Craft Trades and Professional Qualification under Sections 21 and 22

Craft trades are the part of trades for which the law insists on proof of professional qualification. If you want to do business as a joiner, bricklayer or hairdresser, or to run a hospitality (catering) business, you must prove to the authority that you have mastered the field. This article explains what Sections 20, 21 and 22 of the Trade Licensing Act (Act No. 455/1991 Coll.) require for this and what options you have if you do not hold a "classic" apprenticeship certificate in the field.

What the law says

Section 20 defines which trades are craft trades very briefly: "Craft trades are the trades listed in Annex No. 1 to this Act." It is therefore a closed list - only those trades that are expressly named in the annex fall among the craft trades (e.g. bricklaying, joinery, tinsmithing, hospitality activity, hairdressing and barbering, the repair of road vehicles).

Section 21 sets out how professional qualification for craft trades is proven. According to paragraph 1, it is a document or documents on:

• a) "the proper completion of secondary education with an apprenticeship certificate in the relevant field of education",
• b) the proper completion of secondary education with a school-leaving (maturita) examination in the relevant field of education,
• c) the proper completion of higher vocational education in the relevant field of education,
• d) the proper completion of university education in the relevant area of study programmes and study fields,
• e) the recognition of professional qualification, issued by a recognition authority under the act on the recognition of professional qualification,
• f) the attainment of all professional qualifications as laid down for the corresponding complete professional qualification in the National Register of Qualifications.

The key phrase is "in the relevant field" - the education must correspond, in terms of field, to the trade you want to carry out. Paragraph 2 additionally allows citizens of the Czech Republic and other EU member states to prove qualification also by documents on practical experience (under Section 7(5)) for the trades listed in Parts A, B or C of Annex No. 1.

Section 22 opens up alternative means for situations where you do not have exactly the matching education. The documents under Section 21 may be replaced by documents on:

• a) the proper completion of secondary education with an apprenticeship certificate in a related field of education together with a document on the completion of one year of practical experience in the field,
• b) the proper completion of secondary education with a school-leaving (maturita) examination in a related field of education together with a document on the completion of one year of practical experience in the field,
• c) the proper completion of higher vocational education in a related field of education together with a document on the completion of one year of practical experience in the field,
• d) the proper completion of university education in the relevant related area of study programmes and study fields (here no practical experience is required),
• e) the recognition of professional qualification for a related field, or a requalification for the relevant work activity issued by an institution accredited under special legal regulations, together with a document on the completion of one year of practical experience in the field,
• f) the completion of six years of practical experience in the field.

Interpretation and explanation

The logic of both sections is simple: Section 21 is the "direct route" for someone who trained or studied in exactly the given field, while Section 22 is the "safety net" for everyone else. Practical experience in the law offsets a looser match between the education and the field - the further your education is from the field, the more experience the law demands. For university education in a related area it requires no experience at all; for an apprenticeship certificate, school-leaving exam or higher vocational education in a related field, and for requalification, it requires one year; and anyone relying solely on practical experience without relevant education must document six years.

Watch out for the difference between the "relevant" field and a "related" field. The relevant field (Section 21) means that your field directly corresponds to the trade. A related field (Section 22) is a field that is close in content - whether a field is related for a given trade is assessed by the Trade Licensing Office, which relies on opinions and methodologies. If you are not sure, it is advisable to ask about the specific field at the Trade Licensing Office in advance.

It also applies that requalification under letter e) must be evidenced by a document from an institution accredited under special legal regulations and is always accompanied by one year of practical experience - the requalification certificate alone is not enough. And be careful: not every craft trade is proven only under Sections 21 and 22. For the craft trades that are individually named, Annex No. 1 also states further specific documents, so always verify the requirements for the particular trade in the trade catalogue.

Practical implications and examples

A trained joiner opens a joinery business. They hold an apprenticeship certificate directly in the joiner field, so they meet Section 21(1)(a) and do not have to document any practical experience.

A trained carpenter wants to do joinery. Carpentry is close to the field but not identical. The carpenter will therefore take the route of Section 22(a): they will document an apprenticeship certificate in a related field and, in addition, one year of practical experience in joinery.

A female engineer from a faculty of civil engineering sets up a bricklaying business. Under Section 22(d), her university education in the related civil-engineering area is sufficient on its own, without practical experience.

An accountant wants to open a hairdressing salon. They have no education in the field. They will either complete an accredited requalification and document one year of practical experience (Section 22(e)), or prove six years of practical experience directly in hairdressing (Section 22(f)).

Practical experience is usually proven by a confirmation from an employer, an employment contract or a document on previous business activity in the field. Anyone who does not meet the qualification by any route can operate the trade through a responsible representative who meets the conditions of Section 21 or Section 22 on their behalf.

Related information

Professional qualification is only one of the conditions for a craft trade - alongside it you must also meet the general conditions (full legal capacity, a clean criminal record). The entire procedure, from choosing the field through proving qualification to notification, is described in the guide on how to set up a trade. The specific documents and the classification of your activity can be found in the trade catalogue. If you find that the activity you intend to carry out is not a craft trade, take a look at regulated trades and licensed (concession) trades, which have their own (often stricter) requirements for professional qualification.