Quick overview
- The insurance number is used to uniquely identify a person in health and often social insurance.
- It corresponds to the birth number of most Czech citizens, but foreigners, newborns or persons without a birth number may be assigned a separate registration number.
- You will find it mainly on the health insurance card, in documents from the insurance company or in documents for payment and insurance records.
- If you fill in the number incorrectly, it may result in incorrect payment assignment, delays in communication with the office, or problems with insurance verification.
Are you dealing with a problem with your health insurance company, CSIS or incorrect personal information? Have your case reviewed. We can help you find out how to proceed and what rights you have against the office or the insurance company.
An insurance number is a special number used by health insurance companies to identify and track an individual’s health insurance. It is assigned to individual insured persons and listed on their health insurance cards. It is usually found on the front of the card, and in relation to it on other official documents. It is unique for each insured person.
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Tip: In the Czech Republic, when a child is born, he or she automatically becomes insured by the health insurance company of the mother on the day of birth. Newborns therefore have health insurance through the mother and are covered by her insurance company.
If the mother of the newborn has valid health insurance, she does not have to register the newborn separately with the health insurance company. However, she should inform the health insurer of the birth of the child so that the necessary information is updated and the correct registration of the newborn is ensured. However, this is usually done automatically, through the maternity hospital.
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Are you dealing with an insurance problem?
Not sure if the insurance company or office is working with the correct policy number? Incorrect data can cause problems when paying insurance premiums, communicating with the Social Security Agency or proving entitlement to health care. Describe your case to us and our attorneys can advise you on how to correct the error and who to contact.
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What is the purpose of the insurance number?
The main purpose of an insurance number is to identify and track individuals within their health insurance – this number will allow us to ensure correct matching of patient information, identification of the insured and recording of their health data, medical history, treatment and reimbursement of healthcare related costs. This facilitates communication and data sharing between different healthcare providers and ensures that the patient receives the medical care they need.
Reimbursement: The insurance number allows the tracking and billing of costs associated with the insured’s healthcare.
The insurance number is also used by the self-employed for regular social security payments. In order to make the correct reimbursement, you will need to know the account number where to send these payments. When making payments, it is also essential to provide the correct identifying information so that your payments are correctly matched and recorded.
To pay social insurance to self-employed persons, you can find the account number on the CSSA website in the contacts section under each territorial office. Check the account number carefully before sending the social insurance payment to the self-employed person to ensure that the correct transfer is made to the relevant account.
If you don’t know where to find the account number for your social insurance payment, contact your insurance company, which will be happy to provide you with the necessary information.
From our experience: a client as a self-employed person paid social insurance for several months, but the payments were not correctly allocated because she entered the wrong identifier in the payment details. It was only after she was asked to pay the alleged debt that she discovered that the money had gone out but had not been matched to her records. In a situation like this, it is important to track down the payment receipts, communicate with the office in writing and request a correction to the records, not just remit the amount without verification.
If an insurance company, CSRS or other agency tells you that you are in arrears due to a misattributed payment, don’t just address the matter over the phone. Have your supporting documents and written communication checked. Our legal team can help you prepare a response, claim or request for correction of records.
From the practice of a solicitor
In practice, we often find that the problem arises not because of the policy number itself, but because it is misstated on a form, employment contract, employee application or when paying premiums. This can result in a demand for additional premiums, confusion in the records or delays in processing the benefit or certificate. The most common mistake is to rely on telephone reassurance from the office or insurance company instead of having the correction confirmed in writing.
Is the insurance number the same as the birth number?
As a rule, there is an equivalence between the two numbers. The birth number is therefore used as the insurance number for health insurance and social security. The birth number is always designed in such a way that the date of birth and the sex of the person concerned can be determined from it. Persons born since 1954 have a ten-digit birth number.
The purpose of the birth number is to uniquely identify an individual within the nationality and is used in many different areas of government, such as various registries, tax offices, the welfare system and others. The handling of the birth number must meet certain requirements, which are regulated by special legislation.
The legal regulation of birth numbers can be found in particular in the Act on Population Registration. As the birth number allows for the unambiguous identification of a person, it is also personal data under the rules of the GDPR and the Act on the Processing of Personal Data.
In practice, this means that it can only be requested by someone who has a legal reason or other proper legal title to do so. Typically, this will be a health insurance company, the CSSA, an employer, a doctor, a bank or a public authority.
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Tip: The first two numbers of the birth number are the year of birth, the next two are the month of birth and the third two are the day of birth. In order to determine gender from the birth number, the second two numbers are added to the second two numbers for women. The next three digits after the slash indicate the order of birth on that day. The last digit of the number after the slash is for checking the validity and correctness of the birth number and is added so that the sum of the four numbers from the data part before the slash and the three numbers after it is divisible by eleven without remainder.
Foreigners and insurance number
Foreigners who are staying in the Czech Republic for a long period of time will initially receive an insurance registration number (EČP) from the district social security administration.
If the foreigner has not yet been assigned an insurance number, he or she fills in the “Existing insurance number” field on the forms, indicating his or her gender and date of birth.
Over time , foreigners may also be assigned a birth number. A foreigner who is not allowed to stay in the Czech Republic for more than 90 days and who has applied for a birth number in order to fulfil the conditions under special legislation (e.g. for study or employment purposes) may apply for a birth number.
If the foreigner is allowed to stay in the Czech Republic for more than 90 days, the birth number is assigned ex officio by the Ministry of the Interior – Department of Asylum and Migration Policy, competent according to the place of the foreigner’s permitted residence. It is therefore not necessary to apply for one. The request for a birth number is dealt with by the staff of the Asylum and Migration Policy Department, as a rule, during the first visit of the foreigner to the department (for example, when registering after arrival in the territory or when applying for a registration certificate).
From our experience: For foreigners, it may happen that one person appears in different systems under multiple identifiers. This typically happens when moving from an insured person’s registration number to a birth number. If the employer, the health insurance company or the CSSA use different data, problems may arise when checking insurance premiums or confirming the period of insurance. In such a situation, we recommend requesting the unification of the records in writing and attaching copies of the relevant documents.
Do you have any doubts whether the office or the insurance company is using the correct data? It is often important to act quickly and in writing for such administrative errors. An attorney can help you formulate your request so that it is clear what you are seeking and the basis on which the records should be corrected.
Summary
An insurance number is an identifying information used mainly in health and social security. It corresponds to the birth number of most Czech citizens, but foreigners, newborns or persons without a birth number may be assigned a separate registration number. It can be found on the health insurance card, in documents from the insurance company, at the CSZ or in the documents for premium payments. An incorrect number can cause incorrect payment assignment, a problem in the records or delays in communication with the authorities. If you find a discrepancy, resolve it in writing and attach documents that prove the correct information.
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Tip: You may work freelance for up to twelve hours a day, but if you or your child fall ill, you are much worse off than your friends with a contract and eight-hour days. Are there ways to improve your situation andget a better position as a self-employed person? This is what we have discussed in our article.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the insurance number always the same as the birth number?
Not always. For most Czech citizens, yes, but for foreigners, people without a birth number or temporary registration, the insurance number may be different.
Where can I find my insurance number?
Most often on a health insurance card. It can also be on documents from the health insurance company, on the CSSA’s records, or on documents used to pay premiums.
What should I do if I have entered the wrong insurance number on the form?
Contact the institution you sent the form to as soon as possible and ask for a correction. Ideally in writing so that it is clear when and how you have addressed the error.
Does the newborn have its own insurance number?
Yes, the child has been insured by the mother’s health insurance company since birth and the insurance company registers the child separately. In practice, the information is often transmitted through the maternity hospital, but parents should check that the child is actually registered.
What insurance number is given by a foreigner without a birth number?
The foreigner may use the registration number of the insured or another temporary identifier according to the instructions of the insurance company or the CSSA. It is always advisable to follow the specific form and documents issued by the institution.
