How to get a Czech tax ID (DIČ) and what it is for

A bank form asks for your "tax ID". A landlord wants it for a contract, a client for an invoice. You check your passport and your payslip, and neither seems to carry one. Which number do they mean, and do you have it?

In Czechia it is usually the DIČ (daňové identifikační číslo), and whether you hold one depends on how you earn a living. This is the registration side; the wider question of what you owe is mapped in Czech tax for expats.

What the DIČ is

The DIČ identifies you to the tax authority. For an individual with a Czech birth number (rodné číslo) it is CZ followed by that number. Foreigners get a birth number from the Ministry of the Interior with a long-term or permanent residence permit. If you have none, the tax office assigns a tax number when you register (as of 2026; check the Ministry of the Interior and the Financial Administration).

The same DIČ acts as your VAT number if you register for VAT, which is why you see it on invoices. Having a DIČ does not make you a VAT payer; that is a separate step with its own turnover thresholds.

Employees

If you work for a Czech employer, payroll takes care of income tax advances and insurance. You sign the taxpayer's declaration (prohlášení poplatníka) so the employer can apply your credits, and the result shows on your payslip (payslip explained). Settled at source and no other income, you often file nothing.

A bank may still ask for a tax number. Banks collect tax residence details from customers for international reporting, and that is usually your home-country number, not the DIČ. Ask the bank which one it wants.

Freelancers

Start a business on a trade licence (živnost) and tax registration is part of the process. In most cases the trade licensing office passes your details to the tax office through one registration form, and you receive a tax number. Freelancing in Prague covers the sequence and filing a Czech tax return the yearly duty.

A data box message counts as delivered when someone logs in, or after 10 days if nobody does (as of 2026; check the Ministry of the Interior). Missing a letter there is a common and costly mistake.

Landlords and other extra income

Rent out a flat or earn income not taxed at source and you may have to file a return, at which point the tax office needs to know who you are. If you are sketching a buy-to-let, the rental yield calculator on Hypoteky.com does the arithmetic. It is a calculator, not tax advice. Who is taxed on what is in Czech tax residency explained.

How to register

Register at the tax office responsible for your place of residence, in person or by post, using the official form. The Financial Administration also runs MOJE daně, an online portal where you can log in with a bank ID or another national identity method and submit forms. Its English pages set out the process (as of 2026; check the Financial Administration).

Bring your passport, residence permit and proof of address. Counters work in Czech, so bring a Czech speaker if you can, or ask a regulated adviser; how to find a tax adviser explains who is who.

Use the number where it is needed and nowhere else. A DIČ built on a birth number carries sensitive personal data, so share it only with the tax office, your employer and bodies with a legal basis to ask. Treat unexpected emails or calls asking for it with suspicion: the real tax office writes to your data box or by registered letter and never asks for a bank password.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a DIČ as an employee?

Usually not. Your employer handles payroll tax. You need one if you become self-employed or have other taxable income.

Is the DIČ the same as a VAT number?

The same number is used if you register for VAT. Having a DIČ does not make you a VAT payer.

Where do I register?

At the tax office for your residence, or online through MOJE daně.

Work out which of the situations in the table is yours, and write down the one office you need.

This is a general explainer, not legal or tax advice.