Provision of services to legal persons and trusts

Field No. 80 of the unqualified (free) trade covers the provision of services to legal persons and trusts – for example acting as, or arranging, a member of a statutory body, providing a registered office, acting as a trustee, or forming and selling companies. It is an unqualified trade, so no professional qualification is required. In addition to the general conditions under Section 6, however, this field also requires the special integrity condition under Section 8(5) and Section 8a of the Trade Licensing Act (clean criminal record of the beneficial owner of the legal person and of the members of its statutory body).

Conditions for operating

Full legal capacity under Section 6(1)(a) of the Trade Licensing Act (as a rule, reaching 18 years of age; a minor over 16 may do business with the consent of their legal representative approved by a court).
Clean criminal record under Section 6(1)(b) and Section 6(2) – the obstacle is a final conviction for an intentional criminal offence committed in connection with business activity or with the subject of business; for Czech citizens the office obtains the extract from the Criminal Records Register itself.
SPECIAL CONDITION for this field: a clean criminal record of the beneficial owner and of the members of the statutory body under Section 8(5) and Section 8a of the Trade Licensing Act. Field No. 80 is listed in Annex No. 6 to the Act, and therefore the trade may not be carried on by a legal person whose beneficial owner within the meaning of Act No. 37/2021 Coll. (on the register of beneficial owners) does not have a clean criminal record, nor by a person who is a member of its statutory body, its representative or in a similar position and does not have a clean criminal record. If the beneficial owner is a foreign national without a permanent residence permit in the Czech Republic, their clean criminal record is proven on notification by an appropriate document; for Czech citizens the office ascertains the clean criminal record itself by remote access to the Criminal Records Register.
Professional qualification is NOT required – this is an unqualified (free) trade (Annex No. 4 to the Act); no apprenticeship certificate, diploma or practice is submitted.
Field No. 80 may be carried on only if it has been expressly notified – it is not covered by a general notification of an unqualified trade without stating the specific field of activity.
None of the obstacles to carrying on a trade under Section 8 may exist (e.g. a court-imposed ban on activity, ongoing insolvency proceedings).
A responsible representative may optionally be appointed under Section 11, but this is not a condition.

Examples of activities

Acting as, or arranging the holding of the office of, a member of the statutory or other body of a legal person (e.g. managing director, board member)
Providing a registered office (registered address) and a correspondence address to companies and other legal persons (so-called virtual office)
Non-legal activities in the formation of companies and their subsequent sale (so-called ready-made / shelf companies)
Acting as a trustee, or arranging the performance of this office, for a trust
Obtaining and pooling funds or other assets with a monetary value for the purpose of forming, administering or managing a business corporation
Securing the administrative and organisational agenda connected with the operation of a legal person (keeping and safekeeping of company documents)
Voting and representing the client in the bodies of a legal person, administering contributions and paying out shares in profit (dividends)
Arranging for a person who acts as a statutory body or as a trustee

What the trade is and what it is for

The trade Provision of services to legal persons and trusts is field of activity No. 80 within the single unqualified (free) trade (“Manufacturing, trade and services not listed in Annexes 1 to 3 to the Trade Licensing Act”). It covers services that companies, associations, foundations and trusts need for their formation, operation and administration – from providing a registered office, through turnkey company formation, to acting as a trustee.

This field was added to the Trade Licensing Act by Act No. 527/2020 Coll. with effect from 1 January 2021 in connection with European anti-money-laundering (AML) rules. Providers of these services are therefore, as a rule, also so-called obliged entities under Act No. 253/2008 Coll. and must fulfil obligations towards the Financial Analytical Office (client identification, due diligence, reporting duty).

What falls under this trade (and what does not)

Under Government Regulation No. 278/2008 Coll. (the content of trade fields, as amended by Government Regulation No. 208/2021 Coll.), field No. 80 covers in particular organisational, technical, commercial and managerial activities, specifically:

acting on behalf of the client in the administration or management of a business corporation or other legal person, including performing or arranging the performance of the office of a statutory body (managing director, board member),
providing a registered office and a correspondence (virtual) address to companies and other legal persons,
non-legal activities in the formation of companies and their sale (ready-made companies),
obtaining and pooling funds for the purpose of forming, administering or managing a business corporation,
acting as, or arranging the office of, a trustee of a trust,
securing the related administrative and organisational agenda, voting in bodies, administering contributions and paying out shares in profit.

Boundaries with neighbouring activities: This trade is not a legal service. As the Constitutional Court has expressly confirmed, the content of field No. 80 must be interpreted exclusively as organisational, technical, commercial and managerial activities – it does not include legal assistance, drafting contracts, legal advice or representation before the courts; those are reserved for attorneys (Act No. 85/1996 Coll.) and cannot be carried on under a trade licence. It therefore does not legalise so-called unauthorised legal practice. Likewise, bookkeeping and tax advice fall under other fields, or under a regulated trade and separate professional regulations. Notarial and judicial safekeeping of assets belongs to notaries.

Statutory conditions for obtaining the trade

Because this is an unqualified (free) trade, no professional qualification is required. You must, however, meet the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act and – which is specific to this field – in addition the special integrity condition under Section 8a:

full legal capacity (as a rule from 18 years of age; a minor over 16 may do business with the consent of their legal representative approved by a court),
a clean criminal record under Section 6(2) – the obstacle is a final conviction for an intentional criminal offence committed in connection with business activity or with the subject of business,
a clean criminal record of the beneficial owner and of the members of the statutory body under Section 8(5) and Section 8a. Field No. 80 is listed in Annex No. 6 to the Trade Licensing Act, and therefore it may not be carried on by a legal person whose beneficial owner (within the meaning of Act No. 37/2021 Coll.) or a member of the statutory body does not have a clean criminal record. If the beneficial owner is a foreign national without permanent residence in the Czech Republic, their clean criminal record is proven on notification; for Czech citizens the office ascertains it itself.

Professional qualification is not submitted. You do not need any education, apprenticeship certificate or practice – this is the main advantage of an unqualified trade over a craft, regulated or licensed (concession) trade. However, none of the obstacles under Section 8 (e.g. a court-imposed ban on activity) may exist. Note also that field No. 80 may be carried on only if it has been expressly notified – it is not enough to have an unqualified trade notified in general.

If you wish, you may (but need not) appoint a responsible representative under Section 11 – typically when you do business through a legal person or do not want to manage the activity in person. One person may be the 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). Under the subject of business choose the unqualified trade and, with it, expressly field No. 80 (you may add further fields at once – for a single fee).
Submit the notification. Options: in person at any municipal Trade Licensing Office, electronically via the rzp.gov.cz portal (login with Citizen Identity), via a data box, or at a Czech POINT contact point.
Submit the documents (see below) and pay the fee. If you do business through a legal person, expect to prove the clean criminal record of the beneficial owner and of the members of the statutory body under Section 8a.
Wait for registration. The office enters you in the Trade Register and issues an extract within 5 working days (Section 47). However, the authorisation arises as early as the day of notification (Section 10(1) and Section 45), so you may do business before the extract physically arrives.

You will find the detailed procedure in the guide How to start a trade.

Documents and fees

Completed URF (in advance or on the spot).
Identity document (identity card).
Proof of the legal title to use the premises, if the registered office is to be elsewhere than the place of residence.
A document proving the clean criminal record of the beneficial owner under Section 8a, if they are a foreign national without permanent residence in the Czech Republic (for Czech citizens the office obtains it itself).
Proof of payment of the administrative fee.
Fee for the first notification: CZK 1,000 (electronically with a 20% discount, i.e. CZK 800).
Extension by another field of the unqualified trade: CZK 0.
Professional qualification is not submitted.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to prove education or practice for this field?

No. This is an unqualified trade. Professional qualification is not required – no diploma or practice is submitted. Only the general conditions under Section 6 (legal capacity and a clean criminal record) are proven, and for this field, in addition, the special integrity condition for the beneficial owner and the members of the statutory body under Section 8a.

Can I provide legal advice or draft contracts under this licence?

No. Legal services are reserved for attorneys. As the Constitutional Court has confirmed, field No. 80 covers only organisational, commercial and administrative services (registered office, holding office in a body, company formation), not legal advice, drafting contracts or representation before the courts.

Do anti-money-laundering (AML) obligations apply to me?

As a rule, yes. Providers of these services are usually obliged entities under Act No. 253/2008 Coll. and must identify and carry out due diligence on clients and fulfil the reporting duty towards the Financial Analytical Office. Verify the exact scope according to your activity.

What does this field require beyond an ordinary unqualified trade?

Field No. 80 is in Annex No. 6 to the Act, so in addition to Section 6 you must also meet Section 8a – that is, the clean criminal record of the beneficial owner of the legal person and of the members of its statutory body. Moreover, it may be carried on only if it has been expressly notified.

How long does processing take and how much does it cost?

Registration within 5 working days of a flawless notification, fee CZK 1,000 (electronically CZK 800). The authorisation arises on the day of notification.

Can I add the field to a trade I already have?

Yes, and it is free of charge (CZK 0). You simply notify the Trade Licensing Office of the extension of the unqualified trade by another field – although for field No. 80 the integrity condition under Section 8a must also be met even then.