By law, a child born to a foreign national in the Czech Republic may temporarily reside in the country for a maximum of 60 days from birth. Within this period, the parent is legally required to apply for a standard residence permit on behalf of the child at the Ministry of the Interior. The specific type of residence permit to be applied for depends primarily on the residence status held by the parents.
Are you a citizen of the European Union? If so, the previously mentioned regulations do not apply to you. Regarding residence in the Czech Republic, both you and your child hold the same status as Czech citizens. You have the right to apply for a Permanent Residence Permit for an EU citizen or a Registration Certificate. However, these are not a condition for legal residence in the country. As EU citizens, you enjoy the right of free movement and residence, you may live and work in the Czech Republic without requiring any specific authorization from the national authorities.
What about the regulations regarding the child's health insurance?
In case you apply for a permanent residence permit, the child's health insurance is fully covered by the state from the moment of birth until a legally binding decision is issued by the Ministry of the Interior. If the application is approved, the child remains covered by state health insurance, and you do not need to pay anything further for as long as the child is preparing for their future profession, i.e. studying.
If you apply for a long-term residence permit, the child will be considered a state-insured person throughout the entire residence permit application process. However, it is mandatory to submit this residence permit application within 60 days of the child's birth. Consequently, the child remains enrolled in the public health insurance system up to the age of 18 at the latest. Yet, as a parent, you are obliged to notify the health insurance company of this fact regarding the application for long-term residence, within 8 calendar days.
In situations where neither parent is a holder of a permanent residence permit, or if the mother does not hold a long-term residence permit, it is mandatory for the child to be covered by comprehensive commercial health insurance.
The selection of the health insurance provider depends on the mother's insurance company. If the mother is uninsured, the father's insurance provider becomes the determining factor.