How to Form an Association and Register It in the Association Registry

Quick Overview: How to Start an Association

Forming an association is a good option for a group of people who share a common interest but do not primarily want to run a business.

• An association must be founded by at least three people.
• The foundation is the bylaws, which specify the name, registered office, purpose, rights and obligations of members, and the designation of the governing body.
• An association can be established by agreement among the founders or at a founding meeting.
• It is legally established only upon registration in the association registry.
• Registration of the association in the registry is exempt from court fees.

Do you want to be sure your articles of association are drafted correctly, or has the court returned your application for registration in the association registry for further completion? Seek the assistance of an attorney before filing to avoid unnecessary delays.

What is an association and what is its purpose?

Under Czech law, associations have existed since 2014 as a special form of legal entity intended for voluntary associations of (at least three) individuals united by common interests. Previously, their equivalent was called “civic associations.”

Associations belong to one of three types of legal entities under private law, specifically corporations. In addition to these, Czech law also distinguishes between foundations (based on assets set aside for a specific purpose; an example is a charitable foundation) and institutes (typically scientific, medical, or educational).

Corporations are associations of individuals or legal entities, such as churches, homeowners’ associations, business entities, or associations. Individual special laws address them in greater detail. The Civil Codecontains general provisions governing corporations and detailed provisions governing associations; other corporations are governed either by other parts of the Civil Code or by special laws. An association is therefore the appropriate choice for a group of people who do not primarily intend to engage in business and who share a common interest or goal that they would like to work toward together.

Activities of the Association

The association may engage in primary and secondary activities. The primary activity must be aimed at fulfilling and protecting the interests for which the association was founded. The association’s primary activity may not consist of business operations or any other profit-making activity. The association may engage in business only as part of a secondary economic activity, the purpose of which is to support the primary activity or to ensure the economical use of the association’s assets. Conversely, this may be a secondary activity that serves to support the primary activity. The association is therefore a nonprofit legal entity.

Examples of primary and secondary activities include educating people on reducing food waste, organizing seminars on this topic, and connecting commercial cafeterias with charities—as the primary activity—and operating an online store selling cookbooks and kitchen gadgets as a secondary activity. The proceeds from sales are used to cover the association’s operating costs.

How to Proceed Step by Step?

If you’ve already decided that an association is right for you, you can proceed with its establishment. The process of establishing an association is a two-step process. First, you must incorporate the association; then, once the registry court enters it into the association registry based on your application, the association is officially established.

Establishing an Association

At least three people are required to establish an association. The Civil Code provides two basic ways to establish an association, namely:

• by agreement among the founders on the content of the bylaws, or
• by a resolution of the constituent meeting.

In both cases, you must adopt bylaws. Their mandatory elements are:

• Name and registered office of the association —The name of the association must include the words “association” or “registered association”; the abbreviation “z. s.” is also sufficient. The name must be distinct from the names of existing legal entities, so it is advisable to check, for example, the association register or the commercial register.
• Purpose of the association —this may be any of the objectives mentioned in the introduction—for example, neighborhood development, nature conservation, or the establishment of community gardens.
• The rights and obligations of members toward the association, or a specification of how such rights and obligations will arise.
• Designation of the statutory body —The statutory body consists of persons authorized to act on behalf of the association. The bylaws must also specify whether the statutory body will be collective (i.e., a committee) or individual (i.e., a chairperson).

We know from experience that registry courts often return applications due to seemingly minor issues: an ambiguously defined statutory body, a missing approval for the location of the registered office, or a name that is confusingly similar to that of another legal entity. It is therefore advisable to review the articles of association and any attachments before filing the application. Correcting a single sentence in the articles of association may be easier than repeatedly amending the application for registration.

Consensus Among Founders on the Content of the Articles of Association

This typically occurs when you are a group of enthusiasts who have been discussing your plan and its form for some time and are in complete agreement on most points of the articles of association. In that case, you can jointly draft an agreement on the content of the articles of association, which should include:

• Your identifying information as founders (i.e., at least first and last names, address, and date of birth).
• A provision stating that the founders have agreed on the wording of the association’s articles of association. We recommend specifying that they have also agreed on the composition of the statutory body, whose members you identify in the agreement.
• The actual text of the bylaws, including all required elements.
• The date and place of signature, and the signatures.
• Convening of the constituent meeting.

This option is more suitable for situations where your group is large (or you do not yet know the exact number of participants), you do not know each other very well, and you do not yet have a shared vision of the association’s specific form. However, you are united by a common interest, such as preventing the construction of a major transportation project in your immediate vicinity.

You must convene the organizational meeting at least 30 days before it is to take place. As the convener of the meeting, you will draft the bylaws and invite those interested in forming the association to the meeting. The invitation must specify the location, time, and agenda of the meeting.

Signing the attendance sheet at the founding meeting can be considered an application to join the association. Alternatively, you may explicitly state this fact in the invitation. Subsequently, a vote is held on the bylaws, which must be approved by at least a majority of those present. Anyone who does not agree with the bylaws may withdraw their application on the spot. The first members of the governing bodies are usually elected at the founding meeting. Minutes of the founding meeting must be prepared within 30 days.

When is the association established?

The constituent meeting itself or the approval of the bylaws does not yet establish the association. For it to be established, it must be entered in the association registry. The association registry is maintained by the registry court, which is the locally competent regional court.

The application for registration of an association is submitted on a special form provided by the Ministry of Justice by the founders or by a person designated by the organizing meeting.

The completed form can be printed out and the application submitted in paper form. In this case, you must have the applicant’s signature officially certified.

You may also submit the completed form electronically. In this case, you must sign the application with a recognized electronic signature or send it via the data box of the person submitting the application for registration.

The following attachments must be included with the form:

• The property owner’s consent to the location of the association’s registered office.
• Consent from a member of the statutory body (e.g., the chairperson) to be entered in the public registry.
• Minutes of the organizational meeting or, if applicable, an agreement on the content of the bylaws according to the chosen form.
• Current articles of association signed by the applicant or the founding members, depending on the chosen form.
• Authorization to engage in business or other activities, if the association requires such authorization for its primary or secondary activities.

Submit all of this to the relevant registry court. If the court finds deficiencies in the application or attachments, it will ask you to correct or supplement them. Only after the deficiencies have been corrected can the court register the association in the association registry.

Real-life example: A group of parents wanted to establish an association to support school and extracurricular activities. Although the bylaws included the association’s purpose and name, they did not clearly specify who would act on behalf of the association. In one place, it referred to a chairperson; in another, to a committee. The registry court therefore asked the founders to make corrections. All they had to do was specify whether the chairperson or the committee was the statutory body and amend the rules governing actions on behalf of the association.

Are you trying to figure out how to establish an association without having your application needlessly returned by the court? We can help you prepare the bylaws, attachments, and the application for registration in the association registry so that the documents are consistent with one another.

Approval by the Registry Court

The registry court will generally make the entry or rule on the petition within five business days at the latest. If the court requests the petitioner to correct deficiencies or supplement the documents, this period begins anew upon receipt of the supplemented filing

The registry court will then:

• register the association or
• decide to reject the application.

If the court fails to act (i.e., neither registers the association nor decides to reject the registration), the association is automatically deemed registered on the thirtieth day following the filing of the application.

Registration of associations in the Association Register is free of charge. You therefore do not pay any fees for registration.

Summary

Establishing an association in 2026 is suitable for at least three people who share a common interest and do not primarily intend to engage in business activities. An association is established by adopting bylaws, either by agreement among the founders or by a resolution of the organizing meeting. However, it does not come into legal existence until it is entered in the association registry. The articles of association must include the association’s name and registered office, its purpose, the rights and obligations of its members, and the designation of the statutory body. The application for registration is filed with the registry court on the prescribed form, along with attachments, including, in particular, the articles of association, consent to the location of the registered office, and consent from the members of the statutory body. The registration of the association itself is exempt from court fees, but costs may arise for the certification of signatures, the preparation of documents, or legal assistance.