There used to be Golden Pages where you could find not only a phone number but also an address. This is completely unthinkable today in the age of GDPR. Nevertheless, there are public registers where you can find all sorts of information not only about companies but also about public persons. In this article, we will introduce you to the most famous public registers and tell you what you can find there.
Public registers are used to record and make available important information about legal and natural persons. Their main purpose is to ensure the transparency of the business and legal environment, and to facilitate business dealings and protect the interests of third parties.
The legal framework for public registers in the Czech Republic is set out in the Act on Public Registers. It regulates the conditions for keeping and accessing these registers. According to this law, certain information must be made public, while other information remains protected or accessible only to authorised entities.
It is precisely what information is available in the register and to whom that distinguishes between public and non-public registers. While public registers and the information contained therein are accessible to anyone, non-public registers, on the other hand, contain more sensitive data to which only selected persons with certain authorisations have access. If they want to consult a non-public register, they often also have to officially justify it or obtain permission to do so. We will take a closer look at public registers.
The Commercial Register is one of the most widely used public registers in the Czech Republic. It registers statutory information about businesses, such as the company name, registered office, subject of business or shareholders. In the register you will find both legal entities (limited liability companies, joint stock companies, limited partnerships, public companies, cooperatives and others) and natural persons (self-employed persons who have decided to register in the Commercial Register, although it is not obligatory for them to do so).
It is mandatory for self-employed persons to be registered in the Commercial Register if their income for the last two accounting periods exceeded CZK 120 million after deduction of VAT.
The Commercial Register is publicly accessible through the Ministry of Justice’s web portal. Anyone has the right to consult it and anyone can obtain an extract from it.
Any person who so requests shall be entered in the Commercial Register by the Court of Registration on the basis of his/her application. The application for registration must contain all the information required by law and be accompanied by the necessary documents, such as the articles of incorporation, the statutes or the consent of the bodies. After registration, the information is publicly available and up-to-date. We have detailed how to register in a separate article.
Companies are obliged to keep their data in the Commercial Register up to date. They must immediately have any changes, such as a change of registered office, statutory bodies or business objects, entered into it.
Have you found out that you are on a register without being on one, or that your sensitive data is circulating on the internet somewhere? We’ll look into it with you and tell you what steps you can possibly take to prevent it. Find out if you’re in the right and how you can defend yourself.
The Trade Register is a publicly accessible electronic register that records all persons and companies operating a trade in the Czech Republic. Thus, it provides data on persons engaged in business and contains information on their business authorisations or establishments.
The Trade Register contains natural persons (self-employed persons) who operate a trade on the basis of a trade licence and legal persons, i.e. companies and other entities that have obtained a trade licence.
The Trade Register is available online on the Trade Business Portal. You can search it for information on entrepreneurs by name, registration number or company name.
You do not have to take any steps yourself to register your trade. If you meet the conditions set out in the Trade Licensing Act and file a notification with the relevant trade licensing office, the office will automatically enter you in the register.
While public registers are used to register persons and include data on their identity, legal status and other relevant information, public lists register things and rights to them (real estate, trademarks, industrial designs, etc.).
The Register of Persons is a central register of all entities registered in public registers, such as the Commercial Register, Trade Register, Register of Associations and others. This register serves to link data from different registers and facilitates the search for information on specific persons or companies.
The register of persons facilitates access to information on business entities and other organisations. It is used not only by entrepreneurs, but also by the government or the public in verifying companies and institutions.
In the register of persons you can find the identification data of the entity (company name, registration number, registered office or place of business), the legal form of the entity (whether it is a natural person, limited liability company, joint stock company, cooperative, etc.) and links to other public registers.
The Insolvency Register is a public database that records information on pending and completed insolvency proceedings in the Czech Republic. It is administered by the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic, on whose website the register is also publicly available. It will come in handy if you want to check whether the party you are selling something to might already owe money elsewhere. Companies and entrepreneurs usually use it to verify the solvency of their business partners.
In the insolvency register you will find a list of all debtors, whether they are legal entities or individuals. You can also view information about the insolvency proceedings (date of opening, progress and outcome of the proceedings) and the court’s decision (e.g. declaration of bankruptcy or method of debt resolution).
Hint: Don’t know how to search and read the public commercial register correctly? Our article will help you.
The Register of Beneficial Owners is a database that records individuals with decisive influence in companies, foundations or associations. Its aim is to increase transparency of ownership structures and combat money laundering.
Persons with direct or indirect influence on the management of the company, natural persons who own more than 25% of the company and persons who have a decisive influence on the management of the company are registered as beneficial owners in this register.
This register is mainly used by banks, authorities and companies to verify the ownership structures of their business partners.
The list of qualified suppliers is a public register maintained by the Ministry of Regional Development. This list contains companies that meet the conditions for participation in public contracts. This simplifies tendering procedures as contracting authorities do not have to repeatedly verify the qualifications of specific bidders. It also provides an overview of reliable companies that meet the legal conditions.
The list of qualified suppliers is available on the public procurement portal.
The Cadastre of Real Estate of the Czech Republic is a public database managed by the Czech Office of Surveying and Cadastre (ČÚZK). It serves to register all real estate in the Czech Republic and shows who owns what real estate.
In addition to who owns the property, the cadastre also contains information about legal restrictions (liens, easements, foreclosures and other restrictions on ownership), geographical data (location of the property on the map) and ownership history. The land registry is mostly used for verifying ownership rights, for example, when buying a property or securing a consumer loan.
The cadastre is publicly accessible and can be consulted via the portal Access to the CN.
Tip: A criminal record can also complicate your life. In our article you will learn how to get your criminal record expunged so you can start afresh with a clean slate.
Access to information is one thing, but data protection issues are another. Public registers make a lot of information available, but they also have to respect the law. While the names of company directors and owners are public, their birth numbers or permanent addresses may already be protected and do not appear in the register. In certain cases, persons may request that certain data be anonymised, for example if its publication is redundant or contrary to the law. It is the responsibility of the entities that manage public registers of legal and natural persons to ensure that they comply with the GDPR principles and that data is not misused.
Public registers in the Czech Republic provide important information about legal and natural persons in order to ensure business transparency and third party protection. These include the Commercial Register, which provides basic information on companies, their statutory bodies and a collection of documents, and the Trade Register, which records natural and legal persons with trade licences. The Register of Persons links data from various registers, the Insolvency Register makes it possible to verify debtors and insolvency proceedings, while the Register of Beneficial Owners makes the ownership structure of companies clearer. Most of these registers are publicly available online, most often on the portals of the Ministry of Justice and the Trade Enterprise.
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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.
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