Submitting a pension application

A pension application is submitted by the applicant themselves. Alternatively, the applicant may authorise another person to submit the application on their behalf based on a power of attorney (official certification of the power of attorney is not required).

Online submission of an application by a representative on behalf of another person is possible. After logging in to the CSSA ePortal, it is necessary first to complete the form “Notification of Autorization for the Purpose of Online Pension Application”, select the status of the agent, and attach supporting documents such as a power of attorney (official certification is not required), a court decision, etc. The completed form is then electronically sent to the DSSA (RSSA). After the document is processed, the representation will appear on the ePortal within three to five days. The representative can then log in on behalf of the represented person and complete the pension application.

If an application is submitted in person, the procedure is the same, except that there is no three- to five-day waiting period.

Persons residing in another EU Member State or in a country with which the Czech Republic has concluded a bilateral social security agreement generally submit their Czech pension application in their country of residence through the local pension insurance institution. This institution then forwards the application to the CSSA. Pension applications can be submitted in the Czech Republic in two ways:

• Online (electronically) via the CSSA ePortal after logging in to the application (e.g. using a data mailbox, bank identity, or, in the EU, the International ID Gateway).
  • The Informative Pension Application (IDA) tool can be used as a support tool. This calculates a current estimate of the amount of the old-age pension, provides the pension retirement date, and allows for simple checks on pension insurance periods.
• In person at any DSSA (RSSA), or in Prague at any regional workplace of the Prague Social Security Administration (PSSA). A pension insurance department staff member will assist the applicant in completing the application.

Pension applications may also be submitted retroactively, except for applications for disability pension. Payment will be granted from the date the entitlement arose, with any unpaid instalments paid retroactively. The limit for pension payments going back is five years; after that, entitlement to back payments lapses.

Required documents and forms (except in the case of a widow’s/widower’s pension where the deceased was already receiving a pension)

• Roof of identity, such as an identity card, passport, or residence permit, is required;
• Proof of study, including incomplete studies
  • apprenticeship certificate;
  • annual reprt cards and final school-leaving certificate;
  • study recrd book (“index”), certificate of final state examination, diploma;
• School confirmation of study length (the education level itself does not directly affect a pension right or amount, but the length of study does; therefore, documentation of study duration must be submitted);
• Documents concerning periods of military service
  • military lgbook;
  • cnfirmation from the Administrative Archive of the Czech Army (located at Nám. Republiky 4, Olomouc);
• Documents proving child-raising or child care
  • children’s birth certificates r birth registry certificates, or other documents proving custody (e.g. a court ruling on adoption or custody), if these cannot be verified by the DSSA via the population register system
  • documents proving actual insurance periods or periods treated as periods of insurance (e.g. periods registered with the employment office, periods of care for a person dependent on another person’s care), which are not recorded in the informative personal record of pension insurance or are known to the applicant to be missing from CSSA records,
  • documents proving periods of employment and other insurance periods abroad.

Factors specific to the submission of an application, by pension type

Disability pension

Applicants receiving compensation for loss of earnings following the end of incapacity for work due to a work accident (occupational disease) must also submit confirmation from their employer stating the amount paid out. A disability pension is granted based on an assessment of the applicant’s state of health. A doctor from the Medical Assessment Institute will request the necessary medical reports and use them to determine the degree of reduction in work capacity. This assessment is usually carried out without the pension applicant’s personal attendance.

Orphan’s pension

When applying for an orphan’s pension, documents relating to the deceased parent and the dependent child must be submitted, including the child’s birth certificate or ID card and the deceased parent’s death certificate. If the child has completed compulsory schooling, further documents proving dependent status must be provided, such as a certificate of study. For children studying abroad, in addition to the certificate of study, a decision from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) is required, stating that the foreign study programme is considered equivalent to study in the Czech Republic.