Home I need to arrange… Family Birth of a Child

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

Healthcare during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period is covered by public health insurance for certain categories of foreign nationals, in particular for EU citizens who are employed or self-employed in the Czech Republic and holders of a permanent residence permit in the Czech Republic. Please verify whether you belong to one of these categories.

A child born in the Czech Republic may, subject to the fulfilment of the statutory conditions, be covered by the public health insurance system. An application for the relevant residence permit must be submitted within 60 days of the child’s birth (see above).

If an application for a permanent residence permit is submitted, the child’s residence is deemed to be permanent from the date of birth until a final decision on the application is made. The child is therefore covered by public health insurance from birth.

If the child’s mother holds a long-term residence permit, the child remains covered by public health insurance for the duration of the proceedings concerning the application for a long-term residence permit. Once the long-term residence permit has been granted, the child is covered by public health insurance until reaching 18 years of age.

If the conditions for participation in the public health insurance system are not met, it is necessary to arrange commercial health insurance for the child with an insurance company authorised to provide such insurance in the Czech Republic.

A child born in the Czech Republic must be insured with the same health insurance company as the mother on the date of the child’s birth. If the mother is not covered by public health insurance, the child must be insured with the same health insurance company as the child’s father.

If you are expecting a child and have commercial health insurance, make sure to check the scope of your coverage. Pregnancy and childbirth may not be covered by your policy. In such cases, you would have to pay the related healthcare costs yourself, which can be considerable, especially if complications arise.

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. If paternity is not established by a joint declaration of the parents, it may be determined by a court.

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.

Useful links and contacts: 

25. June, 2026