Birth
The parents of a child born in the Czech Republic have a number of bureaucratic requirements to fulfil. If a child is born in the Czech Republic to a foreign national, the duty to report the birth lies with the hospital in which the child was born. This hospital must report the birth to the Registry Office. The clerk at the registry office enters the newly born child into the Birth register and issues a Czech birth certificate (to be collected by the parents).
In order to make sure that the child’s birth certificate is accepted and recognized in the parents’ native country (or the country in which the parent was last registered as a permanent resident), the Czech birth certificate that is issued by the Registry Office must be translated into the parents’ mother tongue by a court-appointed Czech translator and the translation must then be certified by the local municipal authority. (This process is referred to as “super legalization”. Parents can inquire from their consulate as to whether or not their country requires this type of apostille certification.)
Once the above steps have been completed, the parents have to contact their consulate and request having the child entered into their passports or apply for the child’s own travel document.
When a pregnant woman, who is an EU national, but not a permanent resident of the Czech Republic, is being admitted to a maternity hospital, she should be able to provide the European Health Insurance Card (the hospital needs to be assured that the costs for the delivery will be covered).
Marriage
In the Czech Republic, two people can enter into a marriage through either a civil or religious ceremony. If the couple gets married through a civil ceremony, any subsequent religious ceremonies are without consequences. However, if a couple gets married through a religious ceremony, they cannot subsequently be married through a civil ceremony. The law covering marriage is the Family Act. This act regulates marriage and divorce, other legal aspects of a marriage and related property ownership issues.
Any person who is single and at least 18 years of age can get married. Persons under the age of 18 can only get married with the approval of a court. A marriage between close relatives, between a child and a parent and between an adopted child and the adopting parent is prohibited.
A couple can get married in any of the following ways:
- At the Registry Office in the location where one of the two persons getting married has their official permanent residence (or, where one of them was last registered as a permanent resident), or, at any other Registry Office. [Note: all residents in the Czech Republic must be registered with a “permanent residence address”1
- At a municipal office or the office of a municipal district or the office of the municipal area of a statutory city, which falls within the jurisdiction of a Registry Office and which concurrently does not act as a Registry Office, provided that at least one of the two persons getting married is a permanent resident of that municipality. In front of an official representing a state-registered church or religious organization. ? If neither of two persons getting married is or ever was a permanent resident of the Czech Republic, the marriage is the responsibility of the Registry Office serving the area in which the couple is getting married. If the couple plans to get married in front of an authority other than the Registry Office which has jurisdiction over the marriage or at any other appropriate location, the couple must contact the Registry Office in the area where one of the two persons has a permanent residence. This Registry Office will provide detailed information.
Compared to other European countries, the Czech Republic is a country with an above average divorce rate.
In 2006, this rate saw 49% of all marriages having ended in divorce. In the early 1990′s, this divorce rate in the CR was approximately 35%.
Divorce
In the Czech Republic, if there are problems with a marriage, which cannot be reconciled, the couple can file for a divorce. However, a divorce cannot be in conflict with the interests of any minor children. A marriage is divorced by a court with the respective jurisdiction. Before a divorce decision is reached, the issues related to the subsequent care for any minor children must be resolved. Issues related to the custody of minor children after the marriage is divorced must be resolved by the court in the case of any type of divorce. A separate filing regarding the custody of children is filed with the court and the court will review the custody matters in a hearing that is separate from the actual divorce proceedings. There are three types of divorce in the Czech Republic: negotiated, standard and aggravated divorce.
Death
A person should always leave a will specifying the settlement of his or her estate upon death. The will should be written and signed in the person’s own hand; and, if this is not possible, the will has to be signed by the deceased and by two separate witnesses. If a person dies without leaving a will, the estate is settled by a court in accordance with the legal requirements established in the Civil Code.
If a person dies, funeral arrangements have to be taken care of and the will of the deceased has to be executed. Funeral arrangements are arranged through local funeral services, which can also assist the family members of the deceased with any necessary funeral arrangements. Direct family members of the deceased can qualify for a financial contribution to cover the costs of the funeral arrangements. A widow or a widower and her or his children can qualify for social security allowances, which are referred to as a widow’s or widower’s or orphan’s pension.
Cultural and socila life
Among the things that foreigners like the most about the Czech Republic are its historic sights, nature, beer and the capital city of Prague. Among the activities enjoyed by younger members of the Czech population are sports, learning of foreign languages and entertainment. The older part of the population prefers watching TV, doing things at home, taking care of children and engaging in various types of hobbies and interests, which include maintaining and spending time in country cottages.
This activity has become somewhat of a Czech tradition over the past years, partly due to the Czech tradition of camping and hiking and partly due to the travel restrictions under the communist regime. The Czech Republic also offers many other cultural activity options. General leisure time activities include going to the theatre, concerts and cinema, visiting historical monuments, such as the country’s old castles and chateaus and various religious sights which are abundant throughout the country. Although a small country, the Czech Republic has and unusual places such as subterranean caves.