Who are EU Citizens and Their Family Members

Who is an EU citizen?

An EU citizen is a citizen of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. Rights similar to those of the EU citizens also apply to the citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland and some citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, who can apply even after the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the EU (after BREXIT).


Who is an EU citizen’s family member?

An EU citizen’s family member is a family member of a citizen of any of the aforementioned countries, including a family member of a Czech citizen with permanent residence in the Czech Republic.

There are close and distant family members.

A close family member of an EU citizen is:

  • a spouse,
  • a same-sex registered partner,
  • a parent who is the primary carer of an EU citizen under 21 years of age,
  • an EU citizen’s offspring (a child, grandchild) who is under 21 years of age,
  • an offspring of an EU citizen’s spouse who is under 21 years of age,
  • an offspring or an ancestor (parents, grandparents) of an EU citizen who is or immediately before his/her entrance in the Czech Republic was dependent on the support or primary care (satisfaction of essential needs) of the EU citizen,
  • an offspring or ancestor of an EU citizen’s spouse who is or immediately before his/her entrance in the Czech Republic was dependent on the support or primary care (satisfaction of essential needs) of the EU citizen.

A distant family member of an EU citizen is:

  • another family member (e.g. a sibling, cousin, aunt or uncle) who, at the same time:
    a) is supported by this citizen in their country of origin, or
    b) is a member of this citizen’s household in their country of origin, or
    c) requires personal care of this citizen for serious medical reasons,
  • his/her partner with whom they live together, if they provide evidence of the long-term partnership.