Expat Parents In The Czech Republic Will Need To Get New Official ID Cards For Their Kids

Expat parents in the Czech Republic will need to get official ID cards for their kids from the age of six.

Once the relevant law is passed, the cards will be mandatory, and are expected to be useful for proving age on public transport or when children are travelling with a parent with a different surname. At some time in the future, the personal ID number on the cards is to be replaced by electronically readable data, as the government feels the present system can be seen as an invasion of personal privacy.

The current ID cards show a photo of the holder, a four digit code and the holder’s date of birth, making it easy to calculate a person’s age, with using the same set of details for a variety of transactions now considered risky as regards abuse and fraud. The age of six years was chosen for two reasons, the first being that children in the republic start school at six years old and the second as six years is the time limit for fathers to deny paternity. The government feels strongly that all children should have the certainty of knowing who their father is.

The proposed change to an electronic data ID able to be regularly updated is seen as giving users far more data protection, with younger children’s cards reissued every five years and adults’ card renewed every 10 years. At present, some 353,000 children under 15 years old have ID cards, with all minors required to have one once the change becomes law. However, minors will not be expected to carry their cards at all times.

The republic is home to some 1.7 million minors out of the total population of 10.7 million. It’s not yet reported how many expat families with minor children will be affected, but the law seems fairly straightforward at present. The changes are expected to take two years to implement, and will become law at the same time as a new EU regulation bringing in ID card biometrics is enforced. It’s not yet known whether expat children will need the EU card as well as its Czech version.