Pediatricians in Czechia (praktický lékař pro děti a dorost, PLDD for short) look after children from birth up to roughly age 19: preventive checkups, mandatory vaccinations, treating illnesses, and issuing prescriptions. As of January 1, 2024, children of foreigners under 18 who hold a long-term residence permit (dlouhodobý pobyt) have been brought into the public health insurance system, which makes insuring your child and registering with a doctor noticeably simpler and cheaper than under the old commercial insurance model.
Below we break down exactly what the reform changed, which children are now covered by the state, how much it costs in 2026, how to find a pediatrician, which vaccinations and checkups are required by law, and the deadlines for registering a newborn.
Before 2024, a foreigner's child without permanent residence (trvalý pobyt) could only be covered by commercial (comprehensive) insurance — expensive, with caps and exclusions. On January 1, 2024, an amendment to the Public Health Insurance Act took effect: minors under 18 holding a valid povolení k dlouhodobému pobytu (long-term residence permit) became participants in the public insurance system on equal footing with Czech children. That means access to the same doctors, and full coverage of mandatory vaccinations and preventive care with no spending caps.
You can register for public insurance with any of the health insurance funds operating in Czechia — VZP ČR, ZP MV ČR, ČPZP, OZP, VoZP, RBP. The legal terms are the same across all of them; only the service level and network of contracted doctors differ.
The key factor is the type of residence status. The reform doesn't cover all foreign children.
An important nuance: for a foreign child, public insurance isn't always "free" the way it is for Czech children. The state covers the premium for certain categories (trvalý pobyt, temporary protection status, or under EU rules; for third-country children with dlouhodobý pobyt, the payer is always the legal guardian). In all other cases, the legal guardian pays the premium — at a rate of 13.5% of the minimum wage, the same rate applied to a "person without taxable income" (osoba bez zdanitelných příjmů, OBZP).
| Year | Minimum wage | Premium per child (13.5%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | CZK 18,900 | CZK 2,552 / month |
| 2026 | CZK 22,400 | CZK 3,024 / month |
The 2026 premium is CZK 3,024 per month. A child remains covered by public insurance until age 18, or until their long-term residence permit expires — whichever comes first. Check your specific situation (whether the state or the parent pays) with your health insurance fund (pojišťovna), since it depends on the parents' status. For more on coverage options, see our guide to health insurance for foreigners in Czechia.
After a birth, foreign families face several strict deadlines. Missing them can leave the child without insurance and create residence-related complications.
Getting a birth certificate and filing the residence application often requires officially translated documents — translators can help here, while migration lawyers can assist with the child's residence status itself. For more on giving birth and maternity procedures in Czechia, see our guide on childbirth and pregnancy in Czechia.
It's worth looking for a pediatrician early — ideally during pregnancy, before you're discharged from the maternity hospital. Many pediatricians are overbooked and list themselves as "nepřijímá nové pacienty" (not accepting new patients), so the search can take time, especially in Prague and other major cities.
Registering with a pediatrician is called registrace: you sign a registrační list, and the doctor takes on ongoing care of your child. When choosing a doctor, ask whether they're accepting new patients, whether they have a contract with your insurance fund, how to book appointments, whether there are separate hours for healthy children (preventive visits) versus sick children, and whether the doctor or nurse speaks English. The general registration procedure is described in our guide on how to register with a doctor in Czechia. If you also need a dentist for your child, check our directory of doctors and dentists.
In Czechia, some childhood vaccinations are legally mandatory, and all of them are fully covered by insurance. Refusing a mandatory vaccination can prevent a child from being admitted to daycare (kindergarten). Vaccinations are administered by the pediatrician according to the official schedule.
| Vaccine | Protects against | Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Hexavakcína (Infanrix hexa, Hexacima) | diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, polio, Hib | 2+1 schedule: two doses in the first year (starting no earlier than week 9, with a 2-month interval), a third dose at 11–13 months. Premature infants follow a 3+1 schedule. |
| MMR (Priorix, Priorix-Tetra) | measles, rubella, mumps (Tetra also covers chickenpox) | First dose at 13–18 months, second dose between the ages of 5 and 6. |
Insurance also covers additional vaccines, such as the pneumococcal vaccine, and others based on epidemiological indications. Always confirm the current full schedule and exact intervals with your pediatrician and the official vaccination calendar (očkovací kalendář), as schedules are updated periodically.
Public insurance fully covers regular preventive checkups with the pediatrician. The approximate schedule for the first years is:
During business hours, call your pediatrician — pediatric practices usually have morning hours reserved for acute cases. In the evenings and on weekends, LSPP (lékařská služba první pomoci) — pediatric emergency services at hospitals — is available. If your child has a high fever at night, you can get medication at a 24-hour pharmacy in Prague. In life-threatening situations (difficulty breathing, seizures, loss of consciousness), call 155 (ambulance) or 112 immediately.
Checkups, mandatory vaccinations, and treatment under public insurance require no additional payment at a contracted doctor's office for an insured child. However, in many cases the parent pays for the insurance itself — CZK 3,024 per month in 2026, unless the child falls into one of the categories covered by the state.
Yes, the hexavaccine and MMR are part of the mandatory vaccination schedule under Czech law and are covered by insurance. Without the required vaccinations, a child may be refused admission to daycare (except in cases of medical contraindication).
Contact your insurance fund (pojišťovna) in writing — they are obligated to find you an available contracted pediatrician. In parallel, use the NZIP map and call practices directly.
Yes — if the child only has a long-term visa (rather than dlouhodobý pobyt), or during the transitional period before entering the public system. For details, see our guide on health insurance for foreigners.
If you need help with the paperwork: migration lawyers can assist with insurance and your child's residence status, translators with documents and translations, and you can find a pediatrician or dentist in our directory of doctors. All amounts, rates, and deadlines given here are current as of 2026 — before finalizing anything, confirm the details with your chosen insurance fund and pediatrician.
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