Main information
An identity card with machine-readable data and contact electronic chip is issued to:
- Citizens under 15 years of age with a validity period of 5 years,
- Citizens over 15 years old with a validity period of 10years,
- Citizens over 70 years old with a validity period of 35 years.
This applies to you if
You are under the obligation to apply for an identity card if
- you are a citizen of the Czech Republic, are permanently resident in the Czech Republic and are more than 15 years old,
- you have an identity card that has expired or if the details entered in your identity card have changed.
You have the right to apply for an identity card if
- you are a citizen of the Czech Republic with permanent residence abroad,
- you deal with the issue of an identity card for someone else, such as:
- for a citizen younger than 15
(legal representative of a person under 15 years of age, foster parent, person to whom a citizen under the age of 15 years has been placed in custody, head of residential care institution or child centre requiring immediate assistance – such persons need the consent of the legal representative)
- for a citizen aged 15 and over
(guardian or other legal representative of a citizen with limited legal capacity, member of a household who has been approved by the court for representation, another person for a citizen who has the photo and signature in the identity cards register or in the register of travel documents, and a period of 1 year must not elapse from the issue of the document for which they were issued).
When to use this service
You are required to hold an identity card if you have reached the age of 15 and are permanently resident in the Czech Republic. You must apply for it within 30 days of reaching the age of 15.
You are also required to apply for a new ID within 15 working days
- of expiry of the validity of the present identity card,
- of the loss, theft or destruction of an identity card being reported,
- of the risk of misuse of data in the identification certificate being reported,
- if a competent authority has decided that your identity card will expire because of:
- illegibility or damage to the card;
- incorrect information on the card;
- major changes to your appearance;
- if you have information on your marriage or partnership on your identity card:
- after receiving a marriage certificate or certificate of partnership;
- after a divorce court’s decision to dissolve a marriage becomes final or the court’s decision to dissolve a partnership becomes final;
- after a court’s decision on the non-existence of a marriage has become final or the court’s decision that a partnership has not been established has become final,
- after a court’s decision on the invalidity of a marriage has become final or the court’s decision on the invalidity of a partnership has become final,
- on receiving the death certificate of a spouse or partner,
- after the court’s decision declaring a spouse or partner dead has become final,
- after a decision modifying your first name(s) or surname has become final or a new birth number has been assigned to you;
- after the date on which
- you announce a change of permanent residence address;
- a decision on cancelling data on permanent residence has become final.
Service settlement
What you need if you are using this service
What you submit
For the issue of an identity card with machine-readable data and a contact electronic chip :
- you submit the documents required by law (see below) or, where appropriate, other documents certifying the facts necessary to eliminate any discrepancies found during the processing between the data contained in the application and the data held in the Population Register, the population registration information system or the register of identity cards or in the register of travel documents,
- you do not submit a completed application on an official printed form because the application will be printed out with all the necessary information by the official and you need only sign it as being correct and complete.
For the issue of an identity card with machine-readable data and a contact electronic chip a photograph may be arranged in one of two ways:
- at a municipal authority with extended powers, the photograph is taken by the official during submission of the application,
2. at a photographer who sends it electronically via the Ministry of the Interior’s data box to the municipal authority with extended powers where you have requested the issue of an identity card.
Documents to be submitted for the issue of an identity card
The documents must be presented as an original, verified duplicate or verified copy.
For the issue of a first identity card to a citizen who has permanent residence in the Czech Republic, the following shall be submitted:
- birth certificate,
- proof of citizenship of the citizen if there are reasonable doubts as to this information. If the applicant for a first identity card does not have such a document, the municipal authority with extended powers to which he/she applies for the issue of a first identity card shall, at his request, verify the citizenship of the citizen at the office responsible for issuing it.
For the issue of a first identity card on termination of residence abroad or upon acquisition of nationality, or to a citizen who is not permanently resident in the Czech Republic, the following shall be submitted:
- birth certificate; this shall not apply where a citizen applies for a first non-machine-readable identity card valid for 3 months immediately after the acquisition of citizenship,
- proof of citizenship of the citizen who is to be issued with an identity card.
For the issue of the first identity card to a citizen whose legal capacity has been restricted, the following shall be submitted:
- birth certificate of the citizen to whom the identity card is to be issued;
- the court’s decision to limit the citizen’s legal capacity;
- the identity card of the guardian or other legal representative; for a guardian, the document of appointment as guardian; where the guardian is a legal entity, it shall provide proof of appointment as guardian and a natural person acting on behalf of this legal entity shall present his identity card and document certifying the right to act on behalf of the legal entity.
When issuing a new identity card
- the existing identity card, a change document or a document confirming new information (e.g. certificate of change of permanent residence, diploma) is submitted. We recommend applying 30 days before the expiry date of the previous identity card. If the identity card is no longer valid at the time of the application, it is not possible to verify the recorded data and a birth certificate or other documents will be required.
- a citizen who is unable to present a previous identity card is required to prove his or her identity and produce a identity card confirmation issued at the time of the declaration of loss, theft or destruction of his or her previous identity card,
- a citizen who has been issued with an identity card without machine-readable data immediately after acquiring citizenship shall submit a birth certificate before a new identity card is issued.
Where and how to solve this service
You can apply for the issue of an identity card
- In the case of the issue of an ID within a shortened period (on working days within 24 hours or within 5 working days), the Ministry of the Interior is also an issuing authority. An application for the issue of an identity card within a shortened period may be submitted to the Ministry of the Interior or to any municipal authority with extended powers; in the city of Prague, to any municipal office of city districts 1 to 22. An identity card issued within 24 hours can only be collected from the Ministry of the Interior.
Request
- step: You submit the required supporting documents
- step: The official generates and fills out the application
- step: The official takes a photograph of the citizen to whom the identity card is being issued (their presence in person is required for this reason)
- step: Check the data and sign the new ID application.
- step: The official shall send off the application electronically for the document to be produced.
You can provide your phone number or e-mail address in your application to be advised of the options for receiving your identity card.
In your application you may indicate that you will collect your ID from another office. This will cost you CZK 100.
When applying for an identity card, the official will inform you that:
- when you accept your document, you will enter a Security Personal Code (SPC) to authenticate your personal identification (this is a 4-10-digit code you can create)
- when you accept your document, you can activate the electronic chip in the identity card, in order to make use of available e-government services (e.g. the Citizen’s Portal)
If you do not wish to activate the electronic chip, you may do it later or need not do it at all.
Collection
- You can collect your ID within 30 days of your application at the same authority where you submitted your application (if you have not indicated in the application form another authority where you wish to collect your identity card).
- An identity card issued within 24 hours can only be collected from the Ministry of the Interior.
- An identity card issued within 5 working days can be collected at the same authority where you applied for it or at the Ministry of the Interior.
For yourself - in person only
For a person under the age of 15 years – as the legal representative of a person under the age of 15, you will confirm your collection with your signature. The same applies to foster parents, persons to whom a citizen under the age of 15 has been placed in care, the head of an residential care institution, the head of a centre for children requiring immediate assistance.
For a person over 15 years of age – as guardian, you will confirm your collection with your signature. The same applies to the legal representative of a person with limited legal capacity and household member who has been approved by a court for representation.
When you collect your document, you can activate the electronic chip in the identity card, in order to make use of available e-government services.
- To activate it, you must enter the Personal Identification Code (PIC) and the Unblock Personal Code (UPC). These are 4-10-digit code(s) you can create yourself.
The Security Personal Code, Personal Identification Code and Unblock Personal Code are not entered when collecting an identity card by:
- a citizen under the age of 15
- a citizen with limited legal capacity
- a citizen who is prevented from entering a code by an handicap that is difficult to overcome.
How much will you pay
Scale of administrative fees:
Issue of an identity card with machine-readable data and contact electronic chip within 24 hours on a working day:
- with submission and collection at the Ministry of the Interior – CZK 1000
- with submission at a municipal authority with extended powers – CZK 500
- with collection at the Ministry of the Interior, if the application has been submitted to a municipal authority with extended powers – CZK 500
for citizens under 15 years of age:
- with submission and collection at the Ministry of the Interior – CZK 500
- with submission at a municipal authority with extended powers – CZK 250
- with collection at the Ministry of the Interior, if the application has been submitted to a municipal authority with extended powers – CZK 250
Issue of an identity card with machine-readable data and contact electronic chip within 5 working days:
- with submission and collection at the Ministry of the Interior – CZK 500
- with submission at a municipal authority with extended powers – CZK 250
- with collection at the Ministry of the Interior – CZK 250
- with submission at a municipal authority with extended powers and collection at the same municipal authority with extended powers, – CZK 500
for citizens under 15 years of age:
- with submission and collection at the Ministry of the Interior – CZK 300
- with submission at a municipal authority with extended powers – CZK 200
- with collection at the Ministry of the Interior – CZK 100
- with submission at a municipal authority with extended powers and collection at the same municipal authority with extended powers, – CZK 300
Issue of an identity card with machine-readable data and contact electronic chip due to the registration of a title or scientific rank or its issue for any other personal reason, during a period longer than half a year before the expiry of the previous identity card – CZK 200
Issue of an identity card to a citizen under the age of 15 – CZK 50
Issue of an identity card to a citizen over 15 years of age who does not have permanent residence in the Czech Republic – CZK 100
Issue of an identity card with machine-readable data and a contact electronic chip for a card which is damaged, destroyed, lost, stolen, invalidated because of the risk of misuse of data in the identification certificate in the electronic contact chip or for a card containing unauthorised entries – CZK 100
Additional information
What is the benefit of this service
With an identity card, you can prove your identity at all official meetings and when handling personal matters (at a bank, insurance company, post office when receiving registered items, etc.). Your identity card is also used as a travel document to travel to countries of the European Union and to other countries that have recognised Czech identity card as a travel document.
An identity card with machine-readable data and contact electronic chip is also used for remote proof of identity. If you activate your ID certificate, you can conveniently handle a number of issues on-line, whenever and from anywhere. You can easily log in to the available on-line services on the Citizens’ Portal, but also to a number of other portals and on-line services. The current list of portals where one can log in is at the citizen identity website.
More information can be found at: www.gov.cz, www.identitaobcana.cz, www.datoveschranky.info, www.czechpoint.cz, www.mvcr.cz
An identity card is issued within 30 days. However, at your request it may also be issued within 24 hours on working days or within 5 working days.
Appeal options
There are no legal remedies for this service.
Legislation
Sanctions
You commit an offence by:
- non-compliance with the obligation to hold an identity card,
- failing to apply for a new identity card within 15 working days:
- of the date on which an identity card expired (e.g. expiry date, declaration of loss, theft, damage or destruction of the identity card),
- of receiving a marriage certificate or certificate of partnership;
- of a divorce court’s decision to dissolve a marriage becoming final or the court’s decision to dissolve a partnership becoming final;
- of a court’s decision on the non-existence of a marriage becoming final or the court’s decision that a partnership has not been established becoming final,
- of a court’s decision on the invalidity of a marriage becoming final or the court’s decision on the invalidity of a partnership becoming final,
- of receiving the death certificate of a spouse or partner,
- of the court’s decision declaring a spouse or partner dead becoming final,
- of a decision modifying your first name(s) or surname becoming final or a new birth number being assigned;
- of the date on which you reported a change of permanent residence or the revocation decision becoming final, indicating the place of permanent residence;
A fine of up to CZK 15 000 may be imposed for the offence referred to in point 1 and a fine of up to CZK 10 000 may be imposed for the offence referred to in point 2.
If you do not have any indication of your marital status or your registered partnership in your identity card, you are not obliged to apply for a new identity card if this information is changed and you are not thereby committing an offence.
If you remain outside the Czech Republic for an extended period and your identity card expires, you can apply for a new identity card only after returning.
The fact that you have remained abroad for an extended period and were thus unable to comply with the obligation to exchange an identity card will have to be proved to the authority responsible for issuing the identity card, since failure to exchange an identity card after its expiry is an offence. Proof of long-term residence abroad can be shown, for example, by evidence of studies, an employment contract, rental contracts, passport stamps.
Frequently asked questions
What optional information can be entered on the identity card?
An identity card may include the title of a graduate of a vocational college, academic degree or other university degree, the designation ‘associate professor (docent)’ or ‘professor’ or a scientific rank.
If you apply to include a title or scientific title that you have not yet registered on your identity card, you are required to provide proof of its acquisition (diploma). If you have obtained a higher vocational education, or a university degree and the corresponding title at a foreign university, you are required to provide proof of recognition of this higher education and the corresponding title (this proof is issued by a Czech public higher education institution carrying out a similar programme of study). You have the same obligation when applying for the registration of a scientific rank obtained abroad.