Domestic laundry, ironing, repair and maintenance of clothing, household textiles and personal goods
Field of activity No. 75 under the Trade Licensing Act.
What you need: No professional qualification needed — general conditions and a notification suffice.
- Volná živnost
- Field No. 75
- See conditions below
- 7 activity examples
Laundry, ironing and repairs of clothing, household textiles and personal goods for households. This is field No. 80 of the single unqualified (free) trade - it requires no professional qualification; the general conditions are enough. Professional washing, cleaning and laundering of textiles, by contrast, falls under a craft trade.
A clean criminal record / integrity, proven by an extract from the Criminal Records, which the Trade Licensing Office obtains itself - Section 6(1)(b) and (3).
Professional qualification is not documented - this is an unqualified (free) trade (Annex 4 to the Act); no education or practice is required.
The option to appoint a responsible representative under Section 11 (qualification is not proven for them either, but they must meet the general conditions of Section 6).
Examples of activities
- operating a public laundry for households
- ironing of linen and clothing (ironing room, mangle)
- minor repairs and alterations of clothing (shortening, replacing zips and buttons)
- tailoring repairs of household textiles (net curtains, drapes, bedding)
- laundry and maintenance of personal goods and textile accessories
- operating a self-service launderette (laundries with dryers)
- collection and handing over of laundry for processing for households
What this trade is and what it is for
The trade "Domestic laundry, ironing, repair and maintenance of clothing, household textiles and personal goods" is field of activity No. 80 within the single unqualified (free) trade (Annex 4 to Trade Licensing Act No. 455/1991 Coll.). It entitles you to provide households with laundry, ironing and minor repairs of clothing, household textiles and personal goods. It is suitable for operators of laundries and ironing rooms, self-service launderettes and sole traders offering repairs and alterations of clothing.
Because this is an unqualified (free) trade, there is no need to document professional qualification to operate it (no education or practice). It is enough to meet only the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act. The trade licence comes into existence on the very day of notification.
What falls under this trade (and what does not)
Field No. 80 covers in particular:
- washing of linen, clothing and household textiles for households (water washing)
- operating a public as well as a self-service launderette
- ironing and mangling of linen and clothing
- minor repairs and alterations of clothing (shortening, replacing zips, buttons, minor tailoring work)
- repairs and maintenance of household textiles (net curtains, drapes, bedding)
- collection, handing over and maintenance of personal textile goods
The boundary with other trades: The key phrase is "for the household". Professional (industrial) washing, cleaning and laundering of textiles falls under a separate craft trade "Washing, cleaning and laundering of textiles" (Annex 1 to the Act), which does require professional qualification. Dry cleaners and operations processing textiles industrially therefore do not belong here. Likewise, the manufacture of clothing and textiles, the manufacture and repair of footwear and leather goods, or the processing of hides and furs are separate fields or trades. If you are not sure how a particular activity is classified, check it with the Trade Licensing Office.
Conditions for obtaining it under the law
Since this is an unqualified (free) trade, you only have to meet the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act:
- full legal capacity - which may be replaced by the court's consent to the legal representative's approval for a minor (Section 6(1)(a)),
- a clean criminal record / integrity - proven by an extract from the Criminal Records, which the office obtains itself (Section 6(1)(b) and (3)).
Professional qualification is not documented for this trade - you do not need any education or practice in the field. This is the main difference compared with craft, regulated or licensed (concession) trades, for which the law requires special conditions (Section 7).
Responsible representative (Section 11): If you yourself did not meet the general conditions, or where a legal person does business, a responsible representative may be appointed. We do not require qualification from them for an unqualified (free) trade, but they must meet the general conditions under Section 6.
How to notify or obtain the trade step by step
- Fill in the Unified Registration Form (URF) - with a single form you notify the trade and at the same time can register for income tax and for social and health insurance.
- Choose the field(s) of activity - you state field No. 80; in the same notification you can, without increasing the fee, also notify other fields of the unqualified (free) trade.
- Submit the notification at any municipal Trade Licensing Office, online via the rzp.gov.cz portal, or at a Czech POINT branch.
- Pay the administrative fee and wait for the entry in the Trade Register.
You will find the detailed procedure in the guide How to start a trade.
Deadlines: The Trade Licensing Office usually makes the entry and issues the extract within 5 working days of the notification. The licence, however, comes into existence on the day of notification.
Documents and fees
- Proof of identity (identity card or passport).
- A completed URF (notification of the trade).
- Proof of payment of the administrative fee.
- Professional qualification: not documented (unqualified/free trade).
- Where applicable, documents relating to the responsible representative, where it is a legal person or you use this option.
| Act | Fee |
|---|---|
| Notification of a trade (at the office) | CZK 1,000 |
| Notification electronically (via rzp.gov.cz) | CZK 800 |
| Adding another field of the unqualified (free) trade | CZK 0 |
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an apprenticeship certificate or practice for domestic laundry and ironing?
No. This is an unqualified (free) trade, for which professional qualification is not documented at all. It is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 (full legal capacity and a clean criminal record / integrity).
Can I operate a dry cleaner's within this trade?
No. Professional washing, cleaning and laundering of textiles is a separate craft trade "Washing, cleaning and laundering of textiles", which requires professional qualification. Field No. 80 covers laundry and ironing for the household and minor repairs of clothing.
Can I notify several fields of the unqualified (free) trade at once?
Yes. There is only one unqualified (free) trade, and it has 80 fields of activity. In a single notification you can state any number of fields for one administrative fee. A later addition of another field is free of charge.
When can I start doing business?
The trade licence comes into existence on the day of notification. You will usually receive the extract from the Trade Register within 5 working days.
Can I also alter and repair clothing within the trade?
Yes. Minor repairs and alterations of clothing and household textiles (shortening, replacing zips, tailoring repairs) belong to this field. The manufacture of clothing and textiles itself, however, falls under another field of the unqualified (free) trade.