Terminal Illness & End-of-Life Planning in Czechia: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Coordinate Palliative Care, Home Nursing, and Health Insurance Coverage

   • Specialist palliative and hospice care referrals: Ask your family member's attending specialist or registering general practitioner (praktický lékař) for a referral to an inpatient hospice (lůžkový hospic), a hospital palliative care team, or a mobile specialised palliative care provider (mobilní specializovaná paliativní péče) [1] [2]. In Czechia, medical palliative and home nursing services (domácí zdravotní péče) prescribed by a physician are reimbursed through mandatory public health insurance (Všeobecná zdravotní pojišťovna - VZP or departmental health insurers) [1].
   • Integrated social care services: For daily personal assistance, hygiene, and household support alongside medical nursing, arrange registered social care services (pečovatelská služba or osobní asistence) accredited under Czech Act No. 108/2006 Coll. on Social Services, which can be financed using the statutory Care Allowance [1] [2].
   • Medical equipment and home adaptations: Your family member's physician or palliative care provider can prescribe home medical aids (zdravotnické prostředky), such as adjustable beds, oxygen concentrators, and mobility aids, covered by public health insurance or supported through special aid grants from the Labour Office of the Czech Republic (Úřad práce České republiky) [1] [2].
2. 2

   Record Advance Healthcare Directives (*Dříve vyslovené přání*) and Medical Proxies

   • Statutory advance directive (Dříve vyslovené přání): Under Section 36 of Czech Act No. 372/2011 Coll. on Health Services, an adult patient with full legal capacity may record an advance healthcare directive consenting to or refusing specific future medical treatments should they become unable to express their wishes [1] [5]. To be legally binding, the directive must be in writing, must be preceded by a written medical explanation from a physician regarding the consequences of the decision, and must bear an officially verified signature (úředně ověřený podpis) at a Czech POINT office or before a notary [1] [5].
   • Directive recorded directly during hospitalisation: Alternatively, your family member may record their advance treatment preferences directly into their medical chart upon admission to a hospital or hospice; this entry must be signed by the patient, the attending physician, and one witness [1].
   • Designating a surrogate decision-maker and access to medical records: Under the Health Services Act and the Czech Civil Code, your family member can explicitly designate a trusted person (osoba určená pacientem) in their medical documentation who is authorised to inspect health records, receive confidential clinical updates, and grant or refuse consent to healthcare interventions if the patient loses capacity and no advance directive covers the situation [1] [5].
3. 3

   Execute Financial and Legal Powers of Attorney and Bank Mandates

   • General and special powers of attorney (Plná moc): While your family member retains full legal capacity (svéprávnost), prepare a written power of attorney under the Czech Civil Code empowering a trusted representative to deal with public authorities, tax offices, postal services, and property administration [5] [6]. For transactions requiring high legal certainty or real estate dealings with the Czech Office for Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre, have the signature officially verified at a Czech POINT counter or execute the mandate as a notarial deed (notářský zápis) before a notary registered with the Notarial Chamber of the Czech Republic (Notářská komora České republiky) [6].
   • Preventive guardianship declaration (Předběžné prohlášení): Under Sections 38 to 44 of the Czech Civil Code, an adult anticipating a future loss of capacity may execute a preventive declaration (předběžné prohlášení) - either as a notarial deed or signed before two disinterested witnesses - specifying how their affairs should be managed and who should be appointed as guardian if a court ever needs to restrict capacity [6].
   • Bank account disposal rights (Dispoziční právo): Czech banks generally require their own internal account mandate forms rather than a general civil power of attorney. Arrange for your family member to register an authorised account user (disponent) via online banking, at a branch, or through a mobile notary visit, and clarify with the bank which mandates remain valid if capacity declines [5] [6].
4. 4

   Activate Care Allowance, Disability Pensions, and Caregiver Benefits

   • Care Allowance (Příspěvek na péči): If your family member requires regular assistance from another person in basic daily life needs due to a long-term unfavourable health condition, apply for the Care Allowance via the Public Administration Portal (Portál veřejné správy) or at the regional branch of the Labour Office of the Czech Republic under the oversight of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (Ministerstvo práce a sociálních věcí) [1] [2]. The benefit is graded across four dependence levels (Grades I to IV) following a social inquiry and medical assessment [1].
   • Disability pension (Invalidní důchod): Where the illness reduces working capacity by at least 35 percent (tiered into first, second, and third degree disability), file a disability pension claim with the Czech Social Security Administration (Česká správa sociálního zabezpečení - ČSSZ) either at a district office (OSSZ) or online through the ePortal of the Czech Social Security Administration [2] [3] [4].
   • Long-term caregiver allowance (Dlouhodobé ošetřovné): Employed family members who provide home care following at least a four-day hospitalisation or for an incurable palliative condition requiring terminal care can claim Long-Term Caregiver Allowance (dlouhodobé ošetřovné) from the Czech Social Security Administration for up to 90 calendar days, with statutory job protection during the care period [2] [4].
5. 5

   Review the Will, Civil Status Records, and Cross-Border Estate Planning

   • Drafting and registering a valid will (Závěť): While Czech law permits holographic (handwritten) wills and wills signed before two witnesses, executing the will as a notarial deed with a notary of the Notarial Chamber of the Czech Republic ensures immediate registration in the Central Register of Wills (Evidence právních jednání pro případ smrti) so it is automatically located during future probate [5] [6]. Keep in mind that under the Czech Civil Code, descendants are forced heirs (nepominutelní dědicové) entitled to a compulsory share (three-quarters of their statutory share for minor children and one-quarter for adult children) unless statutory grounds for disinheritance apply [5] [6].
   • Consolidating civil and property records: Assemble your family member's citizen ID, birth and marriage certificates, real estate title extracts, pension decisions, and life insurance policies (checking whether insurance contracts name a specific beneficiary obmyšlená osoba, which pays out outside succession proceedings) [5].
   • Cross-border coordination: If your family member holds foreign nationality, has family members living abroad, or owns assets in another country, consult a Czech notary on including an explicit choice-of-law clause under EU Succession Regulation (EU) No 650/2012 and obtaining Apostilles on powers of attorney intended for cross-border use [5] [6].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Care Allowance (Příspěvek na péči) - Official Service Guide S500 — Public Administration Portal of the Czech Republic (portal.gov.cz)
2. [2]
   Support for Persons with Disabilities and Care Benefits — Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MPSV)
3. [3]
   Types of Pensions in the Czech Republic (Druhy důchodů) — Czech Social Security Administration (ČSSZ)
4. [4]
   Online Pension Application - ePortal of the Czech Social Security Administration — Czech Social Security Administration (ČSSZ)
5. [5]
   Succession Proceedings and Legal Dispositions in Case of Death (INF-82) — Public Administration Portal of the Czech Republic (portal.gov.cz)
6. [6]
   Notarial Chamber of the Czech Republic - Notarial Services and Registers — Notářská komora České republiky