Relief for expats: Czechia to finally make extra, hidden doctors' fees illegal

Unexpected, hidden, and extra doctors’ fees in Czechia—a gripe so often cited by expats in the country—are soon to become a thing of the past. On Wednesday, the Senate approved a new law that will clearly define what doctors can’t bill, ensuring a fairer system for patients. Here’s everything you need to know.

Under current Czech law, doctors are not allowed to charge for routine checkups, preventive screenings, or to simply register a patient for care. Yet in practice, many patients still face charges that contradict this legal framework.

Fees such as registration charges—where patients are asked to pay just to enroll with a new doctor—are strictly prohibited. Similarly, fees for regular preventive visits, like an annual gynecological checkup, are not allowed. 

Doctors are also forbidden from charging patients extra for priority access or faster appointment scheduling. While some practices justify these payments by citing added services, experts warn that this amounts to giving preferential treatment to paying patients—a practice that’s already unlawful under existing legislation.

There are some cases where extra charges are legal. If a patient requests a service that is not medically necessary or not aimed at treating a health condition—such as a medical certificate for a driver’s license, a sports clearance, or a checkup for work or school—those fees can be billed separately, since they fall outside the scope of public health coverage.

The newly approved amendment to the Health Services Act, set to take effect in 2026, introduces strict rules banning so-called "organizational" or "above-standard" fees for services that are already fully covered by public health insurance.

These include charges for online appointment booking, faster appointment scheduling, emailed test results, or simply entering a clinic for preventive care—fees often demanded without proper documentation or receipts. The law will explicitly forbid such charges and empower authorities to impose fines of up to CZK 1 million on violators.

According to the Health Ministry, the change is necessary because many clinics exploit legal gray areas, charging patients while providing no real added value. This causes mass unfairness for people, with those who have extra money getting priority treatment.

Health experts and authorities point to a lack of clarity and enforcement as the root of the problem. While many of the extra fees charged by clinics are already illegal, health insurers and authorities rarely act. Lawyer Aneta Pelcman Stieranková tells Czech media outlet iDnes.cz that the new amendment will help by drawing a clearer legal boundary, making it harder for providers to hide behind vague justifications.

“I want to put an end to what has been happening spontaneously for the last 10 or 15 years; money being collected for nothing. Everyone has turned a blind eye to it,” Health Minister Vlastimil Válek said previously.

However, not everyone supports the law. Some hospital directors argue that doctors have been forced to seek outside income because the current insurance system doesn’t provide enough funding.

Others view the amendment as “political theater” ahead of elections, saying it offers the illusion of action while avoiding deeper reforms. Critics note that the state already has the power to penalize unlawful charges, but those tools have largely gone unused.