Wholesale and retail trade

An unqualified (free) trade (field No. 48) for the purchase and sale of goods in both wholesale and retail, including the operation of brick-and-mortar shops, stall sales and e-shops. It requires no professional qualification; meeting the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act is sufficient. The licence comes into being under Section 10 on the day of notification.

Conditions for operating

Full legal capacity under Section 6(1) of the Trade Licensing Act (usually reaching 18 years of age; missing legal capacity may be replaced by a court's approval of the consent of the minor's legal representative to the independent operation of business activity).
A clean criminal record under Section 6(2) of the Trade Licensing Act (a person is not regarded as having a clean record if they were finally convicted of an intentional criminal offence committed in connection with business, unless they are regarded as not having been convicted).
Professional qualification is not to be proven - this is an unqualified (free) trade under Annex No. 4 to the Trade Licensing Act (no apprenticeship certificate, diploma or practice).
For a legal person and where the entrepreneur does not meet the conditions themselves or does not do business in person, a responsible representative may be appointed under Section 11 (they must meet the general conditions under Section 6; one person may be a responsible representative for no more than 4 entrepreneurs).
Mind the related special regulations depending on the range of goods (e.g. sale of food, spirits, tobacco products, medicines, weapons), which may require further registrations or permits.

Examples of activities

operation of a brick-and-mortar shop
operation of an e-shop
wholesale purchase and sale of goods
stall and door-to-door sales
sale at marketplaces and markets
mail-order sale of goods
retail of mixed goods
distribution of goods to customers

What this trade is and what it is for

The trade Wholesale and retail trade is field No. 48 within the single unqualified (free) trade ("Production, trade and services not listed in Annexes 1 to 3 of the Trade Licensing Act", Section 25 of Act No. 455/1991 Coll. in conjunction with Annex No. 4). It covers the whole spectrum of commercial activity - the purchase of goods for the purpose of their further sale and the sale itself, whether to the final consumer (retail) or to other entrepreneurs for resale or processing (wholesale).

This field is the backbone of most traders' business. You need it if you want to operate a brick-and-mortar shop, an e-shop, a market stall, a mail-order business or a wholesale warehouse. As an unqualified trade it is available to anyone who meets only the basic entry conditions - you do not have to prove any education or practice.

What falls under this trade (and what does not)

Field No. 48 covers in particular:

retail sale of goods in shops, stalls and via e-shop,
wholesale purchase and sale of goods to customers,
mail-order and door-to-door sales, sale at marketplaces,
sale of goods through vending machines,
operation of filling stations and provision of minor advisory services in relation to the range of goods sold.

Where the boundaries lie with neighbouring fields and trades:

Intermediation of trade and services (field No. 47) - if you do not buy and sell the goods yourself but merely broker the trade between other entities (for example as a commercial agent), this falls under field No. 47, not No. 48.
Pawnbroking and retail of used goods (field No. 49) - the operation of a pawnshop and the retail of used goods (second-hand shop) has its own field.
Production - if you produce the goods yourself, the production part falls under the relevant production field, although the subsequent sale of your own products is linked with the production.
Regulated range of goods - trading itself is unqualified, but for certain goods special regulations apply: the sale of spirits and tobacco products (mandatory labelling, registration with the Customs Administration), food (hygiene regulations and notification), medicines, weapons and ammunition (concession), motor fuels and the like. The unqualified trade does not relieve you of these further obligations.

Conditions for obtaining it under the law

Because this is an unqualified (free) trade (Annex No. 4 to the Trade Licensing Act), professional qualification is not to be proven. It is sufficient to meet only the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act:

full legal capacity (Section 6(1)) - usually reaching 18 years of age; exceptionally, missing legal capacity may be replaced by a court's approval of the consent of the minor's legal representative to the independent operation of business activity,
a clean criminal record (Section 6(2)) - a person is not regarded as having a clean record if they were finally convicted of an intentional criminal offence committed in connection with business, unless they are regarded as not having been convicted. For Czech citizens, the office obtains the extract from the Criminal Records Register itself.

The office does not want any apprenticeship certificate, diploma or years of practice. If you do business as a legal person or do not wish to operate the trade in person, you may appoint a responsible representative under Section 11 - who must meet the general conditions under Section 6. At the same time, one person may be a responsible representative for no more than 4 entrepreneurs.

How to notify or obtain the trade step by step

As with any notifiable trade, the licence comes into being under Section 10 of the Trade Licensing Act on the day of notification.

You fill in the Unified Registration Form (JRF) of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. As the object of business you select the unqualified trade and within it field No. 48 (feel free to add other fields at once for a single administrative fee).
You submit the notification - in person at any municipal Trade Licensing Office (the authority of a municipality with extended powers), electronically via the rzp.gov.cz portal (logging in with Citizen Identity or a data box), or at a Czech POINT contact point.
You prove your identity and pay the administrative fee.
You wait for the entry. The office will enter you in the Trade Register and issue an extract within 5 working days of delivery of a faultless notification and will assign a company ID number (IČO) free of charge.

A detailed procedure can be found in the guide how to start a trade.

Documents and fees

JRF (Unified Registration Form) - completed in advance or on the spot.
Identity document (identity card).
Clean criminal record - for Czech citizens the office verifies it itself by an extract from the Criminal Records Register.
Administrative fee for the first notification: CZK 1,000, for electronic submission CZK 800. With a single notification you can register several fields of the unqualified trade for a single fee.
Extension of the unqualified trade by a further field: CZK 0 (free of charge).
Entry and extract: within 5 working days, assignment of the IČO free of charge.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need any education for an e-shop or a shop?

No. Wholesale and retail trade is an unqualified trade, so you do not prove professional qualification. It is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 - full legal capacity and a clean criminal record.

Do I have to have wholesale and retail separately?

No. Both methods of sale are covered by the single field No. 48. By notifying this field you can sell both to final consumers and to other entrepreneurs.

Can I sell food, alcohol or cigarettes on an ordinary unqualified trade?

Trading itself is unqualified, but for this range of goods further obligations apply - for example registration with the Customs Administration and labelling for spirits and tobacco, or hygiene regulations for food. Verify the specific conditions with the relevant authority before starting to sell.

How much does it cost to add field No. 48 to a trade I already hold?

Extension of the unqualified trade by a further field is free of charge (CZK 0). You simply notify the change to the Trade Licensing Office.

When can I start selling?

The licence comes into being under Section 10 as early as the day of notification, so you may do business before the register extract physically reaches you.