Application for the issue or change of the Czech National Tour Guide Card

Main information

Through this service, the client can apply for a Czech National Tour Guide Card for the performance of guide activities in the Czech Republic.

If you want to carry out guide activities in the field of tourism on the territory of the Czech Republic, you must apply to the Ministry of Regional Development for a Czech National Tour Guide Card.

You do not need to apply for a card if you are guiding in buildings (e.g. castles, chateaux, galleries or museums, including open-air museums) or in protected areas open to the public, which are defined in the Act on Nature and Landscape Protection (e.g. national parks or protected landscape areas). The obligation to have a card does not apply to you also if you are a mountain leader or a mountain guide (these are different activities). You do not need to apply for a card if you provide a service on a temporary basis under Article 56 et seq. of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (i.e. it is a temporary cross-border provision of services under a business licence for guide services from the country of establishment).

The card is issued in two degrees -  I. Degree without proof of professional competence and II. Degree with proof of professional competence. Whether you hold a I. or a II. card, you can operate as a tour guide to the same extent.

If you carry out the activity of a guide, you are required to wear your card visibly on your clothing (except for the exceptions mentioned above).

This applies to you if

You are a natural person who is considering becoming a tour guide (e.g. as a self-employed person, an employee or a temporary worker on a non-employment contract) or you are already a tour guide in the tourism sector.

The card can also be issued:
when there has been a change in the details on the original card (e.g. change of surname or change of card degree); or
as a replacement for a damaged, destroyed, lost or stolen card.

When to use this service

Before performing tour guide activities in the Czech Republic.

Vyřízení služby - elektronicky

What you need if you are using this service

The application form can be found on the website of the Ministry of Regional Development or on the Citizen’s Portal.

In your application for a licence, you fill in the following basic information:

  • the name and surname of the applicant;
  • citizenship of the applicant;
  • the applicant’s place of permanent residence,
  • the applicant’s personal identification number and, if not allocated, the date of birth;
  • the applicant's identification number ('IČO'), if assigned; and
  • the level of the licence applied for.

If you apply for an I. degree card, you will attach to the application a document(s) proving that you are in a contractual relationship with a natural or legal person who has the right to provide guide services under the Trade Licensing Act in the Czech Republic. If you are this person (self-employed), you do not need to attach any document - or, for example, an extract from the Trade Register - to the application.

If you are applying for a level II licence, you will attach to your application the document(s) proving professional competence, which are:

  • higher education in a programme of study and a field of study focusing on history or tourism,
  • higher vocational education in the field of tourism education,
  • secondary education with a school-leaving examination in the field of tourism education,
  • secondary education with a school-leaving examination and a retraining certificate or other proof of professional qualification for the relevant work activity issued by an establishment accredited in accordance with specific legislation, or by an establishment accredited by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports,
  • professional qualifications for tourist guides, or
  • recognition of professional qualifications under special legislation.

Attach a photo of the passport format to the application for both levels.

More details on the form of the photo can be found in the FAQ on the website of the Ministry of Regional Development.

Send the document(s) in the format after the authorized conversion of the document into electronic form.

Where and how to solve this service

Request should be sent to the Ministry of Regional Development, Department of Tourism through:

In case of deficiencies, you will be asked to correct them. You will receive your laissez-passer within 30 days of receipt of your request.

How much will you pay

The administrative fee for the issue of both degrees of the card is CZK 1,000. 

Issue of the card after changing the data contained in the card amounts to CZK 200.

Issue of a duplicate of the card I. and II. degree compensation for a damaged, destroyed, lost or stolen card is CZK 500.

We recommend paying the administrative fee by wire transfer to a special bank account of the Ministry for Regional Development maintained at the Czech National Bank, account number: 3711‑629001/0710.

Variable symbol:

  • for self-employed natural persons: 54IČO
  • for non-businessman natural persons: 54day month year of birth

(the ID number (IČO) or date of birth in the form DDMMRRRR is always preceded by no. 54).

Please include "průkaz průvodce (the guide card) in the message to the recipient.

The administrative fee can also be paid in cash (only at the cash desk of the Ministry for Regional Development during office hours) or via postal orders.

Vyřízení služby - osobně

What you need if you are using this service

The application form can be found on the website of the Ministry of Regional Development.

In the application form you fill in the following basic information:

  • name and surname of the applicant,
  • the applicant's nationality,
  • place of permanent residence of the applicant,
  • the applicant's birth number and, if not assigned, the applicant's date of birth,
  • the applicant's business identification number, if any, and 
  • the degree of the tour guide card applied for.

If you are applying for a I degree card, you shall attach to your application document(s) proving that you are in a contractual relationship with a natural or legal person who has the right to provide guide services under the Trade Licensing Act in the territory of the Czech Republic. If you yourself are such a person (self-employed), you do not need to attach any document - not even an extract from the trade register - to your application.

If you are applying for a II degree card, you must attach to your application the document(s) proving your professional competence, which are the following:

  • a university degree in a study programme and field of study focusing on history or tourism,
  • higher vocational training in a field of study related to tourism,
  • secondary education with a school-leaving certificate in a field of education related to tourism,
  • secondary education with a school-leaving certificate and a certificate of retraining or other evidence of professional qualification for the relevant work activity issued by an establishment accredited under special legislation or by an establishment accredited by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports,
  • a professional qualification for tour guides, or
  • recognition of a professional qualification under a special legal regulation.

Attach a passport-size photograph to the application for both levels of licence. You can also send the photo electronically to pruvodci@mmr.gov.cz.

More details on the format of the photograph can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions on the website of the Ministry for Regional Development.

Please attach the documents:

  • certified copy
  • or original (we accept the original document, but it will become part of the administrative file and will not be returned to you).

Where and how to solve this service

Applications can be sent by post or submitted in person to the Ministry of Regional Development, Department of Tourism at:

Ministry of Regional Development, Department of Tourism

Current office hours can be found on the website of the Ministry of Regional Development of the Czech Republic.

You can also submit your application together with a trade declaration or a licence application to any municipal trade licensing office in the Czech Republic (applies only to new trades ).

After submitting the application, the Ministry of Regional Development issues a guide card or informs that it is not possible to issue a guide card. The Ministry proceeds in accordance with Section 154 et seq. of Act No 500/2004, the Code of Administrative Procedure, as amended. In case of deficiencies, you will be asked to correct them. You will receive your laissez-passer within 30 days of receipt of your request. 

How much will you pay

The administrative fee for issuing the first and second level of the card is CZK 1,000.

The issue of the card after changing the information contained in the card is CZK 200.

The issue of a duplicate I. and II. degree card as a replacement for a damaged, destroyed, lost or stolen card is CZK 500.

We recommend paying the administrative fee by wire transfer to a special bank account of the Ministry of Regional Development held at the Czech National Bank, account no.: 3711‑629001/0710. In practice, we encounter incorrectly entered payment orders, so please be careful about entering the account number correctly: if you have only one line in the bank application for the recipient’s bank account, enter the account number, including a dash between the prefix and the main account number; if you have two fields in the banking application, skip the hyphen. 

Variable symbol:

- for natural persons doing business: 54IČO

- for non-entrepreneurial natural persons: 54day month year of birth

(before the registration number or date of birth in the form DDMMYYYY always precedes No 54).

In the message for the recipient, please provide the guide card.

The administrative fee may also be paid in cash (only at the treasury of the Ministry of Regional Development during office hours) or by means of postal vouchers.

Additional information

What is the benefit of this service

As a tour guide, you wear your card visibly on your clothing when you perform your activities and are thus distinguishable at a glance from persons providing tour guide services without authorisation. As a II degree card holder, you have a competitive advantage over I degree card holders (professional competence). Customers will be aware at a glance of the qualifications of the guide offering his/her services.

Appeal options

An appeal pursuant to Section 81 of Act No 500/2004, the Code of Administrative Procedure, as amended, is not possible; failure to issue a guide card is not a decision on the application. If the guide card cannot be issued, the Ministry of Regional Development shall inform the person who applied for the card of the reasons that led to this conclusion under Section 155(3) of the Code of Administrative Procedure.

Sanctions

If you, as a tour guide, do not wear your guide's card while performing your activities, you may be fined up to CZK 10,000.

If you carry out your activities as a guide as a person who has not been issued with a guide card, you may be fined up to CZK 100,000.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find guide card FAQs?

Current frequently asked questions and their answers can be found on the website of the Ministry for Regional Development.