Application for a long-term visa or for a long-term residence permit filed at a diplomatic mission office 

If you wish to stay in the Czech Republic for a period exceeding 90 days from the date of your entry into the Czech Republic, you must ensure, that you have a travel insurance covering a comprehensive medical care. From September 20, 2023 such insurance can be arranged with any insurance company authorised to provide it in the Czech Republic.

If you applied for long-term visa or for long-term residence permit at an office of the Diplomatic Mission of the Czech Republic, you have to submit a certificate proving your travel medical insurance, before you can collect your long-term visa or your long-term visa for the purpose of residence permit, meeting the following criteria: 

• Travel and medical insurance covering necessary and urgent medical care for the initial 90 days of your stay, and at the same time another agreement concluded with an insurance company authorised to provide comprehensive medical insurance in the Czech Republic.
• You may also submit a Certificate of Agreement with insurance company on a comprehensive medical insurance for the entire period of your stay.

Certificate of travel and medical insurance must confirm:

• The period of insurance validity (insurance must be concluded for the entire period of your stay in the Czech Republic).
• The scope of insurance coverage (the agreement must include the coverage of expenses).
• The amount of indemnity (the contracted limit for one insured accident must be at least EUR 400,000, without participation of the insured person on the costs).

Insurance agreement must not exclude an accident indemnity, in cases where the accident is caused by your intentional or wrongful act, joint culpability, or as a result of alcohol-, narcotic- and psychotropic substance misuse.

If you conclude an insurance agreement abroad, you must also submit a certified translation of your insurance agreement and of the general terms and conditions into the Czech language.

On request, you have to submit the proof of payment of the insurance premium stated on the comprehensive travel and medical insurance certificate.

You will not need to submit your travel and medical insurance certificate provided that:

• you are participating in the public health insurance,
• the costs of your health care are covered on the basis of an international agreement, e. g. on the basis of programme Erasmus or Fullbright programme,
• you prove that your health care is covered by different means (for example on the grounds of a written obligation of a legal person, if your stay in the Czech Republic is beneficial for the spiritual values development, human rights protection or other humanitarian values, protection of nature, cultural heritage, scientific progress, educational development, physical education and sports, on the basis of a written obligation of a state authority or based on an obligation arising from an invitation certified by police).

Application for a long-term visa or for a long-term residence permit filed in the territory of the Czech Republic

If you apply for a long-term visa, a long-term residence permit or extension of validity of the two above residence permits in the Czech Republic, your certificate of travel and medical insurance must prove, that the relevant insurance is valid for comprehensive health care.

From September 20, 2023 the comprehensive medical insurance can be arranged with any insurance company authorised to provide it in the Czech Republic.

Thus, if you apply for the above-mentioned residence permits or for an extension of their validity, with effect from September 20, 2023, your certificate of travel and medical insurance can be arranged with any insurance company authorised to provide it in the Czech Republic.

You will not need to submit your travel and medical insurance certificate provided that:

• you are participating in the public health insurance,
• the costs of your health care are covered on the basis of an international agreement, e. g. on the basis of programme Erasmus or Fullbright programme,
• you prove that your health care is covered by some other means (for example on the grounds of a written obligation of a legal person, if your stay in the Czech Republic is beneficial for the spiritual values development, human rights protection or other humanitarian values, protection of nature, cultural heritage, scientific progress, educational development, physical education and sports, on the basis of a written obligation of a state authority or based on an obligation arising from an invitation certified by police).

EU citizens and their family members

For EU citizens and their family members, who are not EU citizens, a sufficient certificate of medical insurance is, as follows:

• European/British Health Insurance Card (EHIC/GHIC)
  • These are insurance cards issued by insurance companies in individual member states and Island, Liechtenstein, Norway, Sweden or insurance cards of UK citizens.
• Certificate which is a temporary substitute for European Health Insurance Card
• Registration Certificate
• Card of a beneficiary of European Union medical insurance staying in the Czech Republic
• Insurance card of an insurance beneficiary living in the Czech Republic
• Any of the S1 forms, i.e., E 106, E 109, E 112, E 120 or E 121

EU citizens and their close family members can also submit another document, instead of the above mentioned one, if covering the corresponding scope of indemnation to the travel and medical insurance institute.

For distant family members who are not themselves EU citizens, it can be considered proof of medical insurance:

• European/British Health Insurance Card (EHIC/GHIC)
  • These are insurance cards issued by insurance companies in individual member states and Island, Liechtenstein, Norway,Sweden or insurance cards of UK citizens.
• Certificate of a concluded comprehensive medical insurance

For the list of Regulated institutions and registered financial market entities, which are authorized to provide their insurance services within the Czech Republic, see the List of regulated entities on the website of the Czech National Bank. The list includes relevant categories like subsidiaries of foreign insurance companies and international insurance corporations which offer transfrontier insurance services within the Czech Republic.

Persons under 18 years of age who have a valid long-term residence permit are participants in the Public Health Insurance System. This applies to all types of long-term residence, regardless of the purpose of the stay. The expenses related to the Public Health Insurance System of persons under 18 years of age are always covered by the minor’s legal representative, guardian or trustee.

The participation in the Public Health Insurance System commences automatically from the day, when the person under 18 years of age takes over his or her first long-term residence card. That is a biometric ID data card (the specimen of this ID card is available at this link).

A minor child is a participant in the Public Health Insurance System until the age of 18, or until the expiration of his or her long-term residence permit.

After reaching 18 years of age it is obligatory to register for Comprehensive Private Health Insurance. If the person who has attained 18 years of age is employed, the employer will usually cover the Public Health Insurance premium for him or her.  

Everyone can choose the Health Insurance Company which he or she wishes to be insured with. However, children who are born in the Czech Republic are an exception. A baby born in the Czech Republic has to be insured with the same health insurance company as the mother on the day of his or her birth. If the mother is not participating in the Public Health Insurance System, then the child has to be insured with the same health insurance company as his or her father.

For more information about the residence of a foreign national born in the Czech Republic, click here.