A practical guide to trade licences, self-employment and business in Czechia

Choosing an address

Business address: home or a virtual office?

If you own your own flat or house where you also live, you can use it as your business address free of charge and without submitting any documentation. In a rental or at your parents' place, you need the owner's consent with an officially certified signature. If you would rather not deal with an address at all, choose a virtual office from approximately 45 Kč per month.

Own home = nothing to prove Rental / parents = owner's consent Virtual office from ~45 Kč/mo The address is public
Compare virtual office prices Consent to placing the business address

Choose according to your situation

Own flat / house

cheapest · 0 Kč

You need: nothing to submit (§ 31(2) of the Trade Licensing Act); the office verifies ownership from the cadastre

When you do not need consent

Rental / at parents'

owner's consent · ≤ 3 months

You need: written consent of the owner with an officially certified signature

Consent requirements

Virtual office

from ~45 Kč/mo · Prague

You need: to pick a provider — consent and mail handling are included in the price

Compare prices

When you do not need any consent

Under § 31(2) of the Trade Licensing Act, as a self-employed person (OSVČ) you do not have to prove a legal title to use the premises if your business address (sídlo) is identical with your place of residence and that residence is at the same time not at the address of a registration office (ohlašovna), a special registry office, or an authority that cancelled your permanent residence. The office verifies ownership from the cadastre. Verified 2026.

Comparison of options and indicative prices

Address optionWhat you must provideIndicative cost
Own flat/house where you liveNothing (the office verifies from the cadastre)0 Kč
Rental / parents' flat / someone else's propertyOwner's consent with an officially certified signature (≤ 3 months)signature certification approx. 30–50 Kč
Virtual office — outskirts of Prague (P5, 6, 8, 10), long-term contractNothing — the provider supplies the consentapprox. 45–135 Kč/mo
Virtual office — mid-range (P2, P3, more attractive addresses)Nothing — supplied by the providerapprox. 135–300 Kč/mo
Virtual office — prestigious Prague 1 / city centreNothing — supplied by the providerapprox. 420–835 Kč/mo

Virtual office prices are list-price figures from Prague providers, mostly excluding DPH (VAT) and with a minimum commitment period; verified June 2026. With cheap plans, check the limit on the number of mail items and whether scanning or mail forwarding is included in the price (an extra charge of approx. 99 Kč/mo is often added). A change of the business address in the register costs 100 Kč, or 80 Kč electronically (verified 2026).

The business address is public

The business address is published by the Trade Licensing Register (rzp.gov.cz), and for a limited liability company (s.r.o.) also by the Commercial Register (justice.cz), and it can also be found in the list of data boxes (datové schránky). Anyone can therefore find your home address — clients, partners, marketing companies, and even bailiffs. That is why many entrepreneurs hide their place of residence behind a virtual office. Verified 2026.

Checklist: how to choose a business address step by step

  • If yes and I live there → I use my home address and need to prove nothing (§ 31(2) of the Trade Licensing Act).
  • I obtain the owner's consent with an officially certified signature, no older than 3 months. → detail
  • I need the consent of all co-owners (for ordinary management a majority of shares is sufficient under § 1128 of the Civil Code); for an SVJ I check the bylaws.
  • I choose a virtual office. → detail
  • I register business premises (provozovna) and allow for a possibly higher immovable property tax (§ 11a of Act No. 338/1992 Coll.).
  • Price incl. DPH (VAT), length of commitment, mail item limit, scanning/forwarding, and provider references. → detail

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Frequently asked questions about the business address

I live with my parents — is the signature of my wife or one of my parents enough?
No. Consent must be given by the owner of the property, and if it is in co-ownership, you need the consent of all co-owners (for ordinary management a majority of shares is sufficient under § 1128 of the Civil Code). The signature of another family member who is not the owner will not be accepted by the office.
When do I not need the owner's consent at all?
When the business address (sídlo) is identical with your place of residence and that residence is not at the address of a registration office (ohlašovna) or an authority. Under § 31(2) of the Trade Licensing Act you then prove nothing to the trade licensing office (živnostenský úřad) — it verifies ownership from the real estate cadastre.
Do inspections come to the business address?
Official mail is delivered to the business address and, in theory, an inspection by the tax office, ČSSZ (Czech Social Security Administration), or the trade licensing office may arrive there. For an ordinary self-employed person (OSVČ) whose address is used purely for registration purposes, physical on-site inspections are rather exceptional, but you should bear in mind that the address is public and acknowledgments of delivery arrive there.
Is a virtual office legal?
Yes. A virtual (registration) office is a legal service — the provider is the owner or an authorised user of the property and issues you a consent to placing the business address with an officially certified signature. The important thing is not to carry out business there physically without registered business premises (provozovna) and to choose an established provider with a stable address.
Will my immovable property tax increase because of having my business address in my flat?
A mere registration-type business address, where you continue to live and do not actually use the space for business, usually does not change the tax. The higher rate under § 11a of Act No. 338/1992 Coll. applies only once you classify part of the flat as non-residential premises / business premises (provozovna) or actually use it for business. Verified 2026.

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Want to hide your home address?

Browse the comparison of virtual office prices in Prague 2026 — from cheap outlying addresses to the prestigious city centre, including what is typically included in the price.

Virtual office prices 2026