How to register a company (s.r.o.) in the Czech Republic: guide 2025

If you have decided to handle the registration of a legal entity in the Czech Republic on your own, you will find detailed instructions below. Be prepared for a long read (there is simply no quick fix in this case). We will focus specifically on establishing an LLC ("s.r.o."), as in our practice we have never encountered a situation where other business structures were necessary. It is very likely that this is the legal form you will need. For a detailed explanation of what an "s.r.o." is and its key parameters, please refer to the dedicated page on our website here.

Please note that to complete the company registration process independently, you must fulfill two conditions:

• Legal entity founders must either be physically present in the country to personally visit a notary and relevant government offices, or they must appoint a representative through a power of attorney.
• Company founders or their authorized representative must be proficient in the Czech language. This is a standard nationwide notarial practice. Naturally, the person involved must fully understand the procedure, be able to read documents in Czech, and understand what they are signing.

Below you will find a step-by-step guide on how to proceed.

Step 1: Prepare your registration documents and important information

Company formation in the Czech Republic is now a one-day process, completed in a single notary visit. The notary handles nearly all formalities at once, including entering your legal entity into the Czech Trade Register (the official state company register). However, preparing for this notary appointment is crucial – and surprisingly, this is the most time-consuming and complex part of the entire process.

Getting ready for your notary appointment.

Prepare the following information:

• Choose a unique name for your legal entity. You can check availability through the official Czech Ministry of Justice website or you can use the name-check tool on our website (if our system finds no matches, the name is available). Note that your chosen name will automatically include the mandatory suffix “s.r.o.”.
• Decide on your company’s ownership structure, including the number of founders, directors, and share distribution.
• Provide the founder details, including their full names, dates and places of birth, residential and registration addresses. This information will be entered in the Czech Trade Register.
• Determine the share capital. Since 2014, the minimum legal requirement for the share capital is 1 CZK. If you choose to set the capital above 20,000 CZK, you will need to get bank confirmation of the deposited amount. This process has become quite complicated in practice, as the funds must actually be transferred to a bank account. In fact, the share capital does not affect the company operation in any way, therefore, we recommend setting it within the range of 1 to 20,000 CZK, but no more.
• Specify the business activities for your legal entity. It is important to note that these will be formally recorded in the company's charter during registration. In the Czech Republic, business activities are standardized, and you can find a list of freely license activities ("volné živnosti") on our website. At this stage, it is important to determine your future activities because they become part of their charter. While changes are possible later, they require amendments to your charter, which can be expensive. We recommend selecting a reasonable range of standardized activities that cover your company’s operations, but without including absolutely everything. Additionally, be aware that the Czech system includes what are called "complex" or "certified" activities ("vázané živnosti" or "remeselné živnosti"). These require what is known as a "guarantor". If you plan to engage in such activities, you will need to secure this guarantor in advance. However, most common business activities can be covered by the simpler "free licenses", and the guarantor requirement applies only in rare cases.

We recommend submitting all this information to the notary in advance so they can prepare your legal entity's charter for signing during your visit. In most cases, this can be done via email.

Prepare the following documents for your notary appointment:

• Consent to register a legal address ("souhlas s umístěním sídla společnosti"). This is a permission document from the Czech property owner (or their representative) authorizing the company’s legal address registration at this property. State law permits legal entities to use a formal legal address, commonly called a "virtual" address. These virtual address services are widely available in all cities in the country. However, please note that once registered, the legal address will determine which local tax office has jurisdiction over your business.
• Founders’ personal documents for verification (if visiting the notary in person), including passports and residence permits (permanent or temporary, if applicable).
• A statement from each director accepting their appointment. While notaries often prepare this document themselves, we recommend preparing it in advance, or at least approving the text beforehand.
• Directors who are neither Czech nor EU residents must provide an original criminal record certificate from their country of citizenship. The certificate must bear an original wet stamp (digital copies are not accepted in the country). For directors from certain countries, the criminal record certificate must also bear an apostille certification. You can check if your country requires an apostille here. The certificate also requires official translation into Czech by an authorized translator. No criminal record certificate is required for directors who are residents of the Czech Republic (are residents in the country) or citizens of EU member states.

These are all the documents required by the notary. Additionally, prepare payment for the notarial fees (confirm the exact amount directly – this often depends on your legal entity’s parameters).

Step 2: Find a notary

In the Czech Republic, legal entity incorporation is completed through a notary. The notary prepares and certifies the company's charter and registers the legal entity in the Czech Trade Register. Once you have gathered all required information and documents from the previous steps, you can coordinate the entire establishing process with a chosen notary. Notaries are available in all country cities, with most offering quick appointments.

During your scheduled appointment, the notary will draft the company's charter and submit the registration directly to the Czech Trade Register. In many cases, they will provide an official extract confirming incorporation immediately, which contains the assigned registration number (IČO), legal name and other legal entity details. The following day the information appears in online registries. You may check the successful of it through the Czech Ministry of Justice website or via our verification system. At this stage, your company is fully registered.

Step 3: Final procedures, licenses, tax office, and Datová schránka

After visiting the notary, your legal entity will be listed in the Trade Register, but several essential steps remain.

• Get the actual business licenses and permits from the Trade Licensing Office ("Živnostenský úřad"). This step is VERY IMPORTANT because even though your company is legally registered, it cannot conduct business without these licenses and permits ("živnosti"). The legal entity director must visit any Trade Licensing Office ("Živnostenský úřad") – location does not need to match the company’s registered address – to submit the license application. Processing times can vary significantly, sometimes taking up to a week.

• Get access to Datová schránka. Securing access to this platform is truly important for proper company administration. Upon registration, the state authorities will automatically send login details to each director's address as recorded in the Trade Register. You can also collect this login information at any CzechPoint office.
• Obtain a tax ID ("DIČ"). The legal entity's tax ID is assigned automatically by Czech tax authorities upon registration in the Trade Register. No additional application is required. Confirmation of your tax ID will be sent to company's Datová schránka. It is advisable to check that you have received the tax ID.

With this step completed, your company establishing in the is complete. The legal entity is now authorized to conduct business activities.

As you can see, registration a Czech legal entity isn't that simple. We can assist you with the entire process of registration, if you're not ready to do it yourself. Detailed information about our services is available on our website, click the button below.