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Money in Czechia: tax, VAT, banking, companies and the economy, written for residents, freelancers and founders.

122 articles18 guides · 102 explainers · 1 list · 1 FAQUpdated 12 Oct 2026

Featured guide

Becoming an OSVČ in Czechia: trade office first, then tax and insurers

One front door, then three more: how a sole-trader registration leads to the tax office, health insurer and social security, and where foreigners slip.

Starting as an OSVČ begins at the trade licensing office (živnostenský úřad), which issues your trade authorisation and IČO.
Non-EU nationals must first check that their residence status permits self-employment.
After registration you still deal with the tax office, a health insurer and the social security administration; check which notifications are yours to make.

5 min read · Updated 12 Oct 2026

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Explainer
A freelancer's tax year in Czechia: the dates, the regimes and the traps
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Explainer
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Pilots across the Warsaw Pact learned on jets built north of Prague. Today the same plant sells light combat aircraft and a rebuilt trainer.
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Explainer
Airbnb in Prague: what is legal, what is not and what is still moving
Letting a flat to tourists is not banned in Prague, but it comes with duties many hosts miss. A guide to reporting, fees, tax and the EU rules of 2026.
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Guide
Becoming an OSVČ in Czechia: trade office first, then tax and insurers
One front door, then three more: how a sole-trader registration leads to the tax office, health insurer and social security, and where foreigners slip.
5 min
Guide
Buy-to-let in Prague: costs, returns and risks
On one hypothetical flat, a 5% mortgage turns a 4% net yield into a yearly cash shortfall. The case for buy-to-let rests on more than first-year rent.
5 min
FAQ
Can a non-resident get a Czech mortgage? Possible, but few banks say yes
Yes in principle, rarely in practice. A few lenders will look at an applicant who lives abroad, and they ask for a lot more than they ask of residents.
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Explainer
CETA and Czechia: the EU-Canada trade deal that Wallonia nearly sank
A Belgian region held up the signing in 2016. Since 2017 most of the deal has applied in Czechia too. What it covers, what stays disputed, who gains.
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Explainer
ČEZ explained: the state-controlled giant behind Czech electricity
The state owns about 70 per cent of ČEZ, which runs the country's nuclear plants and much of its grid. Who owns what, who sets prices, and the Dukovany bet.
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Explainer
Czech accounting basics: double entry, tax records and the year-end set
Czech books are kept in Czech, to Czech rules. Which system applies to your business, what the records must contain and what the accountant needs from you.
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Explainer
Czech arms exports: who signs off a sale, and who can say no
A Czech firm cannot sell a rifle abroad without a state licence, and several ministries must agree. Who signs off, who can refuse, who checks.
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Explainer
Czech audit rules: the size test that decides if you need one
Most small Czech companies never meet an auditor. The size test, the entities audited regardless and the voluntary audits banks quietly demand.
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Explainer
Czech bank supervision and deposit insurance: what is guaranteed
If a Czech bank fails, a guarantee scheme pays depositors up to a fixed limit within days. How the cover works, what it excludes and who runs it.
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Explainer
Czech banking sector: who owns the banks and who watches them
Most big Czech banks belong to foreign groups, building societies run their own niche, and one supervisor oversees them all. A map of the system.
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Explainer
Czech beneficial ownership register: who must be named and who can look
Every Czech bank asks who really owns your company. The register behind the question, the control tests and why public access shrank after a 2022 EU ruling.
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Explainer
Czech building savings (stavební spoření): how the state bonus works
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Guide
Czech business bank account for a new company
How banks onboard a new Czech company, which documents they ask for, and why opening an account can take longer than registering the firm.
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Explainer
Czech business licences: which activities need a permit
How the Trade Licensing Act sorts activities into free, craft, bound and licensed trades, and which professions sit outside it altogether.
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Explainer
Czech co-working and registered-office rules
Virtual offices and co-working desks can be a legal company seat in Czechia. A badly documented address can cost you far more than the rent.
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Explainer
Czech commercial contracts: the basics under the Civil Code
How Czech contract law lets parties agree their own terms, which default rules fill the gaps, and the clauses that cause trouble.
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Explainer
Czech Commercial Register: reading a company extract in ten minutes
Free, public and authoritative on who runs a Czech company. What the obchodní rejstřík shows, what it hides and why accounts are often the better clue.
5 min
Explainer
Czech company directors: duty of care and where liability bites
A director's title is an office with legal duties, not a label. When Czech law makes directors personally liable, and why delegating is no defence.
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List
Czech company due diligence: which free register answers which question
ARES, the commercial and insolvency registers, VAT status and the cadastre are all free. Knowing which to open first turns an afternoon into a reliable check.
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Explainer
Czech company formation cost: where the money goes and how to get a quote
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6 min
Explainer
Czech consumer price index: how it is measured and why it feels wrong
The headline inflation number is an average of an invented shopping basket. How the Statistical Office builds it, and why yours may differ.
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