Manufacture of abrasives and other mineral non-metallic products

An unqualified (free) trade (field No. 22) covering the manufacture of abrasives and other mineral non-metallic products. It requires no professional qualification - it is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act and notify the trade.

Conditions for operating

This is an unqualified (free) trade under Annex No. 4 to the Trade Licensing Act (Act No. 455/1991 Coll.) - professional qualification (neither education nor experience) is NOT documented.

It is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act:
- full legal capacity (usually reaching the age of 18; exceptionally also from the age of 16 with the court's consent),
- clean criminal record (integrity) within the meaning of Section 6(2) (for Czech citizens the office obtains the extract from the Criminal Records Register itself).

No apprenticeship certificate, diploma, certificate or professional experience is required.

The licence comes into existence already on the day of notification to the Trade Licensing Office (Section 10 of the Trade Licensing Act). You can do business immediately after notification; you do not have to wait for the extract.

There is only one unqualified (free) trade and field No. 22 is one of its 80 fields - when notifying you can also add further fields at once for one fee.

If you yourself do not meet the conditions (or do not want to do business in person), you can appoint a responsible representative under Section 11 who meets the general conditions on your behalf. One person may act as responsible representative for no more than 4 entrepreneurs.

Examples of activities

manufacture of milling, sharpening and polishing stones from natural or artificial abrasives
manufacture of abrasive products on a soft base (abrasive paper, abrasive cloth)
manufacture of abrasive pastes and abrasive powders
manufacture of fibres, fabrics, felt, cords, ropes and lines from mineral materials
manufacture of mineral insulation materials from slag and rock (stone) wool
manufacture of vermiculite wool and expanded mineral materials (expanding clay)
processing of mica and manufacture of mica products (for purposes other than electrical engineering)
manufacture of other mineral non-metallic products not elsewhere specified

What the trade is and what it is for

The trade "Manufacture of abrasives and other mineral non-metallic products" is field No. 22 within the single unqualified (free) trade (officially "Production, trade and services not listed in Annexes 1 to 3 of the Trade Licensing Act"). It is among the manufacturing fields of Annex No. 4 to Act No. 455/1991 Coll. (the Trade Licensing Act).

This trade entitles you to the manufacture of abrasives - that is, materials and tools intended for grinding, sharpening and polishing (milling, sharpening and polishing stones from natural or artificial abrasives, including abrasive products on a soft base such as abrasive paper and abrasive cloth) - and also to the manufacture of other mineral non-metallic products that do not fall under another, more specific field. The content of the field is based on Government Regulation No. 278/2008 Coll., which describes the content of each field of the unqualified (free) trade.

The field also includes the manufacture of other products from mineral raw materials, for example the manufacture of fibres, fabrics, felt, cords and lines from mineral materials, mineral insulation materials from slag and rock (stone) wool, vermiculite wool and expanding clay, or the processing of mica.

What falls under this trade (and what does not)

The trade typically covers:

manufacture of milling, sharpening and polishing stones from natural or artificial abrasives,
manufacture of abrasive products on a soft base (abrasive paper, abrasive cloth) and manufacture of abrasive pastes and powders,
manufacture of fibres, fabrics, felt, clothing, protective helmets, footwear, cords, ropes and lines from mineral materials,
manufacture of mineral insulation materials from slag wool, rock (stone) wool and similar mineral wools, vermiculite wool and expanding clay,
manufacture of sound-insulating and sound-absorbing materials from mineral substances,
processing of mica and manufacture of mica products (for purposes other than electrical engineering),
manufacture of other mineral non-metallic products not elsewhere classified.

Watch out for the boundaries with neighbouring fields - so as not to carry out an activity under the wrong field:

Manufacture and processing of glass falls under field No. 20 - this includes, among other things, the manufacture of glass fibres, glass wool and glass yarn. The manufacture of glass wool does not fall under this field (No. 22).
Manufacture of building materials and porcelain, ceramic and plaster products is a separate field No. 21.
Cutting of technical and gemstone is a separate field No. 23 - this is the cutting and polishing of natural and synthetic gemstones and technical stones, not the manufacture of abrasives.
Field No. 22 does not include work connected with the manual and machine processing of natural and artificial stone (for construction, cemeteries, roads and similar purposes).

The boundaries of the individual fields are assessed by the Trade Licensing Office according to their content (Government Regulation No. 278/2008 Coll.). If you are not sure about the classification, verify it with the office in advance.

Conditions for obtaining it under the law

This is an unqualified (free) trade, so you do not document a professional qualification - no education, apprenticeship certificate or experience. This is the main difference compared with craft, regulated and licensed (concession) trades.

It is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act:

full legal capacity (usually from the age of 18; exceptionally from the age of 16 with the court's consent),
clean criminal record under Section 6(2) (for Czech citizens the office obtains the extract from the Criminal Records Register itself).

That is all. No chambers, exams or certificates.

Responsible representative (Section 11): If you do not want to do business in person or do not meet one of the conditions, you can appoint a responsible representative who meets the general conditions on your behalf. One person may act as responsible representative for no more than 4 entrepreneurs. For an unqualified (free) trade, however, this is usually not necessary, because no qualification is proven.

How to notify or obtain the trade step by step

Fill in the Unified Registration Form (URF). In it you choose the unqualified (free) trade and tick field No. 22 (or directly further fields too - you still pay one fee).
Submit the notification. The options are: in person at any Trade Licensing Office, which serves as a central registration point (CRP), electronically via the rzp.gov.cz portal, or at a Czech POINT contact point.
Provide the necessary information - identity and (if relevant) a document for the registered office.
Pay the administrative fee - CZK 1,000 when first entering business, electronically with a discount CZK 800.
Wait for registration. The office makes the entry in the Trade Register within 5 working days of delivery of the notification. However, the licence comes into existence already on the day of notification, so you can do business immediately.

You can find the detailed universal procedure in our guide how to start a trade.

Documents and fees

Type of trade: unqualified (free) (Annex No. 4 to the Trade Licensing Act), field No. 22.
Professional qualification: not documented.
General conditions (Section 6): legal capacity and a clean criminal record.
Form: Unified Registration Form (URF).
Where to submit: Trade Licensing Office, rzp.gov.cz portal, Czech POINT.
Fee for the notification: CZK 1,000 (electronically CZK 800).
Extending to include another field of the unqualified (free) trade later: CZK 0.
Registration period: within 5 working days; the licence comes into existence on the day of notification.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to document education or experience for this trade?

No. This is an unqualified (free) trade where professional qualification is not proven. It is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 - legal capacity and a clean criminal record.

How much does the notification cost and when can I start doing business?

The notification costs CZK 1,000, electronically CZK 800. You can do business already from the day of notification; the office issues the extract from the register within 5 working days.

Can I add further fields of the unqualified (free) trade to this field?

Yes. There is one unqualified (free) trade and it has 80 fields. When notifying you can select several of them at once and pay only one fee. Adding another field later is free of charge (CZK 0).

Does the manufacture of glass or ceramics also fall here?

No. The manufacture and processing of glass is field No. 20 (including glass wool and glass fibre) and the manufacture of building materials and porcelain, ceramic and plaster products is field No. 21. This trade concerns abrasives and other mineral non-metallic products.

Does the cutting of precious stones fall under this field?

No. The cutting of technical and gemstone is a separate field No. 23. This trade is about the manufacture of abrasives, not about cutting stone as a service.