Recognition of a person as disabled

Main information

If you suffer and illness or infirmity, you can apply to be recognised as disabled. However, a disabled person is not an invalid, but a person who has objectively demonstrable health complications that are not severe enough to render them eligible for an invalidity pension.

This applies to you if

You are a person who retains the ability to engage in continuous employment or other gainful activity, but whose ability to be or remain in employment, to perform an existing occupation or to use an existing qualification or to obtain a new qualification is substantially impaired. At the same time, the cause of this limitation is a long-term illness or infirmity that is expected to last more than a year and substantially limits your physical, sensory or mental abilities and thus your ability to work. 

In the case of a long-term illness or infirmity, there must always be a substantial limitation of physical, sensory or mental abilities; therefore, milder functional impairments that do not substantially limit these functions are not taken into account. A functional impairment that substantially limits those abilities must also have an adverse impact on one’s ability to work. This means that while some abilities may be substantially impaired due to an illness or infirmity that medical science has determined to last longer than 1 year, if it does not adversely affect a particular person's ability to work, to use or to obtain a qualification, it is not classed as a long-term illness or infirmity necessary to confer the status of a person with a disability.

You cannot obtain the status of a person with a disability if you are in the process of applying for a disability pension or if you have already been deemed disabled at any degree of disability.

When to use this service

You can apply to be recognised as a disabled person at any time (preferably after consulting your doctor) if your long-term illness or infirmity, which medical science has determined to last longer than 1 year, significantly limits your physical, sensory or mental abilities and thus your ability to work.

The application may be filed by a citizen of the Czech Republic or a foreign national working in the Czech Republic if the applicant is over 15 years of age and has already completed their compulsory education. For a person under 15 years of age, the application must be submitted by that person’s legal representative.

Service settlement

What you need if you are using this service

To use this service, you must always file a handwritten and signed application clearly specifying what you are applying for, and stating your first name, surname, date of birth and address or data box ID. In addition, you must also state the name and address of your primary doctor or the name and address of the health care service provider with whom you are registered.

  The application may be in the form of a handwritten and signed submission or filed using the optional prescribed form ‘Application for recognition as a person with a disability’.

Where and how to solve this service

Step 1

You may file your application to be recognised as a person with a disability:

• in person with the district social security administration, in Prague with the Prague Social Security Administration and in Brno with the Municipal Social Security Administration competent according to your place of permanent residence (or, for foreign nationals, according to their declared place of residence in the Czech Republic),
• by post directly to the address of the competent social security administration according to your place of permanent residence (or, for foreign nationals, according to their declared place of residence in the Czech Republic).
• The contact details of the individual social security administrations can be found on the Czech Social Security Administration website.

Step 2

The process of assessing your state of health will begin once your application has been received. You will be informed of this fact in writing by the competent social security administration and asked to undergo an examination by your doctor and to complete the attached occupational questionnaire, which contains information on your qualifications, the type of gainful activities you have been engaged in and for how long. 

The assessment of your state of health for the purpose of granting the status of a disabled person is carried out on behalf of the competent district social security administration by a medical assessor. The bases on which the doctor assesses your state of health include:

• information about your health prepared and provided by your doctor,
• medical reports and findings that you submit that you possess and consider relevant,
• the occupational questionnaire you have completed. 

The result of the health assessment process is an opinion drawn up by the medical assessor for the purposes of the proceedings to have a person recognised as disabled.

Step 3

The recognition of a person as disabled is decided by the district social security administration competent according to your place of permanent residence (for foreign nationals, according to their registered place of residence in the Czech Republic) on the basis of the aforementioned assessment. The deadline for processing your application is 30 days from receipt of the application. However, this deadline is extended by the time it takes to prepare the report. The deadline for the issue of the opinion is 45 days. At the same time, the 30-day deadline may be extended by the time it takes to investigate the relevant facts.

Step 4

If the social security administration does not have the facts that are relevant to the decision on your application to be recognised as a disabled person, you may be asked to provide them. It is obligatory to comply with this request within 8 days of receipt. You may provide proof or certification of these facts either in person at the district social security administration that sent you the request, or by sending it by post to the address of the relevant district social security administration, or by sending it by data message to the data box of the district social security administration or by data message with a recognised electronic signature to its electronic filing address.

Step 5

Once the competent district social security administration has all the necessary documents, it will assess whether you meet the conditions for recognition as a person with a disability and will then issue a decision. 

• If you meet the conditions, the social security administration will send you a written decision recognising you as a person with a disability, stating the date from which you were recognised as such. This is the date on which the decision becomes final. 
• If you do not meet the conditions, the Social Security Administration will send you a written decision rejecting your application, stating the reasons for the rejection.

Step 6

If you have been granted the status of a person with a disability, that status applies until the date marked on the assessment or decision. The status generally applies for 3 to 5 years, but may be set for an indefinite period. The status of a person with a disability is not automatically renewed, so you must reapply.

The status cannot be decided retroactively by the district social security administration. In view of the length of the proceedings, it is therefore advisable to apply for the continuation of the status well in advance of its expiry date.

Additional information

What is the benefit of this service

Acquiring the status of a person with a disability, intended to facilitate the process of finding a job and employment in the labour market despite an illness or infirmity. Employers who employ people with disabilities are then granted benefits by the state through the Labour Office.

A person recognised as disabled does not directly receive any entitlement to a cash allowance or benefit as a result of this status.

Appeal options

If the applicant disagrees with the assessment made in the disability recognition proceedings, they must wait for the decision to be issued, which can then be appealed. No appeal may be filed against the opinion.

The decision may be appealed within 15 days of receipt with the district social security administration that issued it. The Czech Social Security Administration decides on the appeal. The decision on the appeal is issued by the Czech Social Security Administration within 30 days of receipt of the appeal, although this deadline is again extended by the time limit set for the issue of the opinion, which is 60 days. The deadline may be extended, if necessary, by the time it takes to investigate the relevant facts.