Czechia’s new ombudsman: A vital resource for foreigners

Learn how new and current state bodies can help expats navigate government procedures, legal issues, and discrimination claims.

Thomas Smith

Written by Thomas Smith Published on 23.01.2025 11:22:00 (updated on 23.01.2025) Reading time: 3 minutes

Czechia has introduced a new children’s ombudsman to resolve complaints about unfair treatment by public and private organizations. This adds to the help available for people seeking to appeal unjust treatment or maladministration in government agencies and private companies. 

What you can do as a foreigner?

If you're a foreigner in Czechia, dealing with the local bureaucracy and legal systems can feel overwhelming, especially with language barriers and unfamiliar procedures. Thankfully, Czechia has a state ombudsman: here’s how it can help you. 

Czechia’s Public Defender of Rights, the national ombudsman, helps oversee and address complaints related to a wide range of entities, such as: all government ministries, public health insurance companies, and state municipalities.

Its sole aim is to assess whether authorities followed proper procedures, such as how your complaint has been handled. This can include ruling on whether you have been given the correct state benefit (or entitled to more money), if a court has issued an incorrect decision, or if you have been discriminated against.

Deal with administrative issues

If you're dealing with an official authority—like the Ministry of the Interior—and believe your case has been mishandled, the ombudsman can step in to investigate.

They can help if: an authority is not acting when it should; decisions are taking too long; you were not included in relevant proceedings; or if you feel you were treated unfairly by an official.

Appeal against unfair discrimination

As a foreigner, if you feel you are being unfairly discriminated against by a public or private authority, you can also turn to the ombudsman. 

It will assess whether you have been unjustly treated based on your age, sex, nationality, or on some other grounds specified by the Anti-Discrimination Act.

⚠️ Remember:

  • Crucially, an ombudsman does not have the power to change court decisions or issue new ones.
  • You must explore all complaint and appeal channels with the authority in question before turning to the ombudsman.
  • Gather all of your evidence and documents ready to submit; they do not need to be notarized.

Seek advice

The ombudsman can also assist with life’s challenges, such as debt issues, residency problems, or navigating pension and social benefits. This is especially useful for foreigners facing unfamiliar processes.

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You can also get advice on how to approach legal matters properly, such as divorce issues or taking someone to court.

Report abuse of vulnerable people

The ombudsman is also there to step in if you, or someone you know, is mistreated in a retirement home, treatment facility for long-term patients, psychiatric hospital, children’s home, prison, or another facility.

It can carry out inspections and, while it can’t issue any binding legal rulings, it can report unfair practices to courts, prosecutors, and the police.

Sort disability-related issues

The ombudsman is there to help you if you have experienced discrimination or the inability to access services due to your disability.

“We encourage you to bring to our attention any systemic issues faced by people with disabilities that should be addressed,” writes the ombudsman. This also includes issues with assigned public carers or welfare payments.

How do I seek help?

Czechia’s public ombudsman website is easily accessible in English. You can select your issue and submit an appeal online, via e-mail, or by mail. All resources provided are in English. You can also download an appeal form and hand it in to the ombudsman headquarters in Brno.

The ombudsman will then be in touch if it needs any additional documents, while liaising with the public or private authority about which you are complaining. 

The ombudsman aims to handle your cases within two to three months, though this may take longer. It then issues its final ruling in a report, which it sends to both you and the authority in question.

If you’re facing difficulties in Czechia, don’t hesitate to reach out to the ombudsman. The process is straightforward, and the help you receive could make all the difference in resolving your case.

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