
Živnostenský List
A do-it-yourself guide to getting a trade license
This article is now out of date. Please see our updated version of this article.
If you want to work for yourself in the Czech Republic, you'll need a trade license - a živnostenský list in Czech.
Applying for a živnostenský list is a long and fairly involved process, and many foreigners choose to pay an individual or a company to guide them through the process.
If you have time, patience and a working knowledge of Czech, however, going it alone will probably save you a lot of money.
With this in mind, we've put together this basic guide to the application process:
FIRST STEP
Different types of živnostenský list are issued for different trades. To begin with, you need to figure out which license best suits your needs.
Probably the best way to do this is to go to your local trade license office (živnostenský odbor) and ask.
While you're there, you should also find out from them exactly what paperwork you need - for some types of živnostenský list, you'll need to prove that you have the relevant professional qualifications, though this isn't necessary for teaching English, translation work, and operating most types of commercial enterprise.
(In our experience, the requirements can vary from office to office, and even from employee to employee.)
CLEAN CRIMINAL RECORD
You'll need to prove that you don't have a criminal record, either in the Czech Republic or abroad.
• To prove you don't have a criminal record in the Czech Republic, you'll need a výpis rejstříku trestů (extract from the criminal register). For more information on this process, see our related article, Getting Your Criminal Record.
• You'll also need proof that you don't have a criminal record in your own country, or any country where you've lived for more than three consecutive months.
US Citizens: Contact their local živnostenský odbor and find out what they require. At some offices you need only sign an affidavit confirming that you have no convictions, but at others, including Prague 1, you'll have to provide a criminal record check from the USA. Individual US states reportedly issue criminal record checks much faster than the FBI, which can take 10-12 weeks.
UK Citizens: You'll need to contact your local police force and request a copy of your record under the Freedom of Information Act.
A PLACE OF BUSINESS
You'll need to prove that you have a place of business in the Czech Republic. (This can also be your residential address.)
• If you rent this property, you need to ask your landlord/landlady for a written declaration confirming that they agree to you using their property as a place of business.
• Whether you rent or own the property, you'll also need to go to the Katastrální úřad ("Cadastral Office") and get a Výpis z katastru nemovitostí ("extract from the land registry"). This proves that the building actually exists and - if you rent - that your landlord/landlady is legally allowed to rent the property out. (For contact details and opening hours, see the Czech Office for Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre (ČÚZK) website.)
COMPLETED APPLICATION FORM
You can fill this in at the živnostenský odbor, when you file your other papers.
TRANSLATIONS OF RELEVANT QUALIFICATIONS
If necessary, you should also have notarized Czech translations made of any relevant qualifications. (A degree certificate, for example, or a professional diploma.)
NOTE: None of the above documents should be more than 180 days (roughly six months) old when you present them |
FOR NON-EU CITIZENS
RESIDENCY PERMIT
Additionally, if you're not a citizen of a European Union country, you'll also need a residency permit. In fact, even if you already have a residency permit, you'll now need to apply for a new one, because your reason for staying in the Czech Republic has changed.
It's possible to apply for a živnostenský list before you get your residency permit. In this case the živnostenský odbor will write you a letter stating that they can't give you your živnostenský list until you present your residency permit - and this letter can actually be used as a "reason for stay" in your residency permit application.
You can apply for your residency permit at your local foreigner's police station (Služba cizinecké a pohraniční policie). For a full listing of foreigners' police stations (in Czech), see the Interior Ministry website.
You'll need:
• a completed application form
• your passport
• two photos
• proof that you aren't staying in the Czech Republic illegally
TAX
Once you get your živnostenský list, you'll need to register for two identification numbers - an IČO and a DIČ - in order to start paying tax.
IČO
If you're an EU citizen, your živnostenský list will automatically include an eight-digit IČO. If you're a non-EU citizen, you'll need to register with the commercial court (obchodní soud). The fee for this application is 5,000 CZK and you may need professional advice when filling in the rather complicated application form.
DIČ
In order to get your DIČ (daňové identifikační číslo), whether you're an EU citizen or not, you'll need to register with your local finanční uřad (financial office).
• Additional information provided by Prague TV user Corbin Dallas
RELATED ARTICLES
Živnostenský List or SRO?
Paying Tax on a Živnostenský List
-
Lime Electric Scooters To Get The Boot From Prague 1 Shaun O'Banion
There’s a very vocal category of people in Prague who hate seeing those Lime Scooters littering the street… and hate those who ride them even more. Well, for those of you in that category who live or work in the area of Prague 1, good news: City Hall has now banned the scooters in pedestrian zones which is another way of saying, pretty much everywhere in Prague 1.
-
Tesla Sells 1,000,000 Electric Cars and Officially Opens in The Czech Republic. Shaun O'Banion
When Elon Musk first announced his entry into the automotive space, many people shrugged. Why would the tech billionaire want to get involved with a car company?
-
FOREIGNERS AND PRAGUE.TV EXPATS MONTHLY MEETUP: TONIGHT! Kseniia Zhuikova
The Legendary Foreigners and Prague.tv Monthly MeetUp is on TONIGHT
-
Prague Building in Karlin tops Europe's most Sustainable Petra Machartová
The Praga Studios complex in Karlín has become the second greenest office building in Europe.
-
Foreigners and Prague.tv Monthly Expat MeetUp Huyen Vu
The Legendary Foreigners and Prague.tv Monthly MeetUp is on the 17th of October
-
Brexit: What UK Citizen Living in the Czech Republic Should Do Now? Huyen Vu, Foreingers
An upcoming seminar about how to handle the fallout of Brexit.
-
Longtime Prague Expat bags £30K Mercedes in Competition Nathan Rowden
The Unbelievable come true!
-
Foreigners and Prague.tv Monthly Expat MeetUp Huyen Vu
The Legendary Foreigners.cz and Prague.tv Monthly MeetUp is on this Thursday
-
Prague.tv and Foreigners.cz Expat Meet-up Foreigners, Prague TV
This month's get together for expats organized by Foreigners Prague and Prague TV is set to happen on Thursday, July 18th. Come to share experiences, practice Czech, drink beer and have fun!
-
Czechs mark 15 years in EU Raymond Johnston - Prague.TV (Foto: fotolia)
The country was one 10 to join the bloc on May 1, 2004
Best Irish Pub in Prague
Authentic Italian cuisine in Prague
We help you to master Czech bureaucracy.
Writing and Editing service in Prague
A Hub for co-working and events, with a Heart and Soul
Making your business and life easier

Prague’s # 1 source for Czech news in English…
.png)
Digital lifestyle magazine platform promoting life in Prague.