Datovka is a useful tool that not only entrepreneurs have started to use to communicate with the authorities. However, not everyone needs or wants to use it in the long term. If you are one of those who set it up voluntarily and are now looking for a way back, or you have suspended your business, we can advise you on how to cancel your data box quickly and correctly.
Unfortunately, cancelling a data box is not automatic for everyone. Only natural persons who have set up a mailbox voluntarily, i.e. on their own initiative, can simply cancel it. On the other hand, if you are an entrepreneur (self-employed) and your mailbox was set up automatically, then you cannot cancel it. In such a case, you can only request that it be made inaccessible – for example, after the termination of your business licence.
Legal entities cannot even request that a data box be made inaccessible. It is compulsory for them and cancellation occurs only when the legal entity is deleted from the public register. In other words, it is rendered inaccessible and then cancelled after three years.
Only if you are not a “business individual” can you request to cancel it.
Not sure if you can cancel it, how to proceed correctly, or what your options are as a business? Our experienced attorneys can advise you on the entire process from a legal perspective and help you resolve even the more complex situations.
If you have decided that you no longer want to use your data box, you have two ways to cancel it.
1. Online – directly from your mailbox
The quickest way to cancel a data box is directly from within your data box.
2. In person at Czech POINT
If you do not have an electronic signature or do not want to log in to the mailbox, you can submit your application physically.
Procedure:
A list of Czech POINT contact points can be found here.
Whether you submit the request electronically or in person, it must contain your name, surname, birth number, data box identifier (you can find it after logging in in the top bar), e-mail or telephone contact for communication, information that the request is for making a voluntary data box of a natural person inaccessible, signature (electronic signature for online submission).
Tip: Are you familiar with the fiction of delivery? This refers to official mail, where the authorities create a fictitious presumption that the mail has been delivered to you and you have seen it. In reality, this may not have happened at all. Find out how to avoid the inconvenience of fiction of service in our article.
The data box for entrepreneurs (self-employed individuals) is automatically established by the state by law. Such a mailbox cannot be cancelled on request, but it is possible to request that it be made inaccessible. However, you must meet certain conditions to do so.
Conditions for making an entrepreneur’s mailbox inaccessible
If you want to make your data box inaccessible, then you must wait for the entry of the discontinuation in the Trade Register before you can apply for making it inaccessible. Automatic de-access does not occur until the change of status of the business has been entered in the public register, which can sometimes take several weeks.
It is possible to apply for de-registration in the event of death, cessation of business or restriction of liberty.
First, check with the Trade Register that your business is indeed registered as closed or discontinued. Then, visit any Czech POINT location and again request that the data box of the natural person running the business be made inaccessible. The official will verify your status in the register and complete the application with you. As a rule, it will be made in a few days.
If the business is closed, there is no need to apply for the data box to be made inaccessible – the system will automatically make it inaccessible when the business is deleted from the relevant register. The total cancellation of the data box then occurs three years after the data box is made unavailable.
Once your application has been approved, your data box will no longer be accessible. This means that you will no longer be able to log in to your mailbox and you will not be able to send or receive messages. However, the contents of the mailbox will remain archived and you can restore it again on request. You can reactivate your mailbox in the future. We still recommend that you back up or download the contents before you deactivate the mailbox.
Yes, a cancelled or disabled mailbox can be reactivated. If you change your mind in the future, simply submit a new application for a data box. Activation will be done in a similar way as the first time – either online or in person at Czech POINT. When you reactivate, your original mailbox identifier is retained and in some cases, its archived content may also be available.
Tip: Do you want to set up a mailbox but don’t know how to do it? Read our article to help you set up a data box.
A data box cannot be cancelled without the owner’s knowledge if it is a voluntarily established data box of a natural person. You, as the user, must always request that it be made inaccessible. An exception to this may be if the owner of the mailbox dies, in which case a notary may request that the mailbox be made unavailable as part of the inheritance proceedings. In the case of business persons and legal entities, deactivation or cancellation occurs automatically after deletion from the relevant register.
Cancellation of a data box is only possible for natural persons who have voluntarily set it up – they can submit a request online via the mojedatovaschranka.cz website or in person at Czech POINT. Entrepreneurs (self-employed persons) for whom the mailbox has been set up automatically cannot request its cancellation, but they can request that it be made inaccessible – however, only after the termination or interruption of their business and the registration of this fact in the Trade Register. Legal entities cannot apply at all, their mailboxes are automatically made inaccessible after deletion from the register and cease to exist completely after three years. The request for de-access must contain basic identification data, the type of mailbox and a signature. After deactivation, the mailbox can no longer be accessed, but its contents can be restored and the mailbox reactivated at a later date. The mailbox cannot be cancelled without the owner’s knowledge, except in cases of death or other specific cases.
Our team of experienced attorneys will help you solve any legal issue. Within 24 hours we’ll evaluate your situation and suggest a step-by-step solution, including all costs. The price for this proposal is only CZK 690, and this is refunded to you when you order service from us.
Ondřej is the attorney who came up with the idea of providing legal services online. He's been earning his living through legal services for more than 10 years. He especially likes to help clients who may have given up hope in solving their legal issues at work, for example with real estate transfers or copyright licenses.
In person and online. Just choose the appropriate service or opt for an independent consultation when you are unsure.
