Personal Identity Number
A personal identity number is a piece of personal data that all Czech citizens as well as foreigners staying in the Czech Republic temporarily or permanently must have. Foreign nationals are assigned a personal identity number by the Ministry of the Interior.
What do you need a personal identity number for?
A personal identity number is a piece of data necessary for communication with some authorities and institutions, e.g. schools, banks, insurance companies and doctors. Also, without a personal identity number it is not possible to close some contracts or get a mortgage.
How do you find out your personal identity number?
You can find your personal identity number on your biometric card, registration certificate or residence permit document.
If you cannot find your personal identity number on your documents, it is most likely because:
a) you have already been assigned a personal identity number but it is not included in the document yet
This situation can occur if:
- you reside in the Czech Republic with a long-term visa. That is because a visa does not include a personal identity number.
- You will be assigned a personal identity number after you are issued a biometric card, registration certificate or residence permit document.
b) you have not been assigned a personal identity number yet.
This situation can occur if:
- The Ministry of the Interior has not applied for a personal identity number for you yet.
- The Ministry has applied for the personal identity number but it has not been assigned yet.
You can learn whether you have been assigned a personal identity number or not in person at a Ministry office or by phone on our hotline for foreigners. If you need to know what your personal identity number is, the Ministry staff will tell you in person at the office, but not on the phone.
How can you obtain a personal identity number?
The Ministry of the Interior will assign a personal identity number to you ex officio – i.e., you do not need to explicitly ask for it. The employees of the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy will request that a personal identity number be assigned to you, usually at your first visit to the Ministry office (e.g. during registration upon your arrival in the country or registration certificate application). In order to request that a personal identity number be assigned to you, the staff need to know some of your personal information:
- First and last names
- Maiden name
- Place of birth – a particular city, town or village written in a way that they are possible to be looked up on a map online. It is not admissible to state, for example, only a region or an area of birth.
- First and last names of the parents, including maiden names
The Ministry of the Interior will not actively inform you that you have been assigned a personal identity number. You can learn whether you have been assigned a personal identity number or not in person at a Ministry office or by phone on our hotline for foreigners. If you need to know what your personal identity number is, the Ministry staff will tell you in person at the office, but not on the phone.
You have been assigned a personal identity number but it is not included in the document yet. What can you do?
You can go to a Ministry of the Interior office in person. There you will receive an individual document with the personal identity number you have been assigned. You can make an appointment online to do this.
If you need, upon verification, you can also learn your personal identity number from the information desk staff. If you have been already issued an individual document with your assigned personal identity number, you can apply for its duplicate. You must pay 100 CZK in the form of stamps for it.
You have not been assigned a personal identity number yet. What can you do?
The time limit to assign a personal identity number is 30 days. In some cases, however, the administrative proceedings can take longer, for example, if the request for a personal identity number includes erroneous information. If you have been waiting for a personal identity number for more than 4 months, we recommend that you go to a Ministry of the Interior office and consult the Ministry employees. You can make an appointment online to do so.
In some cases, it can also happen that a personal identity number has not been requested yet. Take residence with a long-term visa for example – in this case, you must get registered with the Foreign Police, who do not request a personal identity number though. A similar situation applies to EU citizens. In such case, we also recommend that you visit a Ministry of the Interior office and consult the Ministry staff about requesting a personal identity number. You can make an appointment online to do so.