Administrative Fees: The Most Common Types and Their Amounts

Quick Overview

Administrative fees are paid for public administration services—typically for the issuance of documents, extracts, permits, entries in registers, or applications for registration in the land registry. The amount of these fees is not arbitrary: it is set by the Administrative Fees Act and its schedule of fees. Some fees are nominal, such as 50 crowns for signature verification, while others can reach thousands of crowns, such as for land registry matters, building permits, or name changes. The fee is usually paid when submitting an application or before the service is performed. If you fail to pay the fee even after receiving a reminder, the authority will generally suspend the proceedings.

You’ll most often encounter the following situations:

• The administrative fee for verifying a signature is usually 50 korunas per signature.
• An application for registration in the land registry costs 2,000 korunas.
• A business registration typically costs 1,000 korunas.
• A criminal record check costs 100 crowns.
• Changing your first or last name can cost anywhere from a few hundred crowns to 3,000 crowns, depending on the reason for the change.

If you’re dealing with a more expensive or legally significant matter—such as a land registry entry, a name change, a building permit process, or a dispute with a government agency—it’s worth seeking advice from an expert. Our attorneys will help you verify that you’re paying the correct fee, that your application is complete, and how to prevent the proceedings from being suspended.

In life, we have to pay various types of fees. In addition to local fees, there are also administrative fees. Administrative fees are charges collected for certain actions performed by administrative authorities or other public authorities. These fees are set by the Administrative Fees Act and are paid for various types of services and actions. These include, for example, the issuance of various permits, extracts from registers, activities related to proceedings in the fields of construction and transportation, the issuance of documents (e.g., ID cards, passports), and so on.

The Administrative Fees Act

As we have already mentioned, administrative fees are governed by the Administrative Fees Act. First and foremost, this Act specifies exactly what is subject to fees, who is required to pay them, and how their rates are determined, including rounding rules. Furthermore, the Act addresses the process of assessing and collecting fees, sets deadlines for their payment, and describes the consequences of nonpayment. It also includes provisions on payment methods, options for fee refunds, and exemptions from fees. Other sections of the Act focus on oversight of the proper transfer of fees to the state budget, define transitional provisions in the event of rule changes, and establish the authority for further regulations.

Payment of Administrative Fees

Administrative fees are typically set either as a specific amount in crowns or as a percentage. In the case of percentages, the amount is rounded up to the nearest ten crowns. The fees are set directly by the relevant administrative authority and are due either upon receipt of the application or later, but always before the action is taken.

If you do not pay the fee within the specified time limit, you will receive a demand for payment of the administrative fee from the authority. Upon receipt of this demand, a 15-day payment period begins. In the case of fees calculated as a percentage, payment must be made within 15 days of receiving the payment notice.

If you fail to pay within 15 days in either case, the proceedings will be suspended. The good news is that you will not incur any debt or penalties.

We know from experience that people often don’t make the mistake of refusing to pay the fee, but rather of paying it late, to the wrong account, with an incorrect variable symbol, or in the wrong amount. For smaller amounts, the problem is usually resolved quickly. However, when it comes to land registry matters, construction projects, or business permits, even a minor formal error can cause weeks of unnecessary delays. The most common mistake we see among clients is the belief that the application is “already in process,” even though the agency is waiting for the fee to be paid or for it to be correctly matched.

The administrative fee paid to the tax office is a typical example of a fee that must be paid when filing certain applications or when decisions regarding tax obligations are issued. As with other administrative fees, it must be paid before the action is taken; otherwise, the agency will suspend the proceedings.

Schedule of Administrative Fees

Administrative fee amounts are determined based on several factors. The main factors include the time required and the complexity of the procedure, the economic significance of the procedure for the applicant, the material costs of performing the procedure, as well as the public interest and the promotion of certain behavior, which manifest as fee exemptions for certain groups of people or situations.

Administrative fees are also charged for procedures related to tax administration. For example, the tax office charges an administrative fee for issuing a certificate of no tax arrears or for certain applications related to tax proceedings. The amount of these fees varies depending on the specific procedure, with the standard fee for issuing a certificate of no tax arrears being 100 crowns.

At first glance, the structure of administrative fees may seem straightforward, but in practice, it can vary depending on the specifics. For example, for documents, it depends on the applicant’s age and the processing time; for construction matters, on the type of structure; and for a change of first or last name, on the reason for the change. Therefore, we recommend that you always verify the exact item in the fee schedule for a specific application or seek advice if you are unsure which item your case falls under.

Specific fee rates are fixed in the fee schedules set forth in the Administrative Fees Act. Let’s now take a look at the most common administrative fees and their amounts:

• Extension of the deadline for filing a tax return: 300 crowns.
• Access to the Trade Register: 20 korunas per entity.
• Reporting a change of permanent residence: 50 korunas.
• Provision of data from the traffic accident registry: 100 korunas.
• Verification of a signature or stamp on a document: 50 korunas per signature or stamp.
• Issuance of an ID card: 0–2,000 korunas, depending on specific conditions.

• Issuance of a disability card: 30 korunas, or 200 korunas if it is a replacement for a damaged, destroyed, lost, or stolen card.
• Criminal record check: 100 korunas.
• Change of last name or first name: 3,000 korunas, or 200 korunas in the case of a derogatory or ridiculous last name, or 300 korunas in the case of a foreign-language last name or a change back to a former last name (if the change involves reverting to a maiden name after divorce, no fee is charged). When changing a first name or last name, the reason for the request is usually the deciding factor. A derogatory or ridiculous last name is assessed differently than a return to a former last name, and personal or family reasons are assessed differently still. If you want to increase the chances that the authorities will understand your application correctly, we can help you draft it in a factual and clear manner, complete with the necessary supporting documents.
• Wedding in an administrative district where neither of the fiancés has permanent residence: 1,000 korunas.
• Wedding outside the designated location and time: 3,000 crowns.
• Issuance of a certificate confirming fulfillment of the conditions for a religious marriage: 500 korunas.
• Issuance of a permit for a change in land use: 3,000 korunas.
• Issuance of a permit for the consolidation or subdivision of land parcels: 1,000 korunas.
• Administrative fee for a building permit: 5,000–10,000 korunas, depending on the nature of the planned construction.
• Issuance of a final occupancy permit: 1,000–5,000 korunas, depending on the type of structure.
• Permit for a change in the use of a building: 1,000–5,000 korunas, depending on the type of building.
• Issuance of a permit to demolish a building: 1,000–5,000 korunas, depending on the type of building.
• Business registration: 1,000 korunas.

• Fee for accepting a license application: 1,000 korunas.
• Registration in the vehicle registry: 300–700 korunas, depending on the type of vehicle.
• Issuance of a license plate: 200 korunas, or 5,000 korunas if you want a custom plate (with your own text)
• Issuance of a driver’s license: 200 korunas within the standard processing time or 700 korunas for expedited processing.
• Passport issuance: 600 korunas or 100 korunas for persons under 15 years of age.
• Land registry extract: 100 korunas.
• Application for registration in the land registry: 2,000 korunas.

Real-World Examples: When an Administrative Fee Can Cause a Problem

Incorrect Application for Land Registry Entry

A client was handling a real estate transfer and expected that once the 2,000-koruna fee was paid, the Land Registry would register the application without any problems. However, the information in the application did not match that in the purchase agreement. This resulted in a delay in the proceedings and the need to submit a corrected application. In such situations, the focus is not merely on the amount of the fee itself, but primarily on whether the application is error-free and consistent with the contractual documentation.

Late Payment of the Fee for an Application

In another case, an applicant filed the application on time but overlooked the notice to pay the administrative fee. He assumed the agency was reviewing the application, but the proceedings could have been suspended due to nonpayment. When it comes to administrative fees, we therefore recommend keeping track not only of the filing deadlines but also of the deadlines specified in the agency’s notice.

Unclear Item in the Fee Schedule

For some applications, it is not immediately clear which item in the fee schedule applies. This can happen, for example, with building modifications, changes in the use of a building, or specific applications filed with the tax office. In such situations, it is better to verify the fee amount in advance rather than risk the authority delaying the proceedings by issuing a demand for additional payment.

What Is the Purpose of Administrative Fees?

Administrative fees are not intended to allow the government to unnecessarily extract money from ordinary people. Their existence has a fairly broad justification:

1. Cost recovery: One of the main reasons for collecting administrative fees is to cover the costs associated with providing certain services, processing applications, or issuing official documents. In this way, the state and local governments obtain the financial resources to cover part of their operating costs.
2. Preventing abuse of services: Setting a fee for certain administrative procedures also prevents abuse of the system. The fee acts as a barrier against the submission of unnecessary applications. If these services were provided entirely free of charge, they could become overburdened or abused, which would subsequently lead to inefficiency and increased costs in the public sector.
3. Ensuring Service Quality: Limiting the number of unfounded requests allows government agencies and public administration to focus on providing higher-quality services to those who truly need them. This enables faster processing, better access to information, and a greater emphasis on individualized service.
4. Behavioral Regulation: In some cases, administrative fees can also be used to regulate the behavior of citizens or businesses. For example, high fees for certain types of requests can discourage their excessive submission or can be used to regulate the market (e.g., licensing fees).

Summary

Administrative fees are amounts set by law that are paid for specific public administration services—such as the issuance of documents, signature verification, extracts from registers, business licenses, land registry services, or building permit proceedings. Their amounts are governed by the Administrative Fees Act and the fee schedule; therefore, always verify the current amount and conditions for a specific application. The fee is usually paid upon submission or before the action is performed; if you fail to pay it even after a reminder, the authority will generally suspend the proceedings. For inexpensive and simple procedures, it is usually sufficient to follow the agency’s instructions, but for real estate transfers, construction matters, name changes, business matters, or disputes with the agency, it is worth having your application reviewed in advance so that you do not waste time, money, or miss an important deadline.