Health insurance in Czechia for foreigners: who needs which

Which health insurance you need in Czechia depends on why you're here. If you work for an employer based in Czechia or have permanent residence, you're in public health insurance with one of seven public insurers. Most other people from outside the EU need comprehensive insurance from an insurer licensed in Czechia, and EU citizens who don't work here usually keep their home country's cover.

Who is in Czech public health insurance?

You're in public health insurance (veřejné zdravotní pojištění) if you have permanent residence in Czechia, or if you work for an employer whose seat is in Czechia, whatever your nationality.¹ As an employee you're insured from your first day. The premium is 13.5% of your pay; your employer pays two thirds and takes the other third from your salary.²

It also covers children with a long-term residence permit, babies born here to a mother with long-term residence or a parent with permanent residence, and people with asylum or temporary protection.¹

Which health insurer should I choose?

Any of the seven public insurers (zdravotní pojišťovna): VZP (code 111), VoZP (201), ČPZP (205), OZP (207), ZPŠ (209), ZPMV (211) or RBP (213).³ The care they pay for is set by law, and they pay it through contracts with doctors and hospitals,⁴ so check that the doctors you want have a contract with an insurer before you pick it.

You tell your employer on your first day which insurer you're with.⁵ After that you can change once in 12 months, only from 1 January or 1 July, applying to the new insurer at least three months ahead.⁶

What insurance do EU citizens need?

If you're an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen working in Czechia, employed or self-employed, you're in Czech public insurance like anyone else.⁷ If you don't work here, your home country's cover usually continues:

• On a shorter stay, your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) covers care that becomes medically necessary while you're here.
• If you move here while your home country stays responsible for your cover, for example as a posted worker or with a pension only from abroad, register its S1 form with a Czech insurer. You then get care as if you were insured here, paid for by your home country.

If neither fits, for example because you're studying or living on savings, ask a Czech insurer which rules apply before you need a doctor.

What do people from outside the EU need for a visa or permit?

If you're not in public insurance, you need comprehensive health insurance for foreigners (komplexní zdravotní pojištění cizinců) from an insurer licensed in Czechia. Travel insurance from home is enough to get a long-term visa, but within 90 days of arriving you must take out comprehensive cover here, and any application you make in Czechia needs it.⁸ The policy must have:

• a limit of at least 400,000 EUR for each claim, with no excess;
• no exclusions for preventive check-ups, regular care for a long-term condition, or pregnancy and childbirth.

Since 20 September 2023 any insurer licensed in Czechia may sell it; before that, only Pojišťovna VZP could.⁹ Your insurer must give you a new policy when you ask, so it can't refuse to renew because you've fallen ill, and it reports your policy to a register the police and doctors can check.¹⁰

How do I register, and when do I get my card?

If you're starting a job, you register through your employer:

1. Pick an insurer and tell your employer on your first day.⁵
2. Your employer reports you to that insurer within 8 days.¹¹
3. Your insurance card (průkaz pojištěnce) arrives by post, or you collect it at a branch.
4. Show it at every visit to a doctor, and report a lost card within 8 days.¹²

If you become self-employed, or start paying for yourself as a permanent resident, you tell your insurer within 8 days.¹³ As a foreigner, you also report a new name or address within 30 days.¹² At VZP, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens get a card that's also an EHIC; others get one valid only in Czechia.¹⁴

How much does paying for yourself cost?

If you have permanent residence but no job, no business and nobody paying for you, you pay 3,024 Kč a month in 2026, 13.5% of the 22,400 Kč minimum wage, by the 8th of the following month.¹⁵ A parent pays the same for a child with a long-term residence permit.¹⁶ If you're self-employed, your advance is at least 3,306 Kč a month (contributions when self-employed).¹⁵ The state pays for some groups instead, such as pensioners, registered job seekers and parents on parental leave.¹⁷

What happens if I have no health insurance?

You pay for your care yourself, and the gaps come back later: unpaid premiums stay owed with a penalty, and an insurer can fine you up to 10,000 Kč for a change you didn't report.¹⁸ If you're from outside the EU and can't show valid insurance at a residence check, the Ministry of the Interior can cancel your visa or long-term residence permit.¹⁹

Sources

1. Public Health Insurance Act (Act 48/1997 Coll.), §2(1). ↩ ↩²

2. Premiums Act (Act 592/1992 Coll.), §2(1); Public Health Insurance Act (Act 48/1997 Coll.), §9(2). ↩

3. VZP, other health insurers, checked 27 October 2026. ↩

4. Public Health Insurance Act (Act 48/1997 Coll.), §13 and §17(1). ↩

5. Public Health Insurance Act (Act 48/1997 Coll.), §12(b). ↩ ↩²

6. Public Health Insurance Act (Act 48/1997 Coll.), §11a(1). ↩

7. Regulation (EC) No 883/2004, Articles 11(3)(a), 17 and 19(1); Public Health Insurance Act (Act 48/1997 Coll.), §2(1)(b)(7). ↩

8. Foreigners Act (Act 326/1999 Coll.), §180j. ↩

9. Act 278/2023 Coll., amending the Foreigners Act, in force from 20 September 2023. ↩

10. Foreigners Act (Act 326/1999 Coll.), §180ja(2) and §180jb. ↩

11. Public Health Insurance Act (Act 48/1997 Coll.), §10(1)(a). ↩

12. Public Health Insurance Act (Act 48/1997 Coll.), §12(h), (i) and (k). ↩ ↩²

13. Public Health Insurance Act (Act 48/1997 Coll.), §10(3) and (4). ↩

14. VZP, insurance cards, checked 27 October 2026. ↩

15. Premiums Act (Act 592/1992 Coll.), §2(1), §3b and §10; VZP, health insurance payments in 2026, 15 December 2025. ↩ ↩²

16. Premiums Act (Act 592/1992 Coll.), §3d; VZP, children with long-term residence. ↩

17. Public Health Insurance Act (Act 48/1997 Coll.), §7(1). ↩

18. Premiums Act (Act 592/1992 Coll.), §18(1); Public Health Insurance Act (Act 48/1997 Coll.), §44a(1). ↩

19. Foreigners Act (Act 326/1999 Coll.), §37(2)(f) and §46(1). ↩

20. Public Health Insurance Act (Act 48/1997 Coll.), §1(2), §2(1)(b) and §2(5). ↩

21. Public Health Insurance Act (Act 48/1997 Coll.), §2(1)(b)(9) and (10), §10(6) and (8). ↩

22. Public Health Insurance Act (Act 48/1997 Coll.), §16a(1). ↩