Renewal of entitlement to a widow’s or widower’s pension – application processed by the Czech Social Security Administration

Main information

If you have ceased to be entitled to a widow’s or widower’s pension, you can apply for it to be reinstated within a certain period of time if certain conditions are met. If the Czech Social Security Administration initially decided on your entitlement to a widow’s/widower’s pension, it is the Czech Social Security Administration that is again responsible for processing your application for the renewing the pension.

This applies to you if

You are a widow/widower whose entitlement to a widow’s/widower’s pension has expired in the past, and you have also met one of the conditions for entitlement to a widow’s/widower’s pension within the statutory period after the earlier entitlement expired. The conditions and the length of the period depend on the date the widow’s/widower’s pension was granted:

1. widow’s/widower’s pension granted before 1 January 2010

If you ceased to be entitled to a widow’s/widower’s pension before 1 January 2010 or after 31 December 2009 (but the pension was granted before 1 January 2010), you will again be entitled to a widow’s/widower’s pension after 31 December 2009 if you meet any of the following conditions within 5 years of the end of your previous entitlement to that pension:

• you are caring for a dependent child;
• you are caring for a child who is dependent on the care of another person in Grade II, III or IV;
• you are caring for your parent or the parent of a deceased spouse who lives with you in the household and is dependent on the care of another person in Grade II, III or IV;
• you have a full disability/third-degree disability;
• you have reached the age of 55 (for a widow), 58 (for a widower) or retirement age, if the retirement age is lower.

2. widow’s/widower’s pension granted from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2011

If you were granted a widow’s/widower’s pension after 31 December 2009, you will be entitled to that pension again if you meet any of the following conditions within 5 years of the end of your previous entitlement to a widow’s/widower’s pension:

• you are caring for a dependent child;
• you are caring for a child who is dependent on the help of another person in Grade II, III or IV;
• you are caring for your parent or the parent of a deceased spouse who lives in your household and is dependent on the help of another person in Grade II, III or IV;
• you have a third-degree disability;
• you have reached an age at least 4 years under the retirement age determined in accordance with § 32 of the Pension Insurance Act for men of the same date of birth, or retirement age if the retirement age is lower.

3. widow’s/widower’s pension granted after 31 December 2011

If you were granted a widow’s/widower’s pension after 31 December 2011, you will be entitled to that pension again if you meet any of the conditions in point 2. within 2 years of the end of your previous entitlement to a widow’s/widower’s pension.

When to use this service

You can apply for the reinstatement of your entitlement to a widow’s/widower’s pension no earlier than 4 months before the required date of the reinstatement of the pension, which is the date on which you meet the conditions for renewal within a period of up to 5 years (applies to pensions granted before 31 December 2011) or 2 years (applicable to pensions granted after 31 December 2011) after the termination of your previous entitlement to that pension. At a later stage, the application can be filed at any time.

However, the pension can be paid no more than 5 years retrospectively from the date the pension application is filed.

On 20 February 2014, due to having ceased to care for a dependent child, a widow ceased to be entitled to the widow’s/widower’s pension granted from 13 June 2012. On 15 October 2020 the widow filed an application for the renewal of her widow’s/widower’s pension from 5 May 2014, when she reached her retirement age. The Czech Social Security Administration will re-award her the widow’s/widower’s pension from the date she met the condition for the renewal of the pension, i.e. from the date she reached retirement age on 5 May 2014, but it will only be paid 5 years retrospectively from the date the application for renewal was filed, i.e. from 15 October 2015.

Service settlement

What you need if you are using this service

When you apply for the renewal of your entitlement to a widow’s/widower’s pension in person, you must submit the original or a certified copy of your ID card (passport or residence permit for non-nationals) and any other documents proving that you meet the conditions for the renewal of your entitlement to a pension (e.g. a certificate confirming that your child is a student and is therefore dependent).

Where and how to solve this service

Step 1

You may file your application for the renewal of your entitlement to a widow’s/widower’s pension in person with the district social security administration with which you are registered as a permanent resident, in Prague with the Prague Social Security Administration, and in Brno with the Municipal Social Security Administration. An employee of the Social Security Administration will draw up the application with you on the prescribed form and then forward it to the Czech Social Security Administration, which is responsible for deciding on it.

If a person is unable to file an application on their own due to ill health, that person's family members may file the application on his/her behalf, provided that they agree to it, on the basis of a doctor's certificate confirming the applicant’s state of health.

Step 2

The Czech Social Security Administration will assess whether you meet the statutory conditions for the renewal of your entitlement to a widow’s/widower’s pension. If you meet the conditions, the Czech Social Security Administration will issue a written decision granting the pension, stating when the pension will be reinstated and in what amount. If you do not meet the statutory conditions, you will receive a reasoned written decision rejecting your application for the renewal of your entitlement to a widow’s/widower’s pension.

Step 3

The Czech Social Security Administration will assess whether you meet the statutory conditions for the renewal of your entitlement to a widow’s/widower’s pension. If you meet the conditions, the Czech Social Security Administration will issue a written decision granting the pension, stating when the pension will be reinstated and in what amount. If you do not meet the statutory conditions, you will receive a reasoned written decision rejecting your application for the renewal of your entitlement to a widow’s/widower’s pension.

Additional information

What is the benefit of this service

A widow/widower whose has previously ceased to be entitled to a widow’s/widower’s pension will again begin to receive financial support in the form of a widow’s/widower’s pension in order to meet their living costs and maintain their standard of living after the loss of their spouse.

Appeal options

N/A