Establishing a trade licence

Main information

A trade business or trade may only be operated on the basis of a trade licence. A trade may be run by a natural or legal person. In order to establish a trade licence and operate a trade in Czechia, the conditions set out in the Trade Licensing Act must be met.

The breakdown of individual trades is defined in Act No 455/1991 on trade licensing (the Trade Licensing Act), as amended.

To carry out any trade, you must meet the general conditions of being fully legally competent and not having any criminal convictions.

For notifiable trades:

• free trades – no professional competence is defined. This category contains 82 fields of activity; when registering, you use this list to choose the fields in which you will be operating;
• craft trades – professional competence is defined. The condition is either an apprenticeship certificate, a secondary school certificate in the field, higher vocational education, university education, vocational retraining, or 6 years of experience in that field. Craft trades are listed in Annex 1 to the Trade Licensing Act;
• tied trades – professional competence is regulated by the special legal regulations listed in Annex No 2 to the Trade Licensing Act or set out in this Annex.

For a licensed trade:

• in addition to meeting the professional competence conditions, there is usually a further condition of a positive statement from the competent national administration body. Licensed trades are listed in Annex 3 to the Trade Licensing Act.

To register a trade or apply for a concession, you need:

• an identity card;
• documents demonstrating professional or special competence (for craft, tied and licensed trades);
• a document demonstrating the legal reason for using the premises of a registered office (not required for a natural person if your registered office is the same as your residence and for a legal entity, if this document is stipulated by a special legal regulation as a condition for registration in the commercial or similar register; it is also not required if such a document has already been submitted to the trade office in the past and the facts stated in it have remained unchanged); possibly also establishments;
• proof of payment of the administrative fee.

The right to carry out a trade is acquired:

• for reporting trades (if all necessary documents are presented and the declaration is free of defects), on the date on which the trade is registered at the Trade Licensing Office;
• for reporting trades (if not all the necessary documents have been presented and/or the declaration is defective), the Trade Licensing Office will set a deadline for the missing documents to be presented; if the filing defects are eliminated, the licence is established on the date of notification;
• for licensed trades, the right to carry out a trade is acquired on the date on which the decision to grant a concession takes legal effect.

On the MIT website there is a guide to trade business, including the Single Registration Form (CRP) with detailed instructions for completion.

This applies to you if

you are an entrepreneur or citizen who intends to start carrying out a trade in Czechia.

When to use this service

You can use the service at any time if you decide to obtain a trade licence. 

Service settlement

What you need if you are using this service

To register a trade or apply for a concession, you need:

• an identity card;
• documents demonstrating professional or special competence (for craft, tied and licensed trades);
• a document demonstrating the legal reason for using the premises of a registered office or establishment (not required for a natural person if your registered office is the same as your residence);
• proof of payment of the administrative fee.

The directory of Trade Licensing Offices can be found on the relevant MIT website.

Where and how to solve this service

Follow these steps to submit your application in person or by post:

To submit your changes in person, come to the selected municipal trade licensing office; a trade licensing office employee will complete the submission, which you will sign on the spot, on the basis of facts provided by you.

The directory of Trade Licensing Offices can be found on the relevant MIT website.

Follow these steps to submit your application by post:

1. complete the submission in the JRF application,
2. print and sign the application,
3. send the application by post to the selected municipal trade licensing office,
4. you may submit a completed application in person to the post room of any municipal trade licensing office.

When submitting an application via the CzechPOINT contact point:

1. visit the relevant CzechPOINT contact point at a post office,
2. process the application in paper or electronic form with the post office employee.

Information on the procedure for registering a trade/submitting an application for a concession can be found at the CzechPOINT contact point.

How much will you pay

Fees for submitting an application in person or by post:

• Registering a trade when starting a trade business: CZK 1 000.
• Registering each additional trade: CZK 500.
• Applying for a concession when starting a trade business: CZK 1 000.
• Additional application for a concession: CZK 500.
• If you register several trades at the same time, you will pay only one fee.
• Submitting an application at a public administration contact point under Section 72 of the Trade Licensing Act: CZK 50.

Additional information

What is the benefit of this service

Based on the trade licence granted, you will be authorised to conduct business in Czechia under the Trade Licensing Act.

Appeal options

You may appeal against a decision made by a municipal trade licencing office on a trade licensing matter under the relevant provisions of Act No 500/2004, the Code of Administrative Procedure (Sections 81 and 82).

Sanctions

For unauthorised business, e.g. carrying out a trade without the relevant trade licence, an entrepreneur may be liable to a fine of up to CZK 1 000 000.