child and have private health insurance, make sure to check what it covers. Pregnancy and childbirth may not be included, and in that case, you would have to pay the costs yourself, which can be substantial in complicated cases. After your child is born, you will also need to arrange full health insurance for them.

Determination of Paternity and Child Maintenance Duty

The general rule is that the mother’s husband is considered the father of the child. If the parents are not married, paternity must be established by a declaration before a civil registry office or a court. Within 6 months from the birth of the child, one of the parents may also petition the court to determine paternity.

Parents are obliged by law to support their children until they are capable of sustaining themselves. This duty does not cease by the child’s reaching a specific age but usually by the completion of their studies or vocational training. If one of the parents neglects their duty to maintain the child, the other parent or the child may petition the court.

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Last update: 4 March 2025