Before returning to the Czech Republic

Verify the validity of your documents

If you wish to travel to the Czech Republic, you will need documents – if you do not have an identity card nor a passport, be sure to apply in time at the Czech embassy abroad to issue you a passport (or travel card). If your child was born abroad, ask the Czech embassy to register your child´s birth at the special registry office in Brno and issue a Czech birth certificate – see below for details.

You should have any official documents issued abroad which require higher verification or an apostille to be accepted in the Czech Republic verified accordingly before your departure to the Czech Republic (e.g. foreign birth, marriage, and death certificate, university diploma, naturalization certificate, court decision etc.).

Passports can be arranged for at the Czech embassy in London or Manchester. Appointments can be made by phone (+44 (0) 207 243 7931) or e-mail consulate.london@embassy.mzv.cz.

If for serious reasons you need to leave the foreign country immediately and you find yourself in an emergency situation, such as due to loss of employment, accommodation etc., you can apply for a passport for the purpose of returning to the Czech Republic and acquire an identity card at the appropriate authorities after returning to the Czech Republic.

In order to receive a passport, you will need to submit:

• your photograph (size 5x5 cm),
• certification of Czech citizenship no more than 12 months old,
• the relevant Czech registry documents (birth certificate, marriage certificate),
• declaration on citizenship – you can fill this in before coming to the embassy, thus shortening the time necessary to process your request.

More detailed information regarding the issuing of a passport or travel card in Great Britain can be found here:
https://www.mzv.cz/london/cz/konzularni_a_vizove_informace/cestovni_doklady_cr/index.html

Information regarding the submission of an application for documents in Great Britain can be found here: https://www.mzv.cz/london/cz/konzularni_a_vizove_informace/statoobcanska_agenda/informace_k_zadosti_o_zjisteni_statniho.html

You must present a Czech birth certificate to be issued a passport. If your child was born abroad, you will first need a birth certificate issued by the country in which your child was born. If you do not have it, you will need to acquire it.

In Great Britain, birth certificates (their copies) are issued by registry offices relevant to the place of birth. More information can be found here:
https://www.mzv.cz/london/cz/konzularni_a_vizove_informace/uzitecne_informace_pro_ceske_obcany_v_uk/informace_o_moznosti_ziskani_britskych.html

In England and Wales, birth certificates or their duplicates can be also issued by the General Register Office when concerning events older than 6 months. More information can be found here:
https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/default.asp

You must take into account that when submitting applications via Czech embassies abroad, longer administrative periods apply for the processing of all necessary documents (in terms of weeks or months even), and for capacity reasons it is usually necessary to schedule an appointment. We therefore recommend making the necessary arrangements as early as possible!

Secure financial means

Obtain medical documents

Medical documents are necessary especially if you or your children suffer from a serious medical condition. You can acquire a medical report from your physician or the specialist who is treating you. Children´s medical documents (including undergone vaccinations) in Great Britain are stated in the Personal Child Health Record (PCHR or „red book“).

In Great Britain, it is possible to view medical documents online in certain cases. You can find more information about access do medical documents here:
https://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/thenhs/records/healthrecords/Pages/what_to_do.aspx

Request documents regarding children's education

Your child´s certificate of compulsory education can be acquired at the school which your child attends. It is important that you request and acquire this document before leaving Great Britain, because schools are not allowed to send this document by mail or provide it to a third party (for reasons of GDPR – personal data protection). If possible, bring all the school reports or similar documents and ask the school abroad for a document setting out the content and scope of the education undergone by your child. The documents in question are „certificate“ and „a document setting out the content and scope of the education“.

The Czech Republic does not have an agreement with Great Britain which would require it to recognize certificates acquired in Great Britain as equivalent. In order to document the successful conclusion of elementary education, you will need to submit an application for the recognition of a foreign school report.

Terminate your contractual obligations (e.g. accommodation and associated services, employment, various financial obligations)

Employment and entrepreneurship

• Before leaving Great Britain, you must inform the tax office (HMRC) that you will be living in a different country. You can do so by filling in form P85. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/tax-right-retire-abroad-return-to-uk
• If you worked abroad, then support during unemployment will be usually paid to you by the country where you last worked. Apply in the country in question for support during unemployment before departing to the Czech Republic. If you worked abroad (within the EU, in Norway, Lichtenstein, Switzerland or Iceland), acquire the U1 European form to register at a labour office in the Czech Republic.
• If you are planning to apply for payments of support during unemployment from a foreign country to the Czech Republic, acquire the U2 form.
• If you worked abroad, make sure to also acquire other documents regarding your employment throughout the duration of your stay abroad – particularly employment contracts, payslips, and confirmation of employment termination.
• For the purposes of health insurance, acquire a certificate regarding your health insurance period abroad.

Accommodation etc.

Do not forget to terminate all your service provisions abroad which you will no longer be utilizing (etc. apartment rent, phone operator services, internet, or power supplies), so that you do not accumulate debt!