Do Children Need Their Own ID When Staying at Accommodation in Czechia?

1. Czech children: an identity card is compulsory from age 15

Under Section 3 of Act No. 269/2021 Coll., on Identity Cards, Czech citizens with permanent residence in the Czech Republic are required to have an identity card (občanský průkaz) from the age of 15.

An identity card can be issued to a child under 15 at the request of their legal representative, but having one is not compulsory.

This means:

• A newborn does not need to have their own Czech identity card.
• A 5-year-old does not need to have their own Czech identity card.
• A 14-year-old does not need to have their own Czech identity card.
• From the age of 15, a Czech citizen with permanent residence in the Czech Republic must have an identity card.

However, the fact that a child is not required to have an identity card does not automatically mean that the accommodation provider is exempt from recording the child’s details.

2. What information must accommodation providers record?

If a municipality has introduced the local accommodation fee (poplatek z pobytu), the accommodation provider must maintain a guest register under Section 3g of Act No. 565/1990 Coll., on Local Fees.

The register must be maintained for each establishment or place where paid accommodation is provided.

Among other things, it must contain:

• The start and end dates of the stay.
• The guest’s first name and surname.
• Their registered address or equivalent address abroad.
• Their date of birth.
• The type and number of their identity document.
• The amount of the fee collected or the reason for an exemption.

The law recognises several types of identity documents, including national identity cards, travel documents and certain residence permits.

Importantly, Section 3g does not establish a general exemption from the guest-register requirements for children under 15 or under 18.

This creates a practical question: how should an accommodation provider record a child who does not have their own identity document?

The Local Fees Act does not expressly establish a general procedure allowing the accommodation provider to substitute the parent’s document for the child’s own document.

We therefore do not recommend automatically entering a parent’s document number as though it belonged to the child. If a Czech child has no identity document, the accommodation provider should verify the correct procedure with the municipality’s local-fee administrator.

3. Children are exempt from the local accommodation fee

There is another important provision in Section 3b of Act No. 565/1990 Coll.

All persons under the age of 18 are exempt from the local accommodation fee.

This exemption applies regardless of nationality.

For example:

• A 10-year-old Czech child: exempt.
• A 12-year-old Slovak child: exempt.
• An 8-year-old German child: exempt.
• A 16-year-old child from a non-EU country: exempt.

Being exempt from the accommodation fee does not mean being exempt from the guest-register requirements.

Children must still be included in the guest register, even when no accommodation fee is collected for them. The reason for the exemption should be recorded.

4. Foreign children: Czech Foreign Police requirements

In addition to the guest register required under the Local Fees Act, accommodation providers must comply with Act No. 326/1999 Coll., on the Residence of Foreign Nationals in the Czech Republic.

For the purposes of this legislation, foreign nationals include citizens of other EU Member States.

Accommodation providers who provide paid accommodation to foreign nationals must report their accommodation to the Czech Foreign Police within three working days of the start of the stay.

Accommodation businesses operating as registered accommodation-service providers must fulfil this obligation through the Ubyport system.

Does a foreign child need their own travel document?

Under Section 103(b) of the Foreign Nationals Act, a foreign national is generally required to present the accommodation provider with an appropriate travel or residence document.

However, the law also distinguishes children under 15 from older guests when it comes to personally completing and signing the registration form.

Children under 15 are not required to personally complete and sign the registration form.

This distinction is important:

• A foreign child under 15 does not have to personally complete and sign the registration form.
• This does not automatically mean that the child is exempt from the accommodation provider’s reporting obligations.
• The accommodation provider must still report the child’s accommodation where required.

What if the child is included in a parent’s travel document?

The Czech Foreign Police explicitly addresses this situation in its official instructions for completing the foreign guest registration form.

If a foreign child under 18 is included in a parent’s travel document, the accommodation provider should:

1. Enter the number of the parent’s travel document in the travel-document-number field.
2. Add the note “ČÍSLO DOKLADU RODIČE” (PARENT’S DOCUMENT NUMBER).

This is an important distinction: the child must actually be included in the parent’s travel document. Simply travelling with a parent is not sufficient.

If a foreign child under 18 does not have their own travel document and is not included in a parent’s travel document, the Czech Foreign Police instructs accommodation providers to report this situation to the locally competent Foreign Police department.

The relevant instructions are published by the Czech Police under Vyplňování přihlašovacího tiskopisu (Completing the Registration Form).

5. EU citizens staying in Czechia

Citizens of other EU Member States are considered foreign nationals under Czech immigration legislation.

They can generally establish their identity using either:

• A valid national identity card issued by their country.
• A valid passport.

For children, the important question is whether they have their own valid document or are included in a parent’s travel document, where the relevant national rules allow this.

The fact that a child is travelling with a parent does not automatically allow the parent’s identity details to replace the child’s.

For example, a German, Austrian, Polish or Slovak child staying in Czechia is subject to the relevant Czech foreign-national accommodation reporting requirements, just like an adult citizen of that country.

If the child is included in the parent’s travel document, the Czech Foreign Police instructions described above apply.

If the child has neither their own travel document nor an entry in the parent’s document, the accommodation provider should contact the Foreign Police.

6. Children from non-EU countries

Children from countries outside the EU are also subject to the Czech Foreign Nationals Act.

The same basic principles apply: the child must be properly accounted for in the accommodation registration process.

Some countries allow children to be included in a parent’s travel document. Where such an entry exists, the accommodation provider can follow the Czech Foreign Police procedure described above.

If the child has no individual travel document and is not included in the parent’s document, the accommodation provider should report the situation to the locally competent Foreign Police department.

Do not assume that a parent’s passport can automatically be used for every child travelling with them.

7. Practical overview for accommodation providers

This table summarises the document requirements. It does not replace the separate assessment of the accommodation provider’s reporting and guest-register obligations.

8. What should accommodation providers do?

When accommodating a family with children, we recommend the following procedure:

1. Establish the age and nationality of every child.
2. Distinguish Czech citizens from foreign guests.
3. For foreign children, check their travel or residence documents and whether they are included in a parent’s travel document.
4. Include every child in the relevant guest records.
5. Do not confuse exemption from the accommodation fee with exemption from registration.
6. If a child has no individual identity document and the legislation does not clearly establish how to record them, contact the relevant municipality or Foreign Police department.