Registering a Czech trade license means choosing the activities you want to perform, preparing the documents required for your situation and notifying the Trade License Office.
You can register in person at a Trade License Office, submit the application online or by post, or use an authorized representative.
For foreigners, going directly to a Trade License Office is usually more practical than applying online.
Foreign applicants can have additional documents or verification requirements, and submitting an online application does not mean that the trade license has been successfully registered.
The registration process is:
Choose your business activities.
Choose your business address.
Prepare your documents.
Complete the trade notification.
Choose your business start date.
Submit the registration.
Complete any requested document checks or verification.
Make sure your trade has actually been registered.
KEY FACT
A Czech trade license cannot be registered retroactively. You can register from the current date or choose a future start date, but you cannot use a past date to cover business activity you have already carried out.
Step 1: Choose your business activities
Start with the work you actually plan to do.
Your activities determine which trade you need and whether professional qualifications are required.
Many common freelance activities fall under a free trade, which does not require professional qualifications. Other types of trades can have qualification or authorization requirements.
Do not choose an activity only because its name sounds similar to your profession. The registered activities should cover the work you actually perform.
1. Provision of services for agriculture, horticulture, fishing, forestry and hunting 2. Professional forest management 3. Production of forest management plans and outlines 4. Handling of the reproductive material of forestry plants 5. Animal breeding and training (with the exception of animal production) 6. Treatment of minerals, extraction of peat and mud 7. Manufacture of food and starch products 8. Fruit distillation 9. Manufacture of feed, compound feed, additives and premixtures 10. Manufacture of textiles, textile products, clothing and clothing accessories 11. Manufacture and repair of footwear, saddlery and harness products 12. Wood processing, manufacture of wooden, cork, straw and plaiting products 13. Manufacture of pulp, paper and paperboard and of goods made of those materials 14. Publishing, printing, binding and copying 15. Manufacture, reproduction, distribution, sale, rental of audio and audiovisual recordings, and manufacture of blank data and recording carriers 16. Manufacture of coke, raw pitch and other solid fuels 17. Manufacture of chemical substances, fibres and preparations, and cosmetic products 18. Manufacture of fertilizers 19. Manufacture of plastic and rubber products 20. Glass manufacture and processing 21. Manufacture of building materials, porcelain, ceramic and plaster products 22. Manufacture of abrasive products and other non-metallic mineral products 23. Technical and jewellery stone cutting 24. Production of iron, precious metals, non-ferrous metals and their alloys 25. Manufacture of metal structures and fabricated metal products 26. Artistic and craft working of metals 27. Surface treatment and welding of metals and other materials 28.Manufacture of measuring, testing, navigation, optical and photographic instruments and equipment 29. Manufacture of electronic components, electrical equipment, and the manufacture and repair of electrical machinery, appliances and electronic equipment powered by low voltage 30. Manufacture of non-electric domestic appliances 31. Manufacture of industrial machinerytheir 32. Manufacture of motor vehicles and trailers and bodies 33. Design and manufacture of vessels 34. Manufacture, development, design, testing, installation, maintenance, repair, modification and structural changes to aircraft, aircraft engines, blades, aircraft parts and equipment and aviation ground facilities 35. Manufacture of rail traction units and rail vehicles on tramways trolley-bus tracks and cableways, and railway fleets 36. Manufacture of bicycles, wheelchairs and other non-motor vehicles 37. Manufacture and repair of upholstered products 38. Manufacture, repair and maintenance of sport products, games, toys and prams and pushchairs 39. Manufacture of medical devices 40. Manufacture and repair of sources of ionizing radiation 41. Manufacture of school and office equipment, except paper products, the manufacture of costume jewellery, brooms and brushes, made-up articles, umbrellas, souvenirs 42. Manufacture of other manufacturing articles 43. Operation of water supply and wastewater services, and water treatment and distribution 44. Waste management (except dangerous waste) 45. Preparatory and finishing work, specialized construction activities 46. Glazing, framing and mounting 47. Intermediation in trade and services (Import / Export) 48. Wholesale and retail trade (Shop, online sales) 49. Pawnbroking and retailing in second-hand goods 50. Maintenance of motor vehicles and accessories 51. Transport via pipelines and land transport (except rail and road motor transport) 52. Storage, packaging of goods, cargo handling and technical activities in transport 53. Forwarding and representation in customs procedure 54. Operation of postal and international postal services 55. Accommodation services (Hostel, Pension, Hotel) 56. Provision of software, information technology consulting, data processing, hosting and related activities and web portals (Programmers) 57. Activities of information and news agencies 58. Real estate services, facility management and maintenance (Real Estate) 59. Leasing and loaning of movables 60. Guidance and consulting activities, production of expert studies and opinions (Consultants) 61. Land consolidation design 62. Preparation and production of technical designs, graphic and drawing work 63. Design of electrical equipment 64. Research and development in the field of natural and technical sciences or social sciences 65. Testing, measurement, analysis and inspections 66. Advertising, marketing, media representation (Advertising for 3rd parties) 67. Design and arrangement activities and modelling 68. Photographic services 69. Translation and interpreting 70. Administrative services and services of an organizational and economic nature 71. Operation of a travel agency and guide services in the field of tourism 72. Extra-curricular education, organization of courses, training, including instructor services (Language teachers) 73. Operation of cultural, educational and entertainment facilities, organization of cultural productions, events, exhibitions, fairs, festivals, sales and similar events 74. Operation of physical education and sports facilities and organization of sports activities 75. Domestic washing, ironing, repair and maintenance of clothing, household linen and personal goods 76. Provision of technical services 77. Repair and maintenance of household goods, items of a cultural nature, precision equipment, optical equipment and measuring devices 78. Provision of personal and personal hygiene services 79. Provision of services for the family and households
80. Provision of services for legal entities and trust funds
81. Activities connected to the cryptocurrency and virtual assets
82. Manufacture, trade and services not elsewhere specified
Step 2: Choose your business address
Every Czech trade needs a registered business address.Your home address can be used in some situations, or you can have a separate business address.
If required, you need to provide a document showing that you have the right to use the address for your business. Business Address Consent from the property owner can be used for this.
Step 3: Prepare your documents
The documents you need depend on your citizenship, residence status, business address and the type of trade you are registering.
Foreign applicants can have additional document requirements, including residence documents or foreign criminal-record documents.
Qualified trades can also require proof of professional qualifications.
Step 4: Complete the trade notification
To register a trade that only requires notification, you submit a trade notification (ohlášení živnosti).
The Single Registration Form (Jednotný registrační formulář / JRF) is used for registration and can also be used for certain related notifications.
The application contains information such as your personal details, business address, selected trade, business activities and start date.
Step 5: Choose when your business will start
Your trade license can be registered before you actually start your business.
For example, your trade license can be registered and active today, while you choose to start your self-employment 30 days later.
Your Social Security and health insurance registration then starts from your actual business start date.
Until that start date, you should not start working or invoicing clients.
You cannot register your trade license or set your business start date retroactively to cover business activity you already carried out.
KEY FACT
Your trade license registration date and your actual business start date do not have to be the same.
You can choose to start your business later, but you cannot use a past date to cover previous business activity.
Can you register a trade license retroactively?
No. A Czech trade license cannot be registered retroactively.
For a standard trade, your right to do business starts on the day you register the trade. This is set out in § 10(1)(a) of the Trade Licensing Act.
If you start working and invoicing clients before registering, you cannot later set the trade license to an earlier date to cover that activity.
For example, if you started invoicing clients in June and register your trade in August, you cannot register it from June to cover those previous months.
WARNING
Do not start invoicing first and plan to register the trade later.
If your activity requires a trade license, make sure your trade has been registered before you start working or issuing invoices.
Step 6: Choose how to register
There are several ways to submit a Czech trade license registration.
Ways to Register a Czech Trade License
Registration method | What to know |
|---|---|
Trade License Office | The Trade License Office handles the registration. For foreigners registering themselves, going directly to a Trade License Office is usually the most practical option because documents and verification can be dealt with directly. |
Online | A trade notification can be submitted electronically to the Trade License Office. For foreigners, an online submission does not mean that the whole registration can be completed online. Additional foreign documents or verification can still be required. |
Authorized representative | An agency or lawyer can register the trade on your behalf under a Power of Attorney. This can allow the registration to be handled without you personally visiting the Trade License Office. |
Czech POINT does not register or approve your trade license. It can accept and forward a trade-license filing to the selected Trade License Office, which handles the registration.
KEY FACT
A Czech trade license is handled and registered by the Trade License Office. Online filing and post are ways of submitting a filing; they are not separate authorities that register the trade.
PEXPATS NOTE
For foreigners, the important question is not only whether an application can technically be submitted online or by post, but whether the whole registration can actually be completed without additional document or identity verification.
From our experience registering Czech trade licenses for foreigners, dealing directly with the Trade License Office or using an authorized representative is usually the most practical way to complete the registration.
Is online Trade License Registration a good option for foreigners?
Foreigners can submit a Czech trade license registration online, but submitting the application online does not mean that the whole registration can be completed online.
For Czech citizens, much of the required information can already be verified through Czech public registers. For example, the Trade License Office can check Czech criminal-record information and other information available in Czech government systems. Identity can also be verified electronically when an accepted Czech electronic identification method is used.
For foreigners, the process can be different. Depending on citizenship and residence status, the Trade License Office can require documents that cannot be obtained from Czech public registers, such as foreign criminal-record documents, residence documents, business-address documents, passport or proof of professional qualifications. Additional identity or document verification can also be required after an online application is submitted.
PEXPATS NOTE
From our experience registering Czech trade licenses for foreigners, submitting the application online often does not complete the whole registration.
Foreign applicants can still need to provide additional documents or complete identity and document verification with the Trade License Office.
If you are registering the trade yourself and these additional steps are required, going directly to the Trade License Office is usually more practical.
Alternatively, you can authorize an agency or lawyer to complete the registration on your behalf under a Power of Attorney.
Does submitting an online application mean your trade license is registered?
No.
Submitting an application online does not mean that your trade has been registered.
In practice, foreign applicants sometimes submit the application online and assume that the registration is finished. The Trade License Office then requests additional documents, originals or verification.
If that follow-up is missed, the registration may never be completed.
The applicant can discover this only later, after already starting work or issuing invoices.
WARNING
Do not start working simply because your online application was submitted.
Check any follow-up communication from the Trade License Office and make sure your trade has actually been registered.
KEY FACT
Online submission is an application step. It is not confirmation that your Czech trade license has been successfully registered.
This is particularly important because you cannot later solve the problem by registering the trade retroactively.
Step 7: Pay the registration fee
There is an administrative fee for registering a trade. For your first trade registration, the standard fee is 1,000 CZK. If you submit the registration electronically, the fee is 800 CZK.
If you register several trades at the same time, you pay only one registration fee. Different fees apply when adding another trade later.
Step 8: Complete any follow-up from the Trade License Office
If your trade notification is missing a required document or information, the Trade License Office will ask you to correct it and give you a deadline of at least 15 days.
While the office is waiting for you to correct the application, the registration process is paused.
If you provide everything within the deadline, your application continues and is treated as complete from the beginning. If you do not correct the application within the deadline, the Trade License Office can decide that your trade was not registered.
IMPORTANT NOTE
Do not ignore a request from the Trade License Office. If you need more time for a serious reason, you can ask the office to extend the deadline. The deadline can be extended more than once.
How long does the registration take?
If your application is complete, trade license registration usually takes 2–3 working days.
By law, the Trade License Office has up to 5 working days to complete the registration when all requirements are met.
If documents are missing or the Trade License Office asks you to correct something, the registration can take longer.
Step 9: Make sure your trade is actually registered
Before you start working, make sure your trade has actually been registered.
Do not treat any of these by themselves as proof that registration is finished:
submitting the online form;
receiving confirmation that an application was delivered;
paying the registration fee;
not receiving an immediate rejection.
What matters is whether the Trade License Office has actually registered your trade.
Once registered, you receive an IČO (Identifikační číslo osoby) and your business information appears in the Trade Licensing Register.
Check your Czech trade license
You can use the Pexpats Czech Business Search to check your registration. Search by your IČO or full name to see your registered business details and trade license status.
Check your business registration
What happens after your trade license is registered?
Getting your trade license is only the first part of setting up as self-employed in the Czech Republic.
Depending on your situation, you also need to complete your registration with the Tax Office, Czech Social Security Administration and your health insurance company.
If you do not have a Czech rodné číslo, the different authorities can assign their own identification and payment numbers.
Tax Office: You can receive a VČP, an identification number assigned by the Tax Office.
Czech Social Security Administration: You receive two different numbers. EČP (evidenční číslo pojištěnce) is your Social Security insurance number. You also receive a separate variable symbol used to identify your Social Security payments.
Health insurance company: You can receive a číslo pojištěnce, your health insurance number.
These numbers are separate. There is no single number that replaces a Czech rodné číslo across all three authorities.
Once the registrations are completed, you also need the correct payment instructions for your monthly Social Security and health insurance deposits, including how much to pay, where to send the payment and which payment details to use.
VAT is separate. Depending on what you do and who you work with, you can also need to register for VAT or as an identified person for VAT.
PEXPATS NOTE
When Pexpats registers a trade license for a client, we can also complete the required registrations with the Tax Office, Czech Social Security Administration and health insurance company.
If you do not have a Czech rodné číslo, we also make sure the required identification and payment numbers are assigned. At the end of the registration, we prepare your payment instructions so you know how much to pay, where to pay your monthly deposits and which payment details to use.
Czech Trade License Registration at a Glance
Step | What you need to do |
|---|---|
1. Choose your activities | Select the business activities you actually plan to do. |
2. Choose your business address | Decide which address you will use for your business and prepare Business Address Consent if required. |
3. Prepare your documents | Prepare the documents required for your citizenship, residence status, business address and type of trade. |
4. Complete the trade notification | Complete the Single Registration Form (JRF) with your personal and business information. |
5. Choose your start date | Start from the current date or choose a future date. You cannot register a trade retroactively. |
6. Submit the registration | Submit it to the Trade License Office, online, by post, or use an authorized representative. |
7. Pay the registration fee | Pay the administrative fee for the trade registration. |
8. Complete any follow-up | If the Trade License Office asks for missing documents or corrections, provide them within the deadline. |
9. Check that your trade is registered | Before you start working, make sure your trade has actually been registered. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Choose your business activities and business address, prepare the required documents, complete the trade notification and choose your start date. You can then submit the registration yourself or authorize an agency or lawyer to handle it for you.
If the Trade License Office asks for additional documents or corrections, provide them within the given deadline. Before you start working, make sure your trade has actually been registered.
Yes. Foreigners can submit a trade notification online, but this does not mean that the whole registration can be completed online.
Depending on your citizenship and residence status, the Trade License Office can still require foreign documents, originals or additional verification. If you are registering the trade yourself and additional documents are required, going directly to the Trade License Office is often more practical.
No. Submitting the application does not mean that your trade has been registered. The Trade License Office still needs to process your application and check that all requirements are met.
Before you start working, make sure your trade has actually been registered.
The Trade License Office will tell you what needs to be corrected or provided and give you a deadline of at least 15 days.
If you provide everything within the deadline, the registration continues.
If you do not correct the application within the deadline, the Trade License Office can decide that your trade was not registered. This process is set out in § 47(4) and (5) of Act No. 455/1991 Coll., the Trade Licensing Act.
No. You cannot register a Czech trade license retroactively to cover business activity you have already carried out.
For a standard trade, your right to do business starts on the day you register the trade. This is set out in § 10(1)(a) of the Trade Licensing Act.
Yes. You can prepare your trade registration in advance and choose a future date when you want to start your business.
Yes. You can submit your registration application at any municipal Trade License Office in the Czech Republic. You are not limited to the office where you live or where your business address is registered.
If your application is complete, trade license registration usually takes 2–3 working days.
By law, the Trade License Office has up to 5 working days to complete the registration when all requirements are met. This deadline comes from § 47(1) of Act No. 455/1991 Coll., the Trade Licensing Act. Missing documents or corrections can make the process longer.
Official Sources
Act No. 455/1991 Coll., Trade Licensing Act (živnostenský zákon) The main Czech law governing trade authorization, trade notifications and registration in the Trade Licensing Register.
View Act No. 455/1991 Coll. on e-Sbírka
Czech Public Administration Portal (gov.cz) Official information about establishing a Czech trade, available filing methods and registration requirements.
Establishing a Trade Licence — gov.cz
Trade Licensing Register (RŽP) Official information about Trade License Registration and the Trade Licensing Register.
Ministry of Industry and Trade — Trade Licensing Official information about Czech trade licensing and the Single Registration Form.
