With effect from 1 February 2018 so called paternity leave is introduced into the Czech legal order. Father – an employee is entitled to take paternity leave (as father of the child is regarded a man who is entered in the births register (in the book of births) who looks after the child or an employee who looks after the child that he took over into his care replacing the parental care on the basis of a decision of an appropriate body unless the child exceeded 7 years to the day of its reception to his care. In both cases the length of paternity leave is 1 week and starts with commencement of paternity leave.
The employee shall take the paternity leave no later than within 6 weeks from the date of birth or within 6 weeks from the day of taking over the child into his care replacing the parental care on the basis of decision of an appropriate body. Freelancers may also take paternity leave provided they participated in the health insurance and this insurance continues to the day of commencement of the paternity leave.