Cutting of technical and gemstone

Cutting of technical and gemstone (precious and semi-precious stone) as an unqualified (free) trade, field of activity No. 23. It requires no professional qualification - it is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act and notify it; the licence comes into existence on the day of notification.

Conditions for operating

This is an unqualified (free) trade (Annex No. 4 to the Trade Licensing Act, field of activity No. 23) - professional qualification is not documented.
It is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act:
- full legal capacity (usually reaching the age of 18; for a minor it may be replaced by the court's approval of the legal representative's consent to the independent operation of business activity),
- clean criminal record (integrity) (Section 6(2) - it is not met by a person who has been finally convicted of an intentional criminal offence committed in connection with the business or with the subject of business they are applying for or notifying, unless they are regarded as not having been convicted).
The notification is submitted under Section 45, the documents under Section 46; the trade licence comes into existence under Section 10(1)(a) on the day of notification.
If you do not meet the conditions yourself, a responsible representative may be appointed (Section 11).

Examples of activities

cutting and polishing of precious stones (gemstones)
cutting of semi-precious stones and their finishing into jewellery form
cutting of technical stone for industrial use
facet (faceted) and cabochon cutting of gemstones
cutting of special cuts according to a drawing or prototype
splitting, sawing and polishing of raw minerals
finishing of natural and synthetic gemstones by sawing and cutting
manufacture of cut stones for jewellery and costume jewellery processing

What the trade is and what it is for

The trade Cutting of technical and gemstone is field of activity No. 23 within the single unqualified (free) trade under the Trade Licensing Act (Act No. 455/1991 Coll.). It entitles you to process natural and synthetic stones on a commercial basis by splitting, sawing, cutting and polishing - that is, precious and semi-precious stones (gemstones and semi-precious stones) for jewellery use and technical stones intended for industrial purposes. This also includes the cutting of special cuts according to a drawing or prototype.

Because this is an unqualified (free) trade (Annex No. 4 to the Trade Licensing Act), you do not have to document any education or experience. It is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 and notify the field. This gives you the right to provide these services to customers from jewellery and costume jewellery, to collectors and to industrial buyers.

What falls under this trade (and what does not)

Field No. 23 covers in particular:

splitting, sawing, cutting and polishing of natural and synthetic gemstones and technical stones,
cutting and polishing of precious and semi-precious stones (facet and cabochon cutting),
cutting of special cuts according to a drawing or prototype,
cutting of technical stone for industrial use,
making cut stones to order for further jewellery or costume jewellery processing.

Where the boundaries lie with neighbouring fields. According to the content of this field, it does not include jewellery work connected with setting a gemstone - the actual manufacture and assembly of jewellery (setting stones into metal) is the craft trade "Goldsmithing and jewellery" (Annex No. 1 to the Trade Licensing Act), not this unqualified (free) field. Likewise, it does not include the processing of natural stone for construction and similar purposes - this falls under the craft trade "Stonemasonry". The manufacture of abrasives and abrasive tools (grinding wheels, abrasive paper) falls under another field of the unqualified (free) trade, namely field No. 22 "Manufacture of abrasives and other mineral non-metallic products". If you were also to mine or extract the stone, this is an activity outside the Trade Licensing Act (governed by mining regulations). If you are not sure of the boundary, verify the classification with the Trade Licensing Office.

Conditions for obtaining it under the law

This trade is unqualified (free), so professional qualification is not documented - you do not have to submit an apprenticeship certificate, a school-leaving exam or proof of experience. Only the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act apply:

full legal capacity - you usually acquire it by reaching the age of 18; for a minor it may be replaced by the court's approval of the legal representative's consent to the independent operation of business activity,
clean criminal record - under Section 6(2) it is not met by a person finally convicted of an intentional criminal offence committed in connection with the business or with the subject of business they are applying for or notifying, unless they are regarded as not having been convicted. For Czech citizens the office verifies the clean criminal record itself by an extract from the Criminal Records Register; foreigners document it under Section 46.

Responsible representative (Section 11). For an unqualified (free) trade you will not need one for qualification reasons, because no qualification is proven. You can, however, appoint one for example if you yourself do not meet one of the general conditions or are a foreign person; the responsible representative must then meet the general conditions under Section 6 on your behalf. 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

Fill in the Unified Registration Form (URF). It serves to notify the trade under Section 45 and at the same time enables registration for income tax, social security and health insurance.
Submit the notification. You can do so in person at any municipal Trade Licensing Office, electronically via the rzp.gov.cz portal, or at a Czech POINT branch.
Prove your identity and pay the fee. You do not document the qualification for an unqualified (free) trade; the documents for the notification are governed by Section 46.
Wait for registration. The trade licence comes into existence under Section 10(1)(a) already on the day of notification; the Trade Licensing Office makes the entry in the Trade Register within 5 working days and issues an extract (Section 47).

You can immediately notify several fields of the unqualified (free) trade at once for one administrative fee. You can find the detailed procedure in the guide How to start a trade step by step.

Documents and fees

Proof of identity (identity card).
Unified Registration Form (URF) - trade notification (Section 45).
Clean criminal record - for Czech citizens the office verifies it itself; foreigners document it under Section 46.
You do not document the professional qualification (unqualified (free) trade).
Administrative fee for the notification CZK 1,000, or CZK 800 for electronic submission.
Extending to include another field of the unqualified (free) trade is free of charge (CZK 0).
Registration period in the register: within 5 working days (Section 47).

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an apprenticeship certificate or experience to cut stones?

No. This is an unqualified (free) trade for which professional qualification is not proven. It is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 (full legal capacity and a clean criminal record) and notify the field.

How much will I pay for the notification of this trade?

The administrative fee for the trade notification is CZK 1,000, or CZK 800 for electronic submission. If you already have a trade licence and are only adding this field, the extension is free of charge.

Can I notify the cutting of stones together with other fields?

Yes. The unqualified (free) trade has 80 fields of activity and you can notify several of them at once for a single administrative fee. You can thus combine, for example, the cutting of stones with related fields.

May I manufacture finished jewellery under this field?

No. Setting a cut stone into metal and the assembly of jewellery fall under the craft trade "Goldsmithing and jewellery". This field covers only the cutting and finishing of the stone.

When can I start doing business?

The trade licence comes into existence under Section 10(1)(a) on the day of notification, so you can start the activity immediately. The office makes the entry in the Trade Register within 5 working days.