An inspector from the Trade Licensing Office (živnostenský úřad) arrives, stands in front of the building — and the first thing they look for is the sign. If they cannot find it, they have their catch before they even ring the bell. It is the cheapest obligation of them all, and the only one that can be checked from the pavement.

But the sign is merely the visible tip. Underneath it sit three things people trip over regularly: the flat must be notified to the office in advance as business premises (provozovna), for a flat you do not own you need the owner's consent — and when you close down, a notification awaits you whose omission costs up to CZK 1,000,000.

What to do

First of all: a flat is business premises

Business premises means „the space in which the trade is carried on“ (§ 17 (1) of the Trade Licensing Act), which for accommodation means the apartment itself. The condition is that it is systematic (§ 2): letting a flat to an acquaintance once is not a trade, repeated accommodation for payment is — and the number of nights then plays no role.

If you are not the owner of the flat, you may carry on a trade there „only with the owner's consent“ (§ 17 (3)). Ask for it in writing and in advance: the office may call on you to prove your legal title to use the property — and failure to prove it is an offence carrying a fine of up to CZK 100,000 (§ 62 (1) (e) point 1).

If you are only setting up your trade licence now, put the flat straight into the notification of trade (§ 45 (2) (g) for the self-employed, (3) (f) for an s.r.o.) — then you do not file a separate notification. The exception, however, applies only to opening; closing is always notified in advance. → How to set up a trade licence for accommodation: step by step in one afternoon

The office assigns the premises a business premises identification number (IČP) and enters them in the Trade Register (živnostenský rejstřík, § 17 (6)). The entry is public — your neighbour and the owners' association committee can look it up too.

How to notify the premises

1. 1Prepare the particulars under § 17 (5): name or company, IČO, address of the premises, field of activity („Ubytovací služby“ — accommodation services) and the date of opening.
2. 2Fill in the form „Oznámení provozovny“ in the JRF application at https://rzp.gov.cz/epo-jrf/cs/nove-podani (the same electronic form is also used to notify a new trade); if you are adding a unit to an existing trade licence, use the „Změnový list“ (change sheet) with the „Provozovny“ annex.
3. 3File it through the JRF, via a data box, by e-mail with a recognised signature, by post or in person — at any municipal trade licensing office in Czechia (§ 71 (1)), not necessarily the one where the flat is.
4. 4You pay nothing: notification of business premises does not appear in item 24 of the schedule of fees to Act no. 634/2004 Coll.; the only chargeable route is CzechPOINT at CZK 50.
5. 5Notice of the entry and the IČP usually arrives within 5 working days; the law sets no deadline.

What has to be on the sign

Every business premises must be marked „permanently and visibly from the outside“ with the company or the first name and surname of the entrepreneur and their business identification number, i.e. the IČO (§ 17 (7)). Premises providing services to consumers — and guests are consumers — must also be marked with (§ 17 (8)):

• the first name and surname of the person responsible for the operation of the premises,
• the selling or opening hours designated for dealings with consumers,
• the category and class, in the case of an accommodation facility providing temporary accommodation.

The name on the first line: the first name and surname of the operator (a natural person) or the company name of the s.r.o. exactly as entered in the Commercial Register (a legal entity). After the name we recommend adding FO or PO in brackets — the official and the guest see at once what kind of entity it is; for a company the first line would read, for example, „Praha Stays s.r.o. (PO)“.

Opening hours: for apartments where the guest agrees the arrival time in advance through the platform, the established wording is „Provozní doba: dle dohody“ (opening hours: by arrangement). The law speaks of „hours“, that is, of a time, and no official interpretation says whether „by arrangement“ is enough; if you want to rule out even a strict reading, add the usual range („dle dohody, zpravidla 15:00–20:00“ — by arrangement, usually 15:00–20:00).

Prices: the law does not require them on the sign, but a line „Ceny: dle platformy Airbnb / Booking“ (prices: as listed on Airbnb / Booking) forestalls questions about a price list and is a common part of the marking of accommodation premises.

Category and class are two different particulars — the category is the type of facility, the class is the stars. Here the law sends you into the void: Decree no. 268/2009 Coll., which defined them, was repealed as of 1 January 2024 and the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MPO) itself states in its information of 25 September 2024 that the Trade Licensing Act „does not provide for the classification of accommodation facilities into specific categories and classes“. What remains is the voluntary Official Unified Classification of Private Accommodation (Oficiální jednotná klasifikace ubytování v soukromí, in force since 18 January 2017): the categories guest room, guest apartment, recreational property and small guesthouses, classes from one star (Tourist) to four (First Class). State the category; stars only with a paid certificate from the Rural Tourism and Agrotourism Association (Svaz venkovské turistiky a agroturistiky, z. s.).

Where to put the sign

In its communication of 20 June 2023, the MPO summarised three parameters that must apply at the same time: visibility, permanence and placement on the outside, in particular on the exterior of the building. The yardstick is that „the consumer should not have to search for the marking and should not have to overcome any obstacle“.

The argument „no stranger can get into the building anyway“ does not stand up: according to the MPO, public access „cannot play a role in the marking of business premises, because business premises are by definition intended to be visited by the public“. That test belongs to the marking of the registered office (§ 31 (2)) — for business premises the bar is higher.

• Works: a marking on the building's facade or by the doorbells, legible from the pavement, plus a sign on the apartment door — in an apartment building you need both.
• Not enough: a small plate behind the building's entrance door, a microscopic label, a marking taken down and brought inside after guests leave (that is not permanent), nor a „marking“ in your Airbnb profile.

The facade and the entrance door are common parts, so discuss the placement with the owners' association (SVJ) — but that does not extinguish the obligation. Do not let yourself be fobbed off with the articles of association: an SVJ cannot ban or restrict short-term rentals through its articles (Supreme Court ruling of 15 March 2023, file no. 26 Cdo 854/2022-209). An A6 plate (105 × 148 mm) by the doorbells satisfies the law and offends nobody.

When you close — and what you risk

A seasonal break or refurbishment: unless serious reasons prevent it, you must mark the beginning and end of the closure in advance, in a suitable place visible from the outside (§ 17 (9)) — a line under the sign will do: „Closed 1 November 2026 – 31 March 2027.“

A definitive end has two steps. Notify the closure in advance — even if you stated the premises in your notification of trade in the first place. And no later than on the closing date, notify the address at which your liabilities can be settled; report any changes to it for 4 years (§ 31 (16)).

The upper limits of fines under § 62 (4) of the Trade Licensing Act:

• failure to mark the premises under § 17 (7), (8) or (9) CZK 100,000
• failure to notify opening or closing in advance CZK 100,000
• failure to appoint a responsible person, failure to mark the registered office CZK 100,000
• failure to notify the address for settling liabilities CZK 1,000,000

These are statutory ceilings; the figure of CZK 50,000 on older office websites no longer applies. As of 1 January 2027, Act no. 270/2025 Coll. renumbers the letters in § 62 (1), while the rates stay the same.

The most common mistakes and myths

• „I have a trade licence, don't I?“ — The trade licence and the business premises are two different filings; the authorisation arises upon notification of the trade, the premises are notified separately.
• „Nobody actually checks on Airbnb.“ — Under § 8 (b) of the Inspection Code, an inspector may make a test booking and under § 7 may enter even a dwelling if it is used for business — or if a doubt as to whether it is so used needs to be removed — and if the purpose of the inspection cannot be achieved otherwise.
• „The sign must carry an eTurista registration number.“ — As of 5 September 2026 no Czech register of short-term rentals exists: parliamentary print 106 has a negative opinion from the government and is only heading for its first reading, and the MMR talks about 2027. Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 has applied since 20 May 2026, but the registration procedure is optional for member states and Czechia has not introduced it.

Frequently asked questions

Updated: 21 September 2026, verified against the sources listed above. This is informational text, not legal or tax advice — consult a professional about your specific situation.