Who can get a trade licence
EU/EEA/Switzerland under the same conditions as Czechs; a third-country national also needs a visa or residence permit. We check what your case requires.
A complete overview for foreigners who run, or want to start, a Czech self-employed business (OSVČ): who can get a trade licence, how tax residency is decided, when social and health insurance is due, who benefits from flat tax, and when VAT or identified-person status starts. We handle bookkeeping from registration through to the annual return.
A foreign OSVČ in Czechia deals with several obligations at once. We treat them as one agenda, not a set of separate tasks.
EU/EEA/Switzerland under the same conditions as Czechs; a third-country national also needs a visa or residence permit. We check what your case requires.
The 183-day and permanent-home test under §2 of the income tax act decides whether you pay tax only on Czech income, or worldwide.
OSSZ registration and tracking the minimum advances — including the change from 1 July 2026.
We check whether you belong to the public system or need commercial insurance, based on your residence status.
Eligibility is tied to Czech tax residency, not citizenship. We calculate whether it pays off for you.
We track the 2,000,000 CZK turnover threshold and the moment a foreign ad or software purchase creates identified-person status.
Bolt, Uber, Airbnb and similar platforms send your data to the tax authority. We check that your return matches it.
The starting rule is equal treatment: a foreign person may run a trade in Czechia "under the same conditions and to the same extent as a Czech person" (§5(2) of Act No. 455/1991 Sb.). At registration you attach a criminal-record extract — or the equivalent document from your country of origin — no older than 3 months (§6(3)).
What separates an EU citizen from a third-country national is not the trade licence itself but residence. A foreign individual who is required to hold a permit in order to stay in Czechia must additionally prove a visa for a stay over 90 days, or a long-term residence permit (§5(5) and §46(1)(e) of the same act). EU, EEA and Swiss citizens are under no such requirement, so the condition does not reach them; a third-country national without valid residence authorisation cannot file at all — the office will not accept the registration and the trade licence does not arise. Which residence type your case needs depends on your purpose of stay and country of origin, so we check it against your specific situation rather than a general rule.
You file the trade-licence registration with the trade office in person, by post, via a data box, or through the government services portal. The office must enter you in the trade register within 5 working days of a complete registration (§47(1) of Act No. 455/1991 Sb.). You then register with the OSSZ for social insurance and arrange health insurance — both no later than the day you start your activity.
| Step | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Trade-licence registration | Administrative fee 1,000 CZK for the first registration, 500 CZK for each further one; entry in the register within 5 working days (government services portal) |
| OSSZ registration | Notify the locally competent OSSZ (social security office) that you started self-employment, typically within 8 days of starting |
| Health insurer | Notify your health insurer that you started self-employment within 8 days of starting — only if you belong to the public system (see below) |
| Data box (datová schránka) | The state sets one up automatically for a self-employed person; an official message in it counts as delivered even unread (datovka.gov.cz) |
Residency decides whether Czechia taxes only your Czech-source income, or your worldwide income. Under §2(2) and (4) of Act No. 586/1992 Sb., you are a Czech tax resident if you meet at least one of these conditions:
As a resident you declare worldwide income in Czechia — domestic and foreign. To avoid the same income being taxed twice, a double-taxation treaty between Czechia and the other country applies where one exists; the Financial Administration keeps the list of treaties in force. The exact mechanism (a tax credit, or an exemption of the income) differs treaty by treaty — we assess it against your country, not a general rule.
Your obligations are not set by any single fact but by three independent questions: your citizenship, whether you are a Czech tax resident, and what residence status you hold. Each one moves a different line — which is why two apparently similar situations can be taxed and billed differently.
| Question | Answer A | Answer B |
|---|---|---|
| Citizenship — access to a trade licence | EU, EEA, Switzerland: register with no residence document, just a criminal-record extract no older than 3 months | Third country: also a visa over 90 days or a long-term residence permit (§5(5) and §46(1)(e) of Act No. 455/1991 Sb.) |
| Tax residency — what you declare | Czech resident (a home here, or 183 days): you declare worldwide income, with a treaty handling double taxation | Non-resident: you are taxed only on Czech-source income (§2 of Act No. 586/1992 Sb.) |
| Tax residency — tax reliefs | Czech resident: reliefs and the child tax benefit under §35ba and §35c on the ordinary conditions | Non-resident: the range of reliefs is restricted — see below (Financial Administration on non-residents) |
| Tax residency — flat tax | Czech resident: entry open up to 2,000,000 CZK of annual income | Non-resident: the regime ends in the month you moved your tax residency abroad (Financial Administration) |
| Residence status — health insurance | Permanent residence: a participant in the public system by law | No permanent residence: only in listed cases, otherwise commercial cover (§2 of Act No. 48/1997 Sb.) |
This is the rule older guides for foreigners often still miss. If you are a Czech tax non-resident and you are not a tax resident of an EU or EEA member state, the Financial Administration states you may claim only the basic personal relief under §35ba(1)(a) of the income tax act and the student relief under §35ba(1)(f). The other reliefs under §35ba(1)(b) to (e) and (g), and the child tax benefit under §35c, are available only to a taxpayer who is a tax resident of an EU or EEA member state and has at least 90% of their income from Czech sources (Financial Administration, Czech tax non-resident).
What that means in practice: what counts is tax residency, not citizenship and not how long you have been in Czechia. A third-country national who is a tax resident of an EU state does meet the EU/EEA condition; conversely, a citizen of a state that has left the EU does not, even after years of working here. If you are near either line, we calculate the share of your Czech-source income before we file — not after a query from the tax office.
Minimum advances are due regardless of how much you actually earn — and in 2026 one of them changes partway through the year.
| Obligation | What applies in 2026 |
|---|---|
| Social insurance — minimum advance | 5,720 CZK January–June, 5,005 CZK from July (the minimum assessment base fell from 40% to 35% of the average wage); the January–June advances stay as paid, but the 2026 annual minimum uses 35% for the whole year and the overpayment comes back (ČSSZ, change from 1 July 2026) |
| Health insurance — minimum advance | 3,306 CZK per month for the whole year, from a minimum assessment base of 24,483.50 CZK — unchanged on 1 July 2026 (VZP) |
| A foreigner's public health insurance | Mandatory by law for everyone with permanent residence in Czechia; without permanent residence only in listed cases (employment with a Czech-headquartered employer, certain long-term research permits, asylum) — otherwise you need commercial health insurance (§2 of Act No. 48/1997 Sb., VZP on insuring foreigners) |
| Flat tax — entry and residency | Entry open up to 2,000,000 CZK annual income; eligibility is tied to Czech tax residency, not citizenship — the regime ends on the day you relocate tax residency abroad (Financial Administration) |
Here is exactly what you pay the state each year in minimum advances alone, worked out to the crown.
| Item | Calculation | For 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Social insurance, annual minimum | 205,668 CZK × 29.2% | 60,056 CZK |
| Health insurance, annual minimum | 293,802 CZK × 13.5% | 39,664 CZK |
| Minimum to the state in total (excluding income tax) | 60,056 + 39,664 | 99,720 CZK |
This is the minimum due even at zero profit (for an OSVČ whose activity is their main one). The 2026 advances add up to more — social 5,720 CZK × 6 + 5,005 CZK × 6 = 64,350 CZK, health 3,306 CZK × 12 — and whatever exceeds the annual minimum comes back after the overview. Your actual advance may be higher, based on your assessment base from the previous year — we calculate the new amount from your annual overview, not from the minimum by default.
The flat tax (paušální daň) is a single monthly payment that replaces both insurance advances and income tax — and with it, the tax return and both annual overviews go away (Financial Administration, flat-tax regime). To compare like with like, here is the band I flat tax for the whole year set against the annual insurance minimum worked out above.
The band I payment changes partway through 2026: 9,984 CZK a month until June, 9,162 CZK from July — a cut of 822 CZK a month. Anyone who paid the band I advance from January to June has an overpayment of 4,932 CZK, and the new amount first fell due on 20 July 2026 (GFŘ press release). The flat tax for the whole of 2026 is therefore 9,162 CZK × 12; the overpayment can be set against later advances or refunded.
| Option | Calculation | For 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Flat tax, band I — insurance and income tax in one payment | 9,162 CZK × 12 | 109,944 CZK |
| Ordinary regime — annual insurance minimum only, income tax still on top | 60,056 + 39,664 | 99,720 CZK |
| Difference (flat tax above the insurance minimum alone) | 109,944 − 99,720 | 10,224 CZK |
How to read that: the flat tax costs 10,224 CZK a year more than the insurance minimum on its own — but that figure already contains your income tax, which in the ordinary regime you pay on top of the advances. So it pays off the higher your income tax would have been, and the fewer reliefs and real expenses you would have claimed. It does not pay off if you have high actual expenses, or reliefs that the flat-tax regime does not let you use.
Which is why we do not settle this for you in the abstract: we run both options on your own previous-year income and expenses and send you the two results side by side. The band methodology and the entry conditions are covered in our flat-tax guide. Note the link back to the previous section: eligibility rests on Czech tax residency — move your residency abroad and the regime ends.
This is where a foreign OSVČ most often gets caught out: the VAT obligation usually arrives not from your turnover but from a single invoice from a foreign supplier. So here are both limits together — 2,000,000 CZK for VAT-payer status by turnover and 326,000 CZK for acquiring goods from the EU — plus the cases where no limit applies at all.
| Situation | Limit | What it creates |
|---|---|---|
| You invoice Czech customers (domestic turnover) | 2,000,000 CZK per calendar year; above 2,536,500 CZK in the same year, immediately | VAT payer from 1 January of the following year, or immediately (§6 of Act No. 235/2004 Sb.) |
| You buy a service from a supplier not established in Czechia (ads, software, cloud) | No limit | Identified person from the very first such invoice (§6g to §6i of the same act) — you account for the tax, not the supplier |
| You acquire goods from another EU member state | 326,000 CZK | Below this limit the acquisition is not subject to VAT; the limit is tested in the relevant and in the immediately preceding calendar year (§2a(2)) |
| You supply a service to a business in another member state | No limit | The place of supply is the customer's seat, not yours — the customer accounts for the tax and you invoice without Czech VAT (§9(1)), but you yourself become an identified person |
| You sell at a distance to EU consumers (goods, digital services) | EUR 10,000 across all EU states combined | Above the limit, tax is due in the customer's country; through the OSS regime you file one return instead of registering in every state (Financial Administration, OSS) |
Registering late for VAT can carry a fine of up to 500,000 CZK, and the application is due within 10 working days of exceeding the turnover (government services portal). The difference between identified-person status and full VAT-payer status — and why the first is usually far cheaper — is covered on our identified person vs VAT payer page.
The EU-goods limit is not tracked invoice by invoice but as a running total for the calendar year. An example with three purchases of goods from EU suppliers in one year:
| Purchase of goods from the EU (example) | Running total for the year | Position against the limit |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase 1: 180,000 CZK | 180,000 CZK | under the limit (180,000 < 326,000) |
| Purchase 2: 120,000 CZK | 180,000 + 120,000 = 300,000 CZK | under the limit (300,000 < 326,000) |
| Purchase 3: 60,000 CZK | 300,000 + 60,000 = 360,000 CZK | limit exceeded (360,000 > 326,000) — the obligation arises on this acquisition itself |
Two things can bypass that table entirely. First, the 326,000 CZK limit covers goods only — for services received from a supplier not established here there is no limit at all, and you become an identified person on the first invoice. Second, the limit is tested against the preceding calendar year too, so it can catch you in a year when you buy very little. We track both from your documents as they come in, not once a year at closing.
Your residence status, what you do for a living, whether you have income outside Czechia too, and how many documents you handle per month.
We check your tax residency, the insurance regime that applies, and whether flat tax pays off for you. Then we write up the scope, the price and what we need from you.
Written reply, no call — within 2 hours, every day, weekends and holidays included. We handle the trade-office, OSSZ and health-insurer registrations for you under power of attorney.
You send documents digitally. We track VAT, overview, identified-person and tax-return deadlines and flag every obligation ahead of time, not after it is due.
We're happy to arrange an in-person meeting in Prague, but it isn't required. The same process works from any other country.
The price depends on your document volume and whether you deal with VAT or identified-person status. We confirm a fixed amount in writing before work starts.
OSVČ ACCOUNTING
The monthly price covers the agreed work. Standalone services and work beyond that scope are quoted before we start. Work already included is not charged twice:
The handover is free: we check the state of the books, open items and set up your new monthly routine. Unprocessed historical periods and missing documents are quoted separately once we have reviewed them.
The accounting handover itself is free. The quote covers only corrections and unprepared prior periods; we confirm the scope and price after reviewing the records.
Employee setup included · JMHZ and other payroll reports included · Payslips · Cleanup quoted separately
Document review, application, power of attorney and routine tax-office follow-up.
Period check, VAT calculation, electronic filing and submission confirmation.
Initial review of registration, periods and available evidence; corrections are quoted after findings.
A separate annual layer; monthly identified-person filings do not replace it.
Administrative fee for the first registration, 500 CZK for each further one. The trade office must enter you in the trade register within 5 working days of a complete registration. government services portal
None of these is charged on its own initiative. You get the scope and the amount in writing, and we start only once you confirm it.
This example uses only figures printed on this page: the monthly OSVČ bookkeeping price, the trade-licence registration fee, and the identified-person prices — for a foreigner who starts paying an EU supplier for advertising or software partway through the year and becomes an identified person.
| Item | Calculation | First year |
|---|---|---|
| OSVČ bookkeeping (Ganado) | 990 CZK × 12 months | 11,880 CZK |
| Trade-licence registration (paid to the state) | 1,000 CZK one-off | 1,000 CZK |
| Without VAT and without identified person | 11,880 + 1,000 | 12,880 CZK |
| Identified-person registration | 1,990 CZK one-off | 1,990 CZK |
| Identified-person VAT filings | 690 CZK × 9 filings | 6,210 CZK |
| With identified person from month four | 12,880 + 1,990 + 6,210 | 21,080 CZK |
These are entry prices from our pricing page: we confirm the fixed monthly amount in writing after reviewing your document volume, and it does not change after that. The minimum social- and health-insurance advances you pay the state are worked out separately above.
We don't publish client counts nobody can check. This is what you can verify: 5.0 on Google from 6 reviews (public profile), company ID (IČO) 19322119 in ARES and the listing in Firmy.cz. Our office is at Příčná 1892/4, Praha.
Artem Chagin, founder of Ganado international s.r.o., is responsible for the content of this page; your specific residency, insurance type and tax regime are always assessed against your own figures and your own residence permit, never a general rule.
Details on each obligation, and pricing.
Monthly bookkeeping for self-employed people, with year-round support.
When an s.r.o. pays off over a trade licence for a foreigner, and how to set one up.
IO registration and monthly VAT filing when you buy services from abroad.
Thresholds, becoming a VAT payer and deciding based on your own figures.
Annual overviews for social and health insurance and their deadlines.
Who benefits from flat tax and how the bands are calculated.
When you file in Czechia, when in your home country, and double taxation.
Prices for OSVČ, identified person and companies in one place.
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