If a person insured at a different health insurance provider decides to become an insured person of VZP, they can apply at any VZP branch in the Czech Republic (ÚP VZP).

 

Participation in public health insurance

By Czech law, health insurance is compulsory for all individuals, who have permanent residence in the Czech Republic, i.e. even foreigners, who have been granted permission for permanent residence in the Czech Republic.  Health insurance is established by birth, in the instance of an individual with permanent residency in the Czech Republic or by obtaining permanent residency in the Czech Republic. Health insurance expires with the death of the insured person or the declaration of their death or on the termination of permanent residency in the Czech Republic.

If the insured person of another health insurance provider decides to become an insured person of VZP, they can do so by applying at any VZP branch in the Czech Republic (ÚP VZP). When registering, the individual must prove the existence of his/her permanent residency in the Czech Republic with a document and provided he/she is a person, whose contributions are paid by the state (student – child un-provided for, senior citizen, unemployed person registered at the labour office, etc.), he/she will also have to prove this fact.

Changes in insurance may only be made to the 1^st calendar day of the quarter and only once per 12 months. When registering, the insured person will complete the Health insurance provider’s registration form, which consists of an original and 3 copies.

• VZP keeps the original.
• 1^st copy is for the existing health insurance provider
• 2^nd copy is for the employer  
• 3^rd copy is used by the insured person as a spare document on insurance until the insured person’s card is issued.

The insured person is obliged to notify his/her employer of the change in insurance providers within eight days and according to the law, the employer is obliged to confirm the acceptance of the notification. The insured person should always request this confirmation as the law contains a regulation, which gives the employer the possibility to request compensation from the employee for possible fines for delayed insurance payment, provided the delay was incurred because the employee failed to notify the employer of changes in insurance providers.