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Outside the EU - Czech Republic

Updated 12/2010

Legal requirements

Exports and imports are governed mainly by the Act on Economic Relations with Foreign Countries and the Act on State Support for Export Insurance and Finance.

  • Act on Economic Relations with Foreign Countries čeština
  • Act on State Support for Export Insurance and Finance čeština

State support for exports

The main strategic document on state support for Czech businesses is the Export Strategy.

  • Export Strategy of the Czech Republic čeština

State support for exports also includes the concept of priority countries for Czech exports, which is regarded as a useful instrument for effectively focusing the export support resources of the state.

  • Concept of priority countries čeština

When entering a new market, potential business owners should pay attention to the following: information on export opportunities, representation of the home state in the given country, local economic situation, financial and tax sector, labour market, investment, work opportunities, political orientation of the country, information on competitors and requirements regarding export products.

  • Summary of territorial information on individual countries čeština
  • Representations of the Czech Republic abroad čeština

Statistics

The foreign trade statistics include the activities of all businesses involved in exports and imports in the form of trade in goods. The source of information on foreign trade is data obtained by the customs authorities.

Collection and primary checks are performed by the Customs Administration of the Czech Republic, while further processing, checks and the subsequent publication of data are performed by the Czech Statistical Office.

Since the Czech Republic's accession to the EU results are produced by merging data from two systems (Intrastat and Extrastat). Through Intrastat reports, data on trade with EU states is obtained directly from companies (recipients and shippers of goods) in connection with VAT data. For other countries the source of the data is customs declarations (unified administrative documents).

  • Statistics on foreign trade čeština
 

Administrative procedures

Importing goods

Importers must perform a number of tasks in connection with the import of goods. "Import into the Czech Republic" is understood to mean the importation of goods from other countries to the Czech Republic. For the purposes of imports, "goods" are understood to mean all tangible goods and also electrical energy.

When importing goods it is first of all necessary to clear the goods properly through customs and to pay the customs duty. An invoice must be presented to the customs authority confirming the purchase and price of imported goods and a Customs Declaration must be filled in on a UAD (Unified Administrative Document) printed form.

The actual customs procedures are regulated by the Community Customs Code. Customs duty is then assessed by the customs authority on the basis of the customs rate set out in the Common Customs Tariff of the EU, which varies for different types of goods.

The specific level of customs duty can be checked in the Common Customs Tariff of the EU on the website of the Customs Administration of the Czech Republic.

  • Common Customs Tariff of the EU čeština
  • Basic information for all importers into the Czech Republic čeština
  • Approved definition of customs procedures čeština

 The MIT Licensing Authority   is the unit of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) of the Czech Republic responsible for the management and performance of activities relating to the application of the licensing regime in the area of economic relations with foreign countries.

  • MIT Licensing Authority čeština

Resources

Companies considering expansion may access a database of global export opportunities.

  • Inquiries from abroad čeština
  • Foreign projects and tenders čeština
  • Foreign investment opportunities čeština

The following governmental and non-governmental institutions and web portals offer further information and useful services related to doing business abroad and exporting products and services.

Export insurance is offered by the Export Guarantee and Insurance Company (EGIC).

Information on export duties is available on the website of the Customs Administration of the Czech Republic, or through the TARIC system.

On the pages of the Official Portal for Business and Exports useful information is available concerning imports and exports:

  • Protection measures of individual countries čeština
  • International taxation in the area of VAT čeština
  • Summary of agreements on the prevention of double taxation čeština
  • List of agreements on investment support and protection čeština
  • Trade in military materials čeština
  • Dual-use goods čeština
  • Exporters' Manual čeština
  • Documents in foreign trade čeština
  • Customs duties and procedures in international trade čeština
  • Payment conditions in international trade čeština
  • Supplementary conditions (parity) in international trade čeština
  • ATA Carnet - a system facilitating international trade čeština
  • Logistics in international trade čeština
  • Correct use of Incoterms 2000 čeština

The protection of intellectual property (also from an international perspective) in handled in the Czech Republic by the Industrial Property Office.

Information on the protection of intellectual property is also provided by the Chamber of Commerce of the Czech Republic.

  • Protection of intellectual property čeština

Information on commerce-related political measures:

Information on the foreign trade in services is available on:

  • Foreign trade in services čeština

Programmes

 State export support services, provided through the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the pro-export agency CzechTrade, the Czech Export Bank and the Export Guarantee and Insurance Company:

  • Exports in a nutshell čeština
  • Marketing Programme čeština

 The Ministry of Industry and Trade sponsors a number of support projects for Czech exports and business abroad.

The business-economic sections of Czech representations abroad deal with the support of national bodies and institutions when developing bilateral contacts, preparing national statements and background materials, submitting and exchanging information, lobbying when pursuing priority interests and developing economic cooperation.

  • Business-economic sections of Czech representations abroad čeština

Check also the legislation on this topic in:

  • References

    Legal texts

    • Act No 42/1980 on business relations with foreign countries, as amended čeština
    • Act No 214/2002 on the export of certain cultural items from the customs territory of the European Communities, as amended čeština
    • Act No 228/2005 on monitoring the trade in products the possession of which is restricted in the Czech Republic for safety reasons, as amended čeština
    • Act No 38/1994 on foreign trade in military materials, as amended čeština
    • Act No 58/1995 on state sponsored insurance and finance for exports, as amended čeština
    • Act No 594/2004, implementing the EC regime for monitoring the export of dual-use goods and technologies, as amended čeština
    • Act No 63/2000 on protection against the importation of subsidised goods, as amended čeština
    • Act No 69/2006 on the performance of international transactions, as amended čeština
    • Act No 71/1994 on the sale and export of items of cultural value, as amended čeština
    • Act No 97/1963 on international private and procedural law, as amended čeština
    • Government Regulation No 210/2008 on the implementation of special measurers in the fight against terrorism čeština
    • Government Regulation No 230/2005, establishing a list of prescribed products, conditions of import, export and shipping of the products and details and samples of permit applications čeština
    • Government Regulation No 595/2004, setting out application forms for individual and collective export permits and a form for international import certificates for dual-use goods and technologies čeština
    • Order No 278/1998, implementing the act on state sponsored insurance and finance for exports čeština
    • Order No 281/2006 on details of the method for fulfilling the obligation to notify pursuant to the act on implementing international sanctions čeština
    • Order No 282/2006, setting out a sample service pass čeština

    Key documents

    • Exports in a nutshell čeština
    • Agreements on the prevention of double taxation čeština

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Further help

 The Green Link for Exports offers information on state services for exporters.

  • The Ministry of Industry and Trade's Green Link for Exports čeština

 The Federation of Industry and Transport of the Czech Republic is a voluntary organisation bringing together information and businesses in the Czech Republic in the areas of industry and transport.

The CzechTrade agency promotes and strengthens the position of Czech exporters on foreign markets. It is able to guide its clients through the obstacles of foreign business relations, starting with the search for a potential business partner, all the way to possible participation in negotiations and signing contracts.

 The Export Guarantee and Insurance Company is a state credit insurance company focusing on insuring export credits against territorial and commercial risks related to the export of goods and services from the Czech Republic. It also offers insurance cover for debts in the Czech Republic.

 The Czech Export Bank provides finance for export loans and other services connected with exports.