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Prague Dental ClinicsAn Independent Guide

Guide

How to Register with a Dentist in the Czech Republic

A step-by-step guide for expats: finding a Czech dentist who accepts new patients, what to bring, insurance, and what to do if every practice is full.

By Prague Dental Clinics Editorial Team Last updated

In the Czech Republic you normally register with one general dentist (registrující zubní lékař). That dentist looks after your check-ups and routine treatment, and refers you to specialists when needed. Dentists with a public insurance contract must formally register every insured patient they take into their care. This guide explains how to find a dentist who will take you, and what to do if you can’t.

Quick summary

  1. Check what health insurance you have: Czech public insurance, or private insurance for foreigners.
  2. Find dentists near you who have a contract with your insurer and are accepting new patients.
  3. Contact them, preferably by email, and ask to register.
  4. Bring your insurance card, ID and any dental records to your first visit.
  5. If nobody will take you, ask your health insurer for help. VZP, for example, helps its clients find a contracted dentist through its branches and infoline. You can also start with our list of dentists in Prague with a VZP contract.

Step 1: Check your health insurance

Which dentists you can use, and what you’ll pay, depends on your insurance.

  • Czech public health insurance. People with permanent residence and employees of employers based in the Czech Republic are in the public system, among others. Since 2024, children under 18 with a long-term residence permit are included too. Basic dental care is covered at dentists who have a contract with your insurer.
  • Private (commercial) health insurance for foreigners. Foreigners outside the public system need proof of health insurance for a long-term visa or residence permit. Dental cover under these policies is usually limited to urgent treatment, up to a yearly cap. Check your policy.
  • EU/EEA and Swiss citizens visiting Prague. Your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) covers treatment at dentists who have a contract with a Czech public insurer.

See our guide to Czech health insurance and dental coverage for what is and isn’t covered.

Step 2: Find dentists who accept new patients

This can be the hardest part, especially in Prague. In 2022 the Czech Dental Chamber reported that 27.7% of insured people in Prague weren’t registered with a dentist, against about 17% nationally. Some ways to find a dentist:

  • The Czech Dental Chamber’s directory at dent.cz/zubni-lekari lists dentists by location.
  • Your health insurer. Each insurer publishes a search of the dentists it has contracts with, and can advise you by phone or at a branch.
  • Our directory. Each clinic profile shows whether the clinic says it is accepting new patients, and when we last checked. Browse all clinics.
  • Ask around. Colleagues, neighbours and local expat groups often know practices that have recently opened their lists.

Ask specifically whether the dentist will register you (registrace) as a regular patient. Some practices only offer one-off or fully private treatment.

Step 3: Contact the practice

A short email in English, or in simple Czech if you can, often works better than a phone call. Include:

  • your name and date of birth,
  • your health insurance company and insurance number,
  • that you’d like to register as a new patient,
  • any urgent problem, such as pain or a broken filling,
  • which languages you speak.

Before the first visit, ask whether any part of it won’t be covered by your insurance, so you know the cost in advance.

Step 4: Your first visit

Bring:

  • your health insurance card (průkaz pojištěnce) or private policy details,
  • passport or residence card,
  • any dental records or X-rays from your previous dentist, and a list of medications and allergies.

When you register, you and the dentist sign a registration form; you keep one copy. The dentist usually examines your teeth fully and may suggest a treatment plan. For anything not fully covered by insurance, ask for the price before treatment starts. VZP says dentists should always tell patients in advance what is covered and what they’ll pay for.

Regular check-ups

With public insurance, adults are entitled to one covered preventive check-up a year, children and teenagers under 18 to two a year, and pregnant women to two a year. Keep your check-ups up to date. Some insurers’ bonus programmes, such as contributions to dental hygiene, are conditional on regular check-ups.

Changing dentist

You can change your registered dentist, but no more often than once every three months.

Registering children

Children are registered with a children’s dentist (dětský zubní lékař) or with a general dentist who treats children. Children’s places can be hard to find in Prague, so it’s worth starting early. See children’s dentists in Prague.

If no dentist will register you

  1. Contact your health insurer. A dentist with a contract may refuse to register you only for reasons set out in law (for example, a full patient list), and must give the reason in writing if you ask. Tell your insurer which practices you’ve tried. VZP clients can call the VZP infoline on 952 222 222 or visit a VZP branch.
  2. Use a private clinic in the meantime. Clinics without an insurance contract can see you without registration and charge you directly. You get treatment while you keep looking.
  3. Use emergency services for urgent problems. You don’t need to be registered to get urgent care; VZP notes that the law guarantees patients’ right to urgent care. See emergency dentist in Prague.

Useful Czech words

EnglishCzech
Dentistzubní lékař / zubař
Registrationregistrace
New patientsnoví pacienti
Check-uppreventivní prohlídka
Emergency servicepohotovost
Health insurance cardprůkaz pojištěnce
Toothachebolest zubu

Sources