Private detective services

Private detective services are a licensed (concession) trade (Annex 3 to the Trade Licensing Act) covering investigation, tracing and the gathering of information and evidence on commission. It requires the granting of a concession in administrative proceedings, professional qualification under Annex 3 and the satisfaction of the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act. The licence comes into existence only on the date on which the decision granting the concession becomes final.

Conditions for operating

General conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act: full legal capacity and a clean criminal record.
Reliability of the entrepreneur, of the statutory body or of the members of the statutory body (Section 6(2) of the Act) and a clean criminal record and professional qualification of the employees who carry out the activity (Annex 5 to the Act).
Professional qualification under Annex 3 (assessed under Sections 6 to 8 and Section 27 of Act No. 455/1991 Coll.) - one of the following variants suffices:
a) university education and 1 year of experience in the field;
b) higher professional education of a legal, security or similar focus and 1 year of experience in the field;
c) secondary education with a maturita examination in a security or legal field and 3 years of experience in the field;
d) secondary education with a maturita examination and a retraining certificate or other proof of professional qualification and 3 years of experience in the field;
e) secondary education with a maturita examination and a professional qualification for the activity of detective trainee under Act No. 179/2006 Coll. and 3 years of experience in the field.
Neither medical fitness nor liability insurance is required.
The licence comes into existence only on the date on which the decision granting the concession becomes final (not by notification). If you do not meet the conditions yourself, a responsible representative may be appointed under Section 11 of the Act.

Examples of activities

tracing persons and property, locating debtors
vetting the integrity, reliability and financial circumstances of persons and companies
ascertaining and obtaining evidence for court and employment-law disputes
monitoring unlawful conduct of employees and information leaks
obtaining background information on the circumstances of insurance claims
surveillance and documentation of persons' conduct within a commission
preparing a detective report for the client

What this trade is and what it is for

The trade "Private detective services" is a licensed (concession) trade under Annex 3 to the Trade Licensing Act. It authorises you to professionally, and for a fee, investigate, trace and ascertain information, facts and evidence for other persons. A private detective works on a client's commission - typically a company, a lawyer or a private individual - and hands the results of their work to the client, usually in the form of a detective report.

The purpose of the trade is the lawful obtaining of information where the client cannot ascertain it themselves: vetting a business partner, locating a debtor or obtaining background material for court proceedings. It is one of the most strictly regulated trades, because it concerns the privacy of persons and must take place within the limits of the law, in particular as regards the protection of personal data.

What this trade covers (and what it does not)

The trade covers in particular:

tracing persons and property, locating persons in hiding and debtors,
vetting the integrity, reliability and financial circumstances of persons and companies,
ascertaining and obtaining information and evidence for court, administrative or employment-law disputes,
monitoring unlawful conduct of employees, information leaks or unfair competition,
obtaining background information on insurance claims and surveillance of persons' conduct within a specific commission.

The boundary with neighbouring trades and professions. Detective activity must be distinguished from other authorisations:

Protection of property and persons (physical protection, reception, transport of valuables) is a separate concession trade under Annex 3, not a detective service.
Provision of technical services for the protection of property and persons (installation and management of security and camera systems) is again a separate concession trade.
A private detective has no powers of bodies active in criminal proceedings - they may not detain persons, carry out house searches or wiretaps. They must respect the protection of personal data (GDPR) and personality rights.

If you wish to combine detective work with protection services, you need both concessions separately.

Conditions for obtaining the trade under the law

As with any concession, you must satisfy the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act: full legal capacity and a clean criminal record. In addition, the Act requires the reliability of the entrepreneur or the statutory body (Section 6(2) of the Act) and a clean criminal record and professional qualification of the employees who carry out the activity (Annex 5 to the Act). Neither medical fitness nor liability insurance is required.

The key requirement is professional qualification under Annex 3 (assessed under Sections 6 to 8 and Section 27 of Act No. 455/1991 Coll.). One of the following variants suffices:

Variant	Education	Experience in the field
a)	university education	1 year
b)	higher professional education of a legal, security or similar focus	1 year
c)	secondary education with a maturita examination in a security or legal field	3 years
d)	secondary education with a maturita examination + a retraining certificate or other proof of professional qualification	3 years
e)	secondary education with a maturita examination + a professional qualification for the activity of detective trainee (Act No. 179/2006 Coll.)	3 years

Responsible representative (Section 11 of the Act). If you do not meet the professional qualification yourself - and always in the case of a legal person - you may operate the trade through a responsible representative, who must meet both the general conditions and the qualification and is responsible for the proper operation of the trade. One person may act as responsible representative for no more than four entrepreneurs.

How to notify or obtain the trade step by step

A concession trade is not notified; instead a concession is applied for, and the application is decided by the Trade Licensing Office in administrative proceedings (Section 50 et seq. of the Act):

Complete the Unified Registration Form (URF) in the form of a concession application. It also serves as a registration for tax and insurance.
Submit the application to any municipal Trade Licensing Office, electronically via the rzp.gov.cz portal, or at a Czech POINT contact point.
Provide documents proving professional qualification (diploma, certificates, attestations), and, where applicable, the responsible representative's documents and declaration.
Pay the administrative fee - CZK 1,000 for a first concession application (first entry into business), CZK 500 for each further concession.
Await the decision. The Trade Licensing Office decides normally within 30 days. The trade licence comes into existence only on the date on which the decision granting the concession becomes final - not on submission of the application. The office makes the entry in the register within 5 working days of the decision becoming final.

The detailed general procedure can be found in the guide How to start a trade.

Documents and fees

The completed Unified Registration Form (concession application).
Proof of identity.
Proof of professional qualification under one of variants a) to e) above (including proof of experience).
The responsible representative's documents and declaration of performance of the function, where applicable.
Administrative fee: CZK 1,000 for a first concession, CZK 500 for a further concession.
A clean criminal record is verified by the office itself; in addition, the reliability of the entrepreneur and the clean criminal record of the employees are assessed (Annex 5 to the Act).

Frequently asked questions

Is it enough to notify the trade so that I can start investigating?

No. This is a concession trade, where notification is not sufficient. You must submit a concession application and the licence will come into existence only on the date on which the decision granting it becomes final. Until then you may not provide detective services.

How long does it take to deal with the concession?

The application is decided by the Trade Licensing Office in administrative proceedings normally within 30 days. After the decision becomes final, the office makes the entry in the Trade Register within 5 working days and issues an extract.

Can I obtain the trade without an education in law or security?

Yes. For example, university education of any focus with 1 year of experience suffices, or secondary education with a maturita supplemented by retraining or the professional qualification "detective trainee" and 3 years of experience. There are five variants; satisfying one is enough.

Who recognises a professional qualification obtained abroad?

The recognising body is the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the appellate body is the Minister of Industry and Trade. The recognition of qualifications from the EU is governed by Directive 2005/36/EC.

What must my employees satisfy?

Activities aimed at investigation and gathering of information may be carried out only by employees who meet the requirements of professional qualification and a clean criminal record under Annex 5 to the Trade Licensing Act.