Processing of Hides and Furs
Field of activity No. 6 under the Trade Licensing Act.
What you need: Apprenticeship certificate, a relevant diploma or work experience (also possible via a responsible representative).
- Řemeslná živnost
- Field No. 6
- See conditions below
- 8 activity examples
Processing of Hides and Furs is a craft trade (field No. 6 of Annex No. 1, part A of the Trade Licensing Act) which covers the tanning, finishing and final processing of raw hides and furs. To obtain it, you must document your professional qualification under Section 21 or Section 22 of the Trade Licensing Act and meet the general conditions under Section 6. The trade licence arises already on the day of notification (Section 10(1)(a) of Act No. 455/1991 Coll.).
Absence of obstacles to operating the trade under Section 8 of the Trade Licensing Act (e.g. a court-imposed ban on activity in the field or the statutory consequences of insolvency).
Professional qualification (a special condition under Section 7) is demonstrated under Section 21 - one of the variants is sufficient:
- an apprenticeship certificate in the relevant field of study,
- a maturita certificate in the relevant field of study or with subjects of vocational preparation in the relevant field,
- a diploma of higher professional education in the relevant field of study,
- a university diploma in the relevant area of study programmes and fields,
- a document on recognition of professional qualification issued by the recognising authority,
- a document on obtaining all professional qualifications for the corresponding full professional qualification in the National Register of Qualifications.
Substitute professional qualification under Section 22 - one of the variants is sufficient:
- an apprenticeship certificate in a related field + 1 year of experience in the field,
- a maturita examination in a related field + 1 year of experience in the field,
- higher professional education in a related field + 1 year of experience in the field,
- university education in the relevant related area (with no experience requirement),
- a retraining certificate + 1 year of experience in the field,
- or 6 years of experience in the field without proof of education.
You do not have to hold the professional qualification personally - it can be documented through an appointed responsible representative under Section 11 (one person may perform this function for no more than four entrepreneurs).
Examples of activities
- Tanning of raw hides and furs - by chrome tanning, vegetable tanning and combined methods
- Finishing and final processing of leather (drying, fatliquoring, pressing, buffing, dyeing)
- Processing and finishing of furs and fur semi-products (fleshing, cleaning, polishing)
- Production of leather semi-products for the footwear, leather goods and clothing industries
- Preservation and pre-treatment of raw hides before tanning proper
- Dyeing and surface finishing of tanned hides and furs
- Splitting and shaving of leather
- Renovation and re-tanning of furs
What the trade is and what it is for
The Processing of Hides and Furs trade is a craft trade classified under field No. 6 of Annex No. 1 (part A) to the Trade Licensing Act (Act No. 455/1991 Coll.). It authorises you to do business in the tanning, finishing and final processing of raw animal hides and furs into finished leather, furs and fur semi-products, which then serve as material for the footwear, leather goods, clothing or upholstery industries.
The subject of the activity is the entire technological chain from the receipt and preservation of the raw hide, through tanning proper (chrome tanning, vegetable tanning and other methods), to the drying, dyeing, fatliquoring and surface finishing of the finished leather or fur.
What falls under this trade (and what does not)
The trade covers in particular the following activities:
- tanning of raw hides and furs and their pre-treatment (fleshing, dehairing, preservation),
- finishing and final processing of leather (drying, fatliquoring, pressing, buffing, splitting),
- dyeing and surface finishing of tanned hides and furs,
- processing and renovation of furs and fur semi-products.
The boundary with neighbouring trades is important to watch. The production of finished leather goods - for example footwear, clothing, leather goods and saddlery - falls under other craft trades (e.g. "Manufacture and repair of footwear, leather goods and saddlery"). If you were to make specific products from tanned leather, you would need the corresponding trade licence in addition. The mere sale of hides and furs without their processing is, by contrast, an unqualified (free) trade.
Conditions for obtaining the trade under the law
You must meet the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act, that is full legal capacity (Section 6(1)(a)) and a clean criminal record (Section 6(1)(b) and Section 6(2)). Integrity is demonstrated by an extract from the Criminal Records Register, which the office obtains itself. The law does not require medical fitness or liability insurance for this trade. At the same time, there must be no obstacle to operating the trade under Section 8 (e.g. a court-imposed ban on activity in the field or the statutory consequences of insolvency).
As with every craft trade, you must document your professional qualification (a special condition under Section 7). Under Section 21, one of the variants is sufficient: an apprenticeship certificate, maturita certificate or diploma (higher professional education or university) in the relevant field of study, or a document on recognition of professional qualification or on obtaining all professional qualifications for the corresponding full professional qualification in the National Register of Qualifications.
If your education does not exactly match, you can use the substitute qualification under Section 22: education in a related field supplemented by 1 year of experience in the field (for university education in a related area, no experience is required), retraining + 1 year of experience, or 6 years of experience in the field even without proof of education.
You do not have to hold the qualification personally. You can appoint a responsible representative under Section 11 who meets the conditions and is responsible for the proper operation of the trade. One person may perform the function of responsible representative for no more than four entrepreneurs.
How to notify or obtain the trade step by step
- Complete the Unified Registration Form (URF), by which you notify the craft trade.
- Submit the notification at any municipal Trade Licensing Office, electronically via the portal rzp.gov.cz, or at a Czech POINT contact point.
- Attach the documents on professional qualification (see below) and proof of payment of the administrative fee.
- Pay the fee: CZK 1,000 for notification, or CZK 800 for electronic submission.
- The licence arises already on the day of notification (Section 10(1)(a) of the Trade Licensing Act); the office makes the entry in the Trade Register within 5 working days and issues an extract.
You can find the detailed procedure in the guide How to start a trade.
Documents and fees
- a completed Unified Registration Form (URF),
- proof of identity,
- proof of professional qualification under Section 21, or as a substitute under Section 22 (including proof of experience),
- for a responsible representative, their declaration and documents proving their qualification,
- proof of payment of the fee: CZK 1,000 (paper) / CZK 800 (electronically),
- the office verifies the clean criminal record itself from the Criminal Records Register.
Frequently asked questions
Is experience enough if I do not have an apprenticeship certificate in the field?
Yes. Under Section 22, the qualification can be documented even by 6 years of experience in the field without proof of education, or by shorter experience (1 year) combined with related education or retraining.
Do I need a health certificate or liability insurance?
No. For this trade, the law does not require medical fitness or liability insurance. Apart from the general conditions under Section 6, there must merely be no obstacle to operating the trade under Section 8 (e.g. a court-imposed ban on activity in the field).
Can I do business even if I do not hold the qualification personally?
Yes. You can appoint a responsible representative under Section 11 who meets the professional qualification and is responsible for the proper operation of the trade. One person may perform this function for no more than four entrepreneurs.
When can I start doing business?
The licence arises on the day of notification (Section 10(1)(a) of the Trade Licensing Act). The entry in the register and the issue of an extract take place within 5 working days.
Can I make products directly from tanned leather?
The production of finished products (footwear, clothing, leather goods) falls under other craft trades. For such production you need an additional trade licence.