Chapters of the article
Where can I consult the insolvency register?
The Insolvency Register is an online database, so you don’t have to make appointments with officials or go anywhere for information. All you need is a computer and a working internet connection. To access the Insolvency Register, just go to www.justice.cz and right at the top of the page you will find the Insolvency Register alongside the Public Register and the Central Register of Notices. You can use one of the three quick searches provided or go to the detailed search.
Who can search the register?
The search engine will not ask you for any personal information such as your name or ID number, nor will you give any reason for the search. Because the search is online and anonymous, there is no restriction on who can search the database. Therefore, no age of majority, nationality or any legal or other relationship to the person being searched is necessary.
Does anyone owe you money?
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What data can I search for subjects by?
Searching the register is easy if you know some basic information about the person you are planning to vet. The three basic ways of searching the insolvency register offered by the justice website are:
- search by name of the entity,
- search by registration number,
- search by surname.
Attention! Be careful which search option you choose. The search is not a full-text search across all the entries in the register, so if you search by name but type your first and last name in the search box, the system will not find anything. You will find both natural persons doing business and not doing business in the register, and legal entities may also be listed.
What details can the system search for?
The initial search menu is usually sufficient, as the name of the company is usually the basic information we have about the entity and by which we search. However, it may be the case that we do not know these details exactly, but we know other details, such as the Personal Identification Number ID number of the debtor. We may also have specific requirements, such as only being interested in the pending proceedings or only in a particular file mark. If we are searching for an individual by first and last name, it may be that for common last names, the registry will offer several (dozens of) entries. And then it is necessary to know more data.
The system can also cope with such an entry. If you choose the detailed search option, which you can find at isir.justice.cz, a form will appear in which you can go into really great detail, such as the file mark, a specific period, or, for example, just a single action that is recorded in the file, such as a debtor’s motion, a power of attorney or a motion to secure evidence. The form is really detailed, but it doesn’t mean that you have to know and fill in all of that information. Once you leave a field blank, the registry will look up all the information that matches the entries in the other fields.
What if the search engine doesn’t give me anything?
If the number of results is zero and you are firmly convinced that there is a record in the index, try selecting another search key. For example, instead of the first and last name, choose Personal identification number ID number and vice versa. It may be that you have recorded some information incorrectly and the result is not relevant.
What data can I access in the register?
If you can find the person in the register, you can open the person’s file (or the online version of the file, which may not be exactly the same as the physical file) and see a summary of the filings and orders that relate to the person’s case. Specifically, the register offers us the following information:
- file number,
- the regional court where the case is pending,
- basic information on the debtor (name; registration number; residence/establishment),
- the name and registered office of the insolvency administrator, if one has been appointed,
- any documents arising from the proceedings.
The file is divided into five sections:
- section A – insolvency proceedings
- section B – Post-insolvency proceedings
- section C – Insolvency proceedings
- section D – Other
- section P Applications
For each such entry, it is possible to see when it was made and to click on the full text. Of course, you can also download and print everything.
If you are just checking up on a potential business partner, you may be interested to know whether and to what extent, if any, these types of proceedings are being taken against them. However, if you are going to file a claim against a debtor, you will primarily be interested in the date on which the debtor was declared bankrupt and the time limit within which the claim can be filed. All of this can be found in the document marked ‘Bankruptcy order’ in Section A.
What not to look for on the justice website?
Debtors against whom insolvency proceedings were opened before 1 January 2008, or who may have been removed from the register under the Insolvency Act, are no longer in the insolvency register.
