Manufacture of electronic components and low-voltage electrical equipment

An unqualified (free) trade (field No. 29 under Annex No. 4 to the Trade Licensing Act) covering the manufacture of electronic components, electrical equipment and the manufacture and repair of electrical machines, instruments and electronic equipment operating at low voltage. It does not require professional qualification; it is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act, and the trade licence arises on the day of notification.

Conditions for operating

Full legal capacity (Section 6(1)(a) of the Trade Licensing Act; for a minor it may be replaced by a court's consent to the legal representative's authorisation of the business).
Clean criminal record (Section 6(1)(b) and Section 6(2) of the Trade Licensing Act).
Professional qualification is NOT required - this is an unqualified (free) trade under Annex No. 4 to the Trade Licensing Act (Section 25(2)).
For a legal entity and for an entrepreneur who does not meet the conditions themselves, a responsible representative may be appointed under Section 11 of the Trade Licensing Act (one person may be a responsible representative for no more than 4 entrepreneurs).
There must be no ongoing obstacle to operating the trade under Section 8 of the Trade Licensing Act (in particular ongoing insolvency proceedings with certain effects or a final ban on activity relating to the subject of business). The free trade, moreover, sets no condition of being free of debts or of qualification.

Examples of activities

Manufacture of electronic components (resistors, capacitors, semiconductor elements, printed circuit boards)
Population and manufacture of printed circuit boards (PCBs) including SMT assembly
Manufacture and completion of electronic equipment operating at low voltage
Manufacture and repair of electrical machines, instruments and measuring instruments at low voltage
Manufacture of light sources and LED luminaires powered by low voltage
Assembly of control and regulation electronic modules
Repairs of consumer electronics and electronic devices at low voltage
Manufacture of cable harnesses, connectors and electrical installation accessories for low voltage

What the trade is and what it is for

The trade "Manufacture of electronic components, electrical equipment and the manufacture and repair of electrical machines, instruments and electronic equipment operating at low voltage" is field No. 29 within the single unqualified (free) trade under Annex No. 4 to the Trade Licensing Act (Act No. 455/1991 Coll.; the free trade is defined in Section 25(2)). It serves entrepreneurs who manufacture, complete or repair electronics and electrical equipment operated at low voltage.

Low voltage is usually understood to mean voltage up to 50 V AC or 120 V DC. The advantage is that this trade does not require professional qualification - it is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6. The trade licence arises as early as the day of notification at the Trade Licensing Office (Section 10(1)(a) of the Trade Licensing Act).

What falls under this trade (and what does not)

Field No. 29 covers in particular:

manufacture of electronic components (resistors, capacitors, semiconductors, printed circuit boards),
population and manufacture of printed circuit boards (PCBs, SMT assembly),
manufacture and completion of electronic equipment at low voltage,
manufacture and repair of electrical machines, instruments and measuring instruments at low voltage,
manufacture of cable harnesses, connectors and LED luminaires powered by low voltage.

Boundaries with neighbouring trades: Work on equipment above the low-voltage limit (ordinary 230/400 V electrical installation, the assembly, repair and inspection of designated electrical equipment) falls under the craft trade "Assembly, repairs, inspections and tests of electrical equipment" (Annex No. 1 to the Trade Licensing Act), which already requires professional qualification. So if you interfere with high-current wiring or carry out inspections, field No. 29 alone is not enough for you. In case of uncertainty about where to classify a specific activity, we recommend asking the Trade Licensing Office directly.

Statutory conditions for obtaining the licence

Since this is an unqualified (free) trade, you prove no education or experience. The general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act suffice:

full legal capacity (Section 6(1)(a)) - for a minor it may be replaced by a court's consent to the legal representative's authorisation of the business,
a clean criminal record (Section 6(1)(b) and Section 6(2)) - proved by an extract from the Criminal Records Register, which the office obtains itself.

Professional qualification is not required for this trade. This is the main difference from craft, regulated and licensed (concession) trades.

If you do not meet the conditions in person, or are a legal entity, you may appoint a responsible representative under Section 11 of the Trade Licensing Act. For the free trade, moreover, the responsible representative proves only the general conditions, not any qualification. One person may act as 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) - with a single submission you also arrange registration with the tax office, the social security administration and the health insurance company.
Submit the notification of the trade (Section 45 of the Trade Licensing Act) at any municipal Trade Licensing Office, online via the rzp.gov.cz portal, or through Czech POINT.
Prove your identity; for a registered office you do not own, the legal grounds for using the premises.
Pay the administrative fee of CZK 1,000 for the first notification of a trade (for electronic submission CZK 800).
You may notify several fields of the free trade at once for a single administrative fee. Adding a further field later is free of charge (CZK 0).

The Trade Licensing Office makes the entry in the Trade Register within 5 working days of notification and issues the entrepreneur an extract (Section 47 of the Trade Licensing Act). You will find the detailed procedure in the guide /jak-zalozit-zivnost.

Documents and fees

Proof of identity (identity card / passport).
Completed URF (notification of the trade).
Proof of the legal grounds for using the registered office, if you do not own the property.
For a responsible representative, their declaration and proof of identity.
Administrative fee of CZK 1,000 (electronically CZK 800) for the first notification.
Adding a further field of the free trade: CZK 0.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an electrical engineering education or "Decree 50"?

For field No. 29 itself as a free trade, no. Qualification is not proved for the notification of the trade. Mind the terms, however: the original Decree No. 50/1978 Coll. was repealed as of 1 July 2022, and professional qualification when working on designated electrical equipment is today governed by Act No. 250/2021 Coll. and Government Regulation No. 194/2022 Coll. (the grades of electrician, senior electrician and inspection technician). This qualification may be needed depending on the nature of the specific work and the regulations on occupational safety, in particular where you exceed low voltage - but not as a condition for notifying this free trade.

When can I start doing business?

The licence arises on the day of notification (Section 10(1)(a) of the Trade Licensing Act). You can therefore do business immediately after submission; the office makes the entry in the register within 5 working days.

Can I notify other fields of the free trade at the same time?

Yes. The free trade has 80 fields and several of them may be notified at once for a single fee. A later addition is free of charge.

What if I also repair 230 V equipment?

That already falls under the craft trade "Assembly, repairs, inspections and tests of electrical equipment", which requires professional qualification. Field No. 29 covers only low voltage.