Manufacture of building materials and porcelain, ceramic and plaster products
Field of activity No. 21 under the Trade Licensing Act.
What you need: No professional qualification needed — general conditions and a notification suffice.
- Volná živnost
- Field No. 21
- See conditions below
- 6 activity examples
An unqualified (free) trade (field No. 21) covering the manufacture of building materials and products made of porcelain, ceramics and plaster. It requires no professional qualification - meeting the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act is sufficient, and the licence comes into existence on the day of notification.
The general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act are sufficient:
- full legal capacity,
- clean criminal record (integrity) (proven by an extract from the Criminal Records Register, which the Trade Licensing Office obtains itself under Section 6(3)).
The entrepreneur must not be subject to any obstacles to operating a trade under Section 8.
A legal person appoints a responsible representative under Section 11 (for an unqualified (free) trade only to meet the general conditions; one person may act as responsible representative for no more than 4 entrepreneurs).
The trade licence comes into existence under Section 10(1)(a) on the day of notification.
Examples of activities
- manufacture of bricks, blocks and tiles
- manufacture of concrete and mortar mixes and ready-mixed concrete
- manufacture of cement, lime and plaster
- manufacture of porcelain, ceramic and stoneware goods
- manufacture of plaster castings and plaster products for building purposes
- manufacture of building prefabricates from concrete, cement and plaster
What the trade is and what it is for
The trade Manufacture of building materials and porcelain, ceramic and plaster products is field of activity No. 21 within the single unqualified (free) trade "Production, trade and services not listed in Annexes 1 to 3 of the Trade Licensing Act" (Annex 4 to Act No. 455/1991 Coll.). It entitles you to manufacture and process a wide range of non-metallic mineral building materials and products made of porcelain, ceramics and plaster.
This field covers both industrial and small-batch production: from bricks, concrete and mortar mixes, cement, lime and plaster, through building prefabricates, to porcelain, stoneware and pottery goods and plaster castings. It serves entrepreneurs who manufacture building materials and ceramic and plaster products and place them on the market.
What falls under this trade (and what does not)
Field No. 21 covers in particular:
- manufacture of binders, mortars, renders, concrete mixes and ready-mixed concrete,
- manufacture of cement, quicklime and plaster,
- manufacture of bricks, blocks, tiles and other fired and unfired building goods,
- manufacture of porcelain, ceramic and stoneware goods (utility, decorative and technical) and stoneware for construction,
- manufacture of plaster castings, moulds and plaster products for building purposes,
- manufacture of building prefabricates from concrete, cement and plaster and products from cement or artificial stone.
The boundary with neighbouring fields: the manufacture and processing of glass falls under the separate field No. 20 ("Manufacture and processing of glass"), the manufacture of abrasives and other mineral non-metallic products under field No. 22 ("Manufacture of abrasives and other mineral non-metallic products"). The actual execution of construction works (building and assembly works on a construction site) is the craft trade "Execution of buildings, their changes and removal" under Annex 1, not the manufacture of materials. If you were merely to sell the products without your own manufacture, this would be the field of wholesale and retail (No. 48).
Conditions for obtaining it under the law
This is an unqualified (free) trade (Annex 4 to the Trade Licensing Act) which does not require a professional qualification - you do not document any education or experience in the field. It is enough to meet only the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act:
- full legal capacity (for a minor it may be replaced by the court's approval of the legal representative's consent),
- clean criminal record within the meaning of Section 6(2) (proven by an extract from the Criminal Records Register, which the office obtains itself under Section 6(3)).
At the same time, the entrepreneur must not be subject to any obstacles to operating a trade under Section 8 (e.g. ongoing insolvency under the statutory conditions or a ban on activity imposed by a court).
A legal person appoints a responsible representative under Section 11, but for an unqualified (free) trade only to meet the general conditions - the professional qualification is not assessed. One person may act as responsible representative for no more than 4 entrepreneurs. The trade licence comes into existence under Section 10(1) on the day of notification.
How to notify or obtain the trade step by step
- Fill in the Unified Registration Form (URF) under Section 45a - with a single submission you notify the trade and at the same time register with the tax office, the social security administration and a health insurance company.
- Submit it at any municipal Trade Licensing Office, electronically via the rzp.gov.cz portal, or at a Czech POINT contact point.
- Prove your identity and pay the administrative fee.
- The office makes the entry in the Trade Register within 5 working days of the day of delivery of the notification under Section 47 and issues you an extract; however, the licence is valid already from the day of notification.
Because there is only one unqualified (free) trade with 80 fields, you may notify several fields at once for one fee. You can find the detailed procedure in the guide How to start a trade step by step.
Documents and fees
- completed URF (trade notification),
- proof of identity (identity card or passport),
- for a legal person, documents on the appointment of the responsible representative and on the formation of the company,
- administrative fee of CZK 1,000 for the notification (CZK 800 for electronic submission),
- extending to include another field of the unqualified (free) trade is free of charge (CZK 0).
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an apprenticeship certificate or experience?
No. This is an unqualified (free) trade and the qualification is not documented. It is enough to have full legal capacity and a clean criminal record under Section 6.
Can I also notify further fields of the unqualified (free) trade at the same time?
Yes. All 80 fields fall under a single unqualified (free) trade, so you notify several fields with one form for one fee and a subsequent extension is free of charge.
When can I start doing business?
The licence comes into existence already on the day of notification (Section 10(1)). The office has 5 working days to make the entry in the register (Section 47).
Does the execution of construction works also fall here?
No. Building and assembly works on a construction site are a separate craft trade "Execution of buildings, their changes and removal". This field covers only the manufacture of materials and products.