Vaccination for EXPATS

In this post, you will find some useful information about the vaccination in the Czech Republic and how it works (and does not work).

At first, I would like to emphasize that your nationality is not decisive. If you are an insured person of a Czech public health insurance company and you are entitled to reimbursement of health services from public health insurance funds, you may register for vaccination.

Foreign nationals insured in another Member State of the European Union who are entitled to so-called full care in the Czech Republic (holders of the S1 entitlement document), or who are entitled in the Czech Republic to the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) necessary care can be vaccinated for free. These persons are registered with the number, which they obtain after they have registered with one of the seven Czech public health insurance companies (so-called “výpomocné pojištění“). Vaccination of foreign nationals who do not fall into any of the above categories is currently being negotiated.

Registration for vaccination takes place in two steps:

The first step is registration, at the beginning of which you fill in the phone number. You will receive an SMS with the verification code PIN1. After filling in this code, you will enter information about yourself (name, permanent residence, birth number (ID), number and name of your health insurance company) and select the place where you want to get vaccinated. Registration for vaccination takes place through a central reservation system which is only in Czech: Registrace na očkování – Zadání tel. čísla – Odběry COVID (mzcr.cz)

The second step is booking. When the date is released at the vaccination center of your choice, you will receive an invitation SMS message with the PIN2 code. After entering this code, you will book a date. An invitation SMS means that the vaccine site has free doses of vaccine available. After registration, the vaccination date can be booked at the link (also in English): Očkování Covid-19 | Reservatic

Depending on the type of vaccine, vaccination will take place on one or two dates. The reservation concerns the date of administration of the first dose of vaccine. The system automatically assigns the date of the second dose with an interval of 28 days. An identity card and an insured person’s card must be brought for the vaccination itself.

And here are some FAQ:

Will everyone get vaccinated?

Yes. The Czech Republic has ordered a sufficient number of vaccines for all its inhabitants.

Who can be vaccinated?

Vaccination is paid for by public health insurance, and therefore all persons who are registered for public health insurance in the Czech Republic can be vaccinated.

Who is the vaccination suitable for?

Vaccines are being developed for adults. At least initially, they will not be suitable for children or pregnant women. In order to gain collective immunity, 65-70% of the population must be vaccinated.