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

Out-of-school education and teaching, organising courses and training including lecturing activity

Field of activity No. 72 under the Trade Licensing Act.

Is this trade licence right for me?

What you need: No professional qualification needed — general conditions and a notification suffice.

  • Volná živnost
  • Field No. 72
  • See conditions below
  • 8 activity examples
Trade licence type Volná živnost
What you need No professional qualification needed — general conditions and a notification suffice.
Field under the law No. 72
How to start By notification at the trade licensing office

A free trade (field no. 72) covering out-of-school education and teaching, organising courses and training, and lecturing activity. It does not require any professional qualification; it is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act, and the licence arises on the very day of notification (Section 10(1)(a) of Act No. 455/1991 Coll.).

Conditions for operating
Full legal capacity under Section 6(1)(a) of the Trade Licensing Act (usually reaching the age of 18; may be replaced by a court's approval of a legal representative's consent for a minor to independently carry on business activity).
Clean criminal record / integrity under Section 6(1)(b) and Section 6(2) of the Trade Licensing Act (a person finally convicted of an intentional criminal offence is not regarded as having a clean record if it was committed in connection with business or with the subject of business; it is proven by an extract from the records of the Criminal Records Register, which the office obtains itself).
Professional qualification is NOT documented - this is a free trade under Annex No. 4 to the Act, for which the special conditions under Section 7 (education, practice, qualification) are not required.
Absence of obstacles to operating a trade under Section 8 of the Trade Licensing Act (e.g. a court-imposed ban on activity relating to the field, or the statutory consequences of insolvency).
Optionally, a responsible representative may be appointed under Section 11 (not mandatory for a free trade; one person may hold this office for no more than 4 entrepreneurs).
Foreigners from third countries additionally document a residence permit authorising them to do business; they prove a clean criminal record under Section 6(3) in conjunction with Section 46 also by an extract from the criminal records of their home state.

Examples of activities

  • language courses (English, German and others)
  • tutoring of pupils and students
  • corporate and professional training of employees
  • lecturing and presentation activity at courses and seminars
  • hobby clubs and courses for children and young people
  • retraining and educational courses for adults
  • computer and software courses
  • organising specialist seminars, workshops and webinars

What this trade is and what it is for

The trade "Out-of-school education and teaching, organising courses and training, including lecturing activity" is field no. 72 of the free trade. It covers educational and teaching activities carried out outside the system of schools and school facilities under the Education Act. It includes teaching, tutoring, organising courses and training, as well as lecturing (presentation) activity itself.

This trade is very broad and popular with language teachers, soft-skills trainers, tutors, operators of hobby clubs and companies offering professional training. It is one of the eighty fields of activity that make up the single free trade ("Production, trade and services not listed in Annexes 1 to 3 of the Trade Licensing Act").

What falls under this trade (and what does not)

Field no. 72 typically includes:

  • language teaching and language courses,
  • tutoring of pupils and students,
  • corporate, managerial and professional training,
  • retraining and educational courses for adults,
  • hobby clubs and courses for children and adults,
  • lecturing, presentation and seminar activity (workshops, webinars).

Boundaries with neighbouring activities:

  • Schools and school facilities entered in the school register (nursery, primary and secondary schools) are not governed by the Trade Licensing Act but by the Education Act - they are not a trade.
  • Operation of physical-education and sports facilities and organising sporting activity (running sports grounds, organising tournaments) is a separate field no. 74 of the free trade; providing physical-education and sports services in the position of a coach, instructor or trainer is, by contrast, a regulated trade (Annex No. 2) requiring professional qualification.
  • Care for a child up to three years of age on a daily basis is a regulated trade (Annex No. 2) and requires medical, social or pedagogical education, or possibly the vocational qualification of a childminder - it cannot be carried on within field no. 72.
  • Operation of a driving school is a regulated trade (Annex No. 2) with its own requirements for professional qualification.

If your activity overlaps into a regulated area, we recommend verifying the scope directly with the Trade Licensing Office.

Conditions for obtaining it under the law

This is a free trade (Annex No. 4 to the Trade Licensing Act), so professional qualification is not documented. The special conditions under Section 7 (education, practice, qualification) are not required here - so you do not have to submit any diploma, certificate or proof of practice.

It is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act:

  1. full legal capacity (Section 6(1)(a)) - usually reaching the age of 18; may be replaced by a court's approval of a legal representative's consent for a minor,
  2. clean criminal record / integrity (Section 6(1)(b) and Section 6(2)) - proven by an extract from the records of the Criminal Records Register, which the office obtains itself for Czech citizens.

In addition, there must be no obstacle to operating a trade under Section 8 of the Trade Licensing Act (e.g. a ban on activity relating to the field imposed by a court or administrative authority, or the statutory consequences of insolvency).

The entrepreneur may (but, for a free trade, need not) appoint a responsible representative under Section 11 - a person who is responsible for the proper running of the trade. Because no qualification is documented here, you will usually manage on your own, provided you meet the general conditions. One person may at the same time hold the office of responsible representative for no more than 4 entrepreneurs.

How to notify or obtain the trade step by step

  1. Complete the Unified Registration Form (URF). With this single filing you simultaneously notify the trade, register for income tax, notify the commencement of activity to the CSSA and register with a health insurer.
  2. File the notification at any municipal Trade Licensing Office, at a Czech POINT contact point, or electronically via the rzp.gov.cz portal. Local jurisdiction is not restricted.
  3. Prove your identity and pay the administrative fee. In the free-trade notification you state the specific fields of activity you will carry out (Section 45(4)).
  4. The office enters the trade in the Trade Register within 5 working days of delivery of the notification and issues an extract.

The licence arises already on the day of notification (Section 10(1)(a) of the Trade Licensing Act) where the conditions are met, not only upon issuance of the extract. With a single filing you can notify several fields of the free trade at once for a single fee. You can find the detailed procedure in the guide How to set up a trade.

Documents and fees

  • Form: Unified Registration Form (URF).
  • Proof of identity (identity card / passport); foreigners from third countries also document a residence permit.
  • Clean criminal record: for Czech citizens the office obtains the extract from the Criminal Records Register itself (for foreigners and persons without permanent residence, also a document from the home state).
  • Notification fee: CZK 1,000 (when filed using the electronic form, CZK 800).
  • Adding a further field of the free trade later: CZK 0 (free of charge).
  • Registration time limit: within 5 working days of delivery of the notification.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need any pedagogical education or a certificate to organise courses?

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

Can I teach languages without a state language examination?

Yes. For field no. 72 the law does not require any language examination or certificate. Qualification documents are merely your competitive advantage, not a statutory condition.

How much will I pay and how quickly will I obtain the licence?

The notification costs CZK 1,000 (electronically CZK 800). The licence arises on the day of notification (Section 10(1)(a)) and the office enters the trade in the register within 5 working days.

Can I also provide babysitting or care for small children?

Out-of-school education and teaching does not include care for a child up to three years of age on a daily basis - that is a separate regulated trade requiring medical, social or pedagogical education or the vocational qualification of a childminder. Verify the scope of your activity with the Trade Licensing Office.

Do I have to have a responsible representative?

No, not for a free trade. You may appoint a responsible representative under Section 11 voluntarily, but it is not necessary if you meet the general conditions yourself. One person may hold this office for no more than 4 entrepreneurs.

Sources

Want to register this field?
You can find the trade licence notification procedure, required documents and fees in the guide How to set up a trade licence step by step.