Nursery and school for foreign children
Every child staying in the Czech Republic can go to a state primary school, whatever their residence status. School is compulsory from 6, and nursery is compulsory for the year before school. Public education is free, and children who don’t speak Czech get free Czech lessons.
Sources: the Education Act 561/2004, Decrees 48/2005 (primary school) and 14/2005 (nursery), and the Ministry of Education's pages on foreign pupils and nursery enrolment.
The enrolment dates changed in 2025. Many websites still give the old ones (April for school, May for nursery). The new periods are 15 January – 15 February for school and 15 March – 15 April for nursery (Act 239/2025).
At a glance
| Nursery (mateřská škola) | Primary school (základní škola) | |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory? | Only the last year before school, from age 5 | Yes: 9 years, from age 6 |
| Enrolment (zápis) | 15 March – 15 April | 15 January – 15 February |
| Starting during the year? | Possible, if there’s a place | Yes, any time after you arrive |
| Who can attend | Children with residence of over 90 days (§20(2)(d)) | Everyone staying in the Czech Republic (§20(2)(a)) |
| Cost at a state school | Up to about CZK 1,800 a month; free in the compulsory year | Free; you pay for lunches and the after-school club |
| Vaccinations needed? | Yes, except in the compulsory year | No |
Nursery (age 3–6)
The compulsory pre-school year
From the September after your child turns 5 until they start school, nursery is compulsory (§34(1)). This applies to EU citizens staying over 90 days, and to other foreigners with permanent residence or residence of over 90 days (§34a(1)). In practice it means 4 hours each working day, starting between 7:00 and 9:00, with school holidays off. That year is free at state nurseries.
Instead of nursery, you can choose home education, which must be reported at least 3 months before the school year starts. A foreign school in the Czech Republic counts only if the ministry has approved it (§34a(5)).
Getting a place
- When: the enrolment period runs from 15 March to 15 April. Each nursery sets its own day, so check the website of your local nurseries or your district office from February.
- Where: every address belongs to a catchment nursery (spádová mateřská škola). It must give priority to local children aged 3 and over, and children in the compulsory year have priority there. For foreigners, your catchment area is based on the address where you’re registered as staying.
- What to bring: your child’s birth certificate, your ID, and a confirmation of vaccinations from a Czech children’s doctor (see below).
- During the year: children can also be admitted mid-year if there’s a free place (§34(7)).
Vaccinations
Nurseries and children’s groups may only accept children who have had the mandatory vaccinations, are immune, or can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons. The confirmation must come from a children’s GP in the Czech Republic (praktický lékař pro děti a dorost). This rule doesn’t apply to the compulsory pre-school year (Act 258/2000, §50). Need a children’s doctor? Find a pediatrician accepting new patients.
Cost
State nurseries charge a monthly fee set by the town. It’s capped at 8% of the minimum wage, about CZK 1,800 a month in 2026/27. Lunches are paid separately. The compulsory last year is free.
Primary school (age 6–15)
Enrolling for Year 1
- When: register your child between 15 January and 15 February of the year they turn 6 by the end of August (§36(4)). Each school publishes its exact date.
- Where: your catchment school (spádová škola) must take local children while it has room. For foreigners, the catchment area is based on the address where you’re registered as staying (§36(5), §178). You may also apply to other schools.
- Delaying school (odklad) is possible once, only for health reasons, with recommendations from both a doctor and a school counselling centre (§37).
Arriving during the school year
You can enrol a child at any point. Schooling becomes compulsory once you’ve been here over 90 days, but you can enrol earlier. Contact the catchment school’s head teacher (ředitel); the application is in Czech.
Which year? Your child goes into the class for their age. If it’s in their interest, given their previous schooling and Czech, they can go one year lower (Decree 48/2005, §9a). Primary school doesn’t need foreign school reports to be officially recognised: placement goes by age.
Free Czech lessons
At primary school
Children who have been in Czech schooling for 24 months or less are entitled to free Czech lessons (jazyková příprava) (Decree 48/2005, §§10–11b):
- 100 to 400 hours over up to 20 months, during school hours, in small groups.
- Your child’s school must tell you about the lessons within 1 week of admission. You apply, and a place must be found within 30 days.
- Lessons happen at designated schools with many foreign pupils. If your child’s school isn’t one, your child can join a group at another school in the region, in person or online.
Many schools can also get a free adaptation coordinator for the first weeks, someone who helps your child settle in, plus free interpreting for meetings with you, through the National Pedagogical Institute (NPI). Ask the head teacher.
At nursery
If at least 4 children in the compulsory pre-school year at a nursery need Czech, the nursery must run a free Czech group of 1 hour a week (Decree 14/2005, §1e).
Other costs at a state school
- School lunches: you pay for the food only, set by each school within legal limits, roughly CZK 20–50 a day depending on age (Decree 107/2005).
- After-school club (školní družina): up to about CZK 900 a month (4% of the minimum wage). It can be reduced for families on certain benefits.
Other options
- Children’s groups (dětská skupina): small childcare groups for children from 6 months until school. They may charge fees and also require vaccinations. They don’t count as the compulsory pre-school year.
- Private, church and international schools may charge tuition. An international school that isn’t in the Czech school register counts for compulsory schooling only if the Ministry of Education has approved it. Some children must then also be registered at a Czech school (§38 and §38a).
Free help
- META helps foreign families with nursery and school enrolment, and offers interpreting and Czech courses for children (meta-ops.eu).
- Regional integration centres offer free advice: integracnicentra.cz.