Surface treatment and welding of metals and other materials

An unqualified (free) trade (field No. 27) covering surface treatment and welding of metals and other materials - for example heat treatment (hardening, annealing), sandblasting and shot blasting, painting and coatings, thermal and plasma spray coatings, or fusion and pressure welding of structures. It does not require professional qualification; it is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act, and the licence arises on the day of notification.

Conditions for operating

Full legal capacity under Section 6(1) of the Trade Licensing Act (usually reaching the age of 18; exceptionally one may do business from the age of 16 with the consent of the legal representative and the court's approval).
Clean criminal record under Section 6(2) of the Trade Licensing Act (for Czech citizens the office obtains the extract from the Criminal Records Register itself).
Professional qualification is not required - this is an unqualified (free) trade under Annex No. 4 to the Trade Licensing Act; you do not submit an apprenticeship certificate, diploma or proof of experience.
Mind the boundaries of the field: chemical and electrochemical metal plating in metal baths and enamelling fall under the craft trade "Electroplating, enamelling" (Annex No. 1), not under this free field.
The general conditions under Section 6 are met by the entrepreneur; for employees, legal capacity and clean criminal record are not addressed. If you do not meet the conditions yourself (or do business as a legal entity), you may appoint a responsible representative under Section 11 - for the free trade, however, this is not mandatory.

Examples of activities

heat treatment of metals - hardening, annealing, tempering
blasting and shot blasting of surfaces (sandblasting)
painting and coating of metal parts and structures
thermal and plasma spraying of metals (metallisation)
application of protective and decorative coatings, coating of metals with non-metallic materials
powder coating
grinding, polishing and brushing of metal surfaces
welding of steel, aluminium and stainless steel structures, soldering and surfacing

What the trade is and what it is for

The trade "Surface treatment and welding of metals and other materials" is field No. 27 within the unqualified (free) trade (Annex No. 4 to the Trade Licensing Act, Act No. 455/1991 Coll.). It covers a wide range of processing and finishing work - from heat treatment and surface refinement, through their cleaning and protection, to the joining of materials by welding.

This field is used by entrepreneurs who provide bespoke metal treatment (and often also of plastics, glass or other materials): paint shops, metalworks, hardening shops, workshops offering blasting, coating application or the welding of structures. Because this is an unqualified (free) trade, you do not have to prove any professional qualification - it is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act. The licence arises on the very day of notification (Section 10).

What falls under this trade (and what does not)

According to the defined scope of field No. 27 (Government Regulation No. 278/2008 Coll.), this includes in particular:

heat treatment of metals - hardening, annealing, tempering and similar ways of modifying the properties of metals;
surface treatment - basic surface protection of products, painting and spraying, powder coating, thermal and plasma spraying of metallic and non-metallic materials (metallisation), coating of metal objects with non-metallic materials, application of protective and decorative coatings;
mechanical surface treatment - sandblasting, blasting and shot blasting, grinding, polishing, brushing, degreasing;
welding and joining - individual technologies of fusion and pressure welding of steel, aluminium and stainless steel structures, soldering, surfacing.

Where are the boundaries with neighbouring trades? Mind the following here:

Chemical and electrochemical surface treatment of metals by plating in metal baths (galvanic plating) and enamelling (preparation and application of enamelling suspensions, firing of a glass or ceramic coating in an enamelling furnace) expressly do not belong to the content of this field. They fall under the craft trade "Electroplating, enamelling" (Annex No. 1), where qualification is proved.
The manufacture of metal structures and metalwork products as a separate production activity has its own field of the free trade (No. 26). If you manufacture the metal parts yourself, add this field as well.
Tinsmithing and bodywork repair is a separate craft trade.

If you are unsure about the classification of a specific activity, verify the scope of the field with the relevant Trade Licensing Office - the defined scope is specified by Government Regulation No. 278/2008 Coll.

Statutory conditions for obtaining the licence

Because this is an unqualified (free) trade, you prove only the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act:

full legal capacity - usually acquired at the age of 18; exceptionally one may do business from the age of 16 with the consent of the legal representative and the court's approval;
a clean criminal record - for Czech citizens the office obtains the extract from the Criminal Records Register itself.

Professional qualification is not required. You do not submit an apprenticeship certificate, diploma or proof of experience - this is the main advantage of the free trade over craft trades (Sections 21-22), regulated trades (Section 24) or licensed (concession) trades.

Note on practice: Even though the Trade Licensing Act does not require qualification for this field, welding itself may be subject to technical and safety regulations (e.g. welder certification under the ČSN EN ISO 9606 series of standards, requirements of customers or standards in the construction industry). These are, however, requirements outside the Trade Licensing Act - you do not need them for the notification of the trade itself.

If you do not meet the conditions yourself (or wish to do business as a legal entity), you may appoint a responsible representative under Section 11. For the free trade, however, this is not mandatory, because qualification is not proved. One person may be a responsible representative for no more than 4 entrepreneurs.

How to notify or obtain the trade step by step

Fill in the Unified Registration Form (URF). As the subject of business choose the unqualified (free) trade and tick field No. 27 "Surface treatment and welding of metals and other materials" (and freely other fields at once).
Submit the notification. In person at any municipal Trade Licensing Office (the office of a municipality with extended powers), at a Czech POINT contact point, by data box, or electronically via the rzp.gov.cz portal.
Provide the documents. Identity and (for a lease) proof of the legal grounds for using the registered office. The office verifies the clean criminal record of Czech citizens itself.
Pay the administrative fee. For the first notification CZK 1,000, for electronic submission CZK 800. Several fields of the free trade notified at once = still only one fee.
Wait for the entry. The office enters you in the Trade Register and issues an extract within 5 working days of a faultless notification (Section 47(1)). The licence, however, applies as of the day of notification.

You will find the detailed procedure in the guide Jak založit živnost.

Documents and fees

Documents: identity document; for a legal entity, proof of the appointment of the statutory body; proof of the legal grounds for using the registered office (e.g. a lease agreement or the owner's consent).
Qualification: not proved (free trade).
Fee for notification: CZK 1,000, electronically CZK 800.
Adding a further field of the free trade later: CZK 0 (free of charge).
Entry time limit: within 5 working days of a faultless notification (Section 47(1)).

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a welding certificate to notify this trade?

For the notification of the trade, no - this is an unqualified (free) trade and no proof of qualification is submitted. A welding qualification (e.g. under ČSN EN ISO 9606) may, however, be needed because of technical standards or customer requirements. That is a separate area outside the Trade Licensing Act.

Does galvanic plating or enamelling fall under this field?

No. Chemical and electrochemical plating in metal baths (electroplating) and enamelling fall under the craft trade "Electroplating, enamelling" (Annex No. 1), where qualification is proved. This free field covers heat treatment, surface treatment and welding, which are not crafts.

Does the hardening and annealing of metals fall here?

Yes. Heat treatment of metals (hardening, annealing, tempering and the like) is expressly part of the defined scope of field No. 27 and you do not prove any qualification for it.

Can I also add the manufacture of metal parts to this field?

Yes. The manufacture of metal structures and metalwork products is field No. 26 of the free trade. You can notify it together with field No. 27 in a single form for a single fee.

When can I start invoicing?

The trade licence arises on the day of notification (Section 10), so you can do business before the extract physically reaches you. The company ID number (IČO) is assigned upon entry in the register, usually within 5 working days.

Do I have to have a responsible representative?

For the free trade, no - qualification is not proved. You may appoint a responsible representative under Section 11 voluntarily, or a legal entity may make use of one.