Czechia
Digital Nomad Visa / Long-Stay (Živno): health insurance requirements
Yes: health insurance is required
Yes, with a strict local-insurer rule. For a Czech long-term visa, whether the traditional Živno freelancer route or the newer Digital Nomad Programme, you must hold comprehensive health insurance of at least €400,000 per event with no cost-sharing, from an insurer authorised in the Czech Republic. A home-country or travel policy is not accepted for the long-term stage. The Digital Nomad Programme is open only to a set list of nationalities (including the US, UK, Canada and Australia).
The requirements at a glance
| Minimum coverage | €400,000 |
|---|---|
| Minimum policy duration | Full duration of stay |
| Local-licensed insurer required | Yes: international IPMI alone is usually rejected |
| Accepted proof | Comprehensive health insurance with a limit of at least €400,000 per insured event and no cost-sharing, issued by an insurer authorised in the Czech Republic. Home-country and travel policies are not accepted for the long-term visa. (Until 20 September 2023 only PVZP could provide it; now any Czech-authorised insurer can.) |
Two routes: (a) the long-term business visa on a trade licence (živnostenské oprávnění, 'Živno'), with proof of funds of about 156,500 CZK; (b) the Digital Nomad Programme (2023, expanded February 2025), open to a set list of nationalities (including the US, UK, Canada and Australia), requiring three years of IT experience or a STEM degree and income of at least 1.5× the Czech average salary. Both require the Czech-authorised comprehensive insurance above.
Our take
Czechia is the strictest in this set on insurer identity: your international plan will not satisfy the long-term visa, you must buy a Czech-authorised comprehensive policy at €400,000.
Budget for it, and keep international cover separately for medical evacuation and travel outside Czechia, which the local policy is not built for.
What happens if you get it wrong
Submitting a home-country or travel policy for the long-term visa is rejected outright; it must be a Czech-authorised comprehensive policy.
A policy below the €400,000 limit, or one with cost-sharing, does not qualify.
Interactive
Verified pricesWhat would it cost in Czechia without insurance?
You pay, out of pocket
$6,000–$11,000
A surgery package and admission; indicative.
Bars to scale. A flight home is in another league.
That is the bill you carry alone. Insurance exists for exactly this.
See what cover costsTypical private-care estimates for illustration, not a quote. Actual bills vary by hospital, city and severity.
FAQ
Comprehensive health insurance of at least €400,000 per event with no cost-sharing, from an insurer authorised in the Czech Republic. A home-country or travel policy is not accepted.
For the long-term visa, yes. Until September 2023 only PVZP offered it; now any Czech-authorised insurer can, but it must be a Czech-licensed comprehensive policy.
Nationals of a set list of countries (including the US, UK, Canada and Australia) with three years of IT experience or a STEM degree, earning at least 1.5× the Czech average salary.
The long-term business visa on a trade licence (živnostenské oprávnění), used by freelancers for years, with proof of funds of about 156,500 CZK. It carries the same Czech-insurer rule.
Not for the long-term visa, it requires a Czech-authorised policy. Keep your international plan in addition, for evacuation and travel outside Czechia.
Reviewed by Lukas Schönberg, Founder & researcher, Nomad Insurance Broker OÜ
Nomad Insurance Broker OÜ (Estonia) is an information and matching platform, not currently registered as a regulated insurance intermediary in any jurisdiction. See /how-it-works for the full disclosure.
Source: ipc.gov.czLast verified
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