Manufacture and Repair of Upholstery Products
Field of activity No. 37 under the Trade Licensing Act.
What you need: No professional qualification needed — general conditions and a notification suffice.
- Volná živnost
- Field No. 37
- See conditions below
- 8 activity examples
Manufacture and repair of upholstery products is an unqualified (free) trade (field No. 37) that requires no professional qualification. It is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act, and the trade licence arises under Section 10 as early as the day of notification.
Full legal capacity (Section 6(1)(a) of the Act); this may be replaced by a court's approval of the legal representative's consent for a minor to operate the trade.
Clean criminal record (Section 6(1)(b) of the Act, assessed under Section 6(2)) - proven by an extract from the Criminal Records Register, which the office obtains itself.
For a legal person, the general conditions are met by persons in the statutory body; a responsible representative may be appointed under Section 11 of the Act (voluntary for an unqualified trade).
There must be no obstacle to operating a trade under Section 8 of the Act (e.g. a court-imposed prohibition of activity or certain insolvency grounds).
The trade licence arises under Section 10(1)(a) of the Act on the day of notification.
Examples of activities
- Upholstering and re-upholstering of seating suites, armchairs, sofas and chairs
- Manufacture of upholstered furniture and mattresses
- Repairs and restoration of antique and historical upholstered furniture
- Upholstery of car interiors, seat covers and repairs of car seats
- Manufacture and fitting of decorative and shading home textiles, drapes and curtains
- Bespoke sewing of covers, cases and protective sheeting
- Upholstery work on boats, caravans and means of transport
- Manufacture of mattress cores and natural as well as foam fillings
What the trade is and what it is for
The trade Manufacture and Repair of Upholstery Products is field No. 37 within the single unqualified (free) trade "Production, trade and services not listed in Annexes 1 to 3 of the Trade Licensing Act". It entitles you to do business in the field of upholstery - that is, the manufacture, covering, filling and repair of upholstered products for housing, transport and commercial premises.
Because this is an unqualified (free) trade (Annex No. 4 to Act No. 455/1991 Coll.), you do not have to prove any education or experience. It is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 of the Act, and your licence arises under Section 10 as early as the day of notification.
What falls under this trade (and what does not)
Field No. 37 covers in particular:
- manufacture of upholstered furniture, mattresses and upholstered accessories,
- covering and re-upholstering of seating suites, armchairs, chairs and sofas,
- repairs and restoration of upholstered products, including historical pieces,
- upholstery of car, boat and other vehicle interiors,
- sewing and fitting of covers, cases, drapes and decorative home textiles.
Boundaries against neighbouring trades: If you were to manufacture the wooden furniture frames themselves, that would rather fall under field No. 12 "Processing of wood, manufacture of wooden, cork, wicker and straw products". Joinery and floor-laying work is a separate craft trade (Annex No. 1). Wholesale and retail of furniture is covered by field No. 48. The fields of the unqualified trade (i.e. everything except craft joinery) can be notified at the same time.
Legal conditions for obtaining it
As with any unqualified trade, professional competence is not documented. You only have to meet the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act:
- full legal capacity (Section 6(1)(a) - may be replaced by a court's approval of the legal representative's consent for a minor),
- clean criminal record (Section 6(1)(b) - assessed under Section 6(2); the office obtains the extract from the Criminal Records Register itself).
In addition, there must be no obstacle to operating a trade under Section 8 (e.g. a court-imposed prohibition of activity or certain insolvency grounds).
For a legal person, the general conditions are met by a person in the statutory body. You may also appoint a responsible representative under Section 11 of the Act - for an unqualified trade, however, this is not mandatory, as it is not tied to professional qualification.
How to notify or obtain the trade step by step
- Complete the Unified Registration Form (JRF). It combines the notification of a trade with registration for tax, social security and health insurance.
- Submit the notification at any Trade Licensing Office (municipal trade licensing office / Czech POINT), or electronically via the rzp.gov.cz portal.
- Prove your identity and pay the administrative fee.
- Await the entry. The office makes the entry in the Trade Register within 5 working days of the notification (Section 47(1) of the Act). The licence, however, arises under Section 10 as early as the day of notification.
You will find a detailed procedure in the guide /jak-zalozit-zivnost.
Documents and fees
- Identity document (identity card or passport).
- Completed JRF stating field No. 37 (and any further fields of the unqualified trade).
- Proof of payment of the administrative fee.
- Administrative fee for the notification: CZK 1,000 in person, CZK 800 for an electronic submission via rzp.gov.cz.
- Adding a further field of the unqualified trade, if you already hold a trade licence: CZK 0 (free of charge).
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an apprenticeship certificate in upholstery?
No. This is an unqualified trade, professional competence is not documented. The general conditions under Section 6 of the Act are sufficient.
Can I notify several fields at once?
Yes. The unqualified trade has 80 fields and all of them can be notified at the same time for one administrative fee. A later addition of a further field is free of charge.
When can I start doing business?
The trade licence arises under Section 10 on the day of notification; you do not have to wait for the extract to be issued. The office makes the entry in the register within 5 working days.
Do I have to have a responsible representative?
No. A responsible representative under Section 11 is voluntary for an unqualified trade, as no professional qualification is tied to it.
How much is the fee for an electronic submission?
When notifying via the rzp.gov.cz portal you pay CZK 800 instead of CZK 1,000.