Belgium
Bulgaria
Denmark
FinlandNikolai Timofejev
15 years in FinTech and payments. Maps your business model to the right licence scope and leads the file all the way to the ČNB decision, including banking and payment rails.
Get a forex license in Czechia.
A MiFID licence from a central bank that charges no annual levy: forex and CFD brokerage in Czechia runs on the investment-firm licence (obchodník s cennými papíry) that the Czech National Bank grants under the Capital Market Undertakings Act 256/2004. Initial capital follows the EU tiers of €75,000, €150,000 and €750,000, the decision clock is six months from receipt, and the passport covers 30 EEA states. Corporate tax is 21%. We run the file from our own Prague office in Žižkov.
27 yrs
on the international marketon the market
60+
in-house specialistsspecialists
400+
Licenses obtainedlicenses obtained
Updated · Reviewed by the Prifinance team
Czechia in brief
The MiFID licence with no annual regulator bill.
Czechia licenses forex and CFD brokerage as investment business: a licence as an obchodník s cennými papíry (OCP, the Czech investment firm) from the Czech National Bank under § 6 of Act No. 256/2004 Sb., the Capital Market Undertakings Act (ZPKT), which carries the MiFID II transposition of Act No. 204/2017 Sb. and the IFD capital classes of Act No. 96/2022 Sb. The licence lists the § 4(2) investment services and the § 4(3) ancillary services; no separate forex or CFD category exists. Initial capital under § 8a is the EU scale: €750,000 for dealing on own account, €150,000 for an agency broker holding client money, €75,000 for a firm doing neither. The ČNB decides within six months of receipt; the Administrative Code stops the clock while a file is incomplete. Its CFD measure of 25 July 2019 carries the ESMA package: 30:1 leverage on major pairs to 2:1 on crypto, close-out at 50%, negative balance protection, no bonuses.
What Czechia adds is the cost of staying licensed. The ČNB charges no annual supervisory levy; its supervision is paid from the central bank's own budget. The Garanční fond, the investor compensation scheme, takes 2% of fees and commissions from investment services, with a CZK 10,000 floor, by 31 March each year. Corporate tax is 21% since 1 January 2024, dividends carry 15% withholding (35% to owners in non-treaty jurisdictions), and dealing in derivatives is VAT-exempt under § 54 of the VAT Act. The awkward part: eleven Czech brokers have failed and been paid out by the fund since 2000, and the ČNB's licensing practice tightened accordingly. It sets SREP capital add-ons on firms whose business models carry significant risk, and in 2025 it checked whether newly licensed firms deliver their business plans. A CFD market maker should expect own funds above the €750,000 floor. We run the file from our own Prague office in Žižkov.
The OCP licence under § 6 ZPKT (Act 256/2004 Sb.): IFD capital €75k/€150k/€750k, six months from receipt, the ČNB's 2019 CFD measure (30:1, close-out 50%, NBP), passport into 30 EEA states.
No annual ČNB levy; the Garanční fond takes 2% of commissions. Corporate tax 21%, dividends 15%. Filed from our own Prague office.
The two routes
Dealing on own account - or the agency OCP.
One licence under § 6 ZPKT, two architectures: the market maker at €750,000, or agency and STP models at €75,000-€150,000, all passported into 30 EEA states. We fix the model first, then build once.
The €750k market-maker OCP - or agency at €75k-€150k, all passported.
01 - DEALING ON OWN ACCOUNT
The market-maker OCP
The principal licence: obchodování na vlastní účet under § 4(2) ZPKT at €750,000 initial capital - the class the ČNB's CFD measure calls the 'CFD provider', with IFR K-factor own funds and any SREP add-on above the floor.
The principal licence: obchodování na vlastní účet under § 4(2) ZPKT at €750,000 initial capital - the class the ČNB's CFD measure calls the 'CFD provider', with IFR K-factor own funds and any SREP add-on above the floor.
- ✓Dealing on own account - § 4(2) ZPKT
- ✓€750,000 initial capital under § 8a
- ✓K-factor own funds plus any SREP add-on
- ✓The ČNB's 'CFD provider' class
- ✓ESMA leverage tiers: 30:1 to 2:1
- ✓Passport into 30 EEA states
02 - AGENCY · STP
€75k-€150k initial capitalThe agency OCP
Reception, transmission and execution of orders at €150,000 where the firm holds client money, €75,000 where it holds no client assets at all - the A-book architecture, with a fund-levy exemption for small and non-interconnected firms that insure instead.
RTO/execution; €150k with client money, €75k without; class-3 firms insure; upgrade path.
- ✓Reception, transmission, execution
- ✓€150,000 - holding client money
- ✓€75,000 - no client assets at all
- ✓Class-3 firms: insured, not fund-levied
- ✓Same six-month clock
- ✓Own-account dealing added later via § 6a
Costs and timelines are confirmed for your case before any work begins. The ČNB's application fee under Act No. 634/2004 Sb. is confirmed in the quote; capital, fund contributions and substance costs are itemised there too.
Why Czechia
The cost of staying licensed is the argument.
The same MiFID passport as Cyprus or Germany, supervised by a central bank that sends no annual invoice.
✓
No annual ČNB levy
Czech supervision is paid from the central bank's own budget. A licensed firm pays no yearly supervisory fee to the ČNB; the running regulatory cost is the Garanční fond's 2% of commissions, CZK 10,000 at minimum.Supervision paid by the central bank.
✓
A six-month clock
§ 6 ZPKT carries MiFID II Art. 7(3): six months from receipt of the application. The Administrative Code pauses the clock while the ČNB waits for a missing document, so completeness on day one is the schedule.From receipt, § 6 ZPKT.
✓
The pre-application meeting
The ČNB offers every future applicant an informal meeting before drafting starts and asks for a summary of up to three pages: services, clientele, execution partners, owners, track record, staffing and timetable. The expected timeframe is discussed there.Three pages, then the ČNB talks.
✓
A central bank as supervisor
The ČNB licenses, supervises prudentially and polices conduct from one address on Na Příkopě: one file, one counterparty, one register (JERRS). Applications go in electronically, by data box or signed e-mail.Licensing, prudence, conduct in one.
✓
The EU passport
An OCP licence notifies into 30 EEA states under the ZPKT version of MiFID II Art. 34-35. Czech firms serving clients abroad were on the ČNB's 2025 thematic-review list, so the outbound programme is documented before the first notification.30 states from Prague.
✓
A regulator that reads plans twice
In 2025 the ČNB checked whether newly licensed firms deliver what their business plans promised, and it sets SREP capital add-ons where a model carries significant risk. A CFD market maker budgets own funds above the €750,000 floor.SREP add-ons above the floor.
How it compares
How Czechia differs from other routes.
The honest comparison: Czechia prices the licence lowest to keep, Poland decides fastest on paper, Estonia taxes nothing until payout.
Czechia vs other jurisdictions
| Feature |  Czechia | Other jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|
| Regime | ZPKT 256/2004 - MiFID II, ČNB | MiFID desks or offshore |
| Initial capital | €75k-€750k by model | US$0-2M spread |
| Annual regulator fee | None - GF 2% of commissions | KNF up to 0.5% · Consob 0.68% of revenue |
| Statutory clock | 6 months from receipt | 2 months Poland · 120 days Italy |
Regime
CzechiaZPKT 256/2004 - MiFID II, ČNB
Other jurisdictionsMiFID desks or offshore
Initial capital
Czechia€75k-€750k by model
Other jurisdictionsUS$0-2M spread
Annual regulator fee
CzechiaNone - GF 2% of commissions
Other jurisdictionsKNF up to 0.5% · Consob 0.68% of revenue
Statutory clock
Czechia6 months from receipt
Other jurisdictions2 months Poland · 120 days Italy
Country by country
| Country | License type | Taxation | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Czechia | ČNB investment firm (OCP) | 21% CIT · 15% WHT | IFD €75k-€750k, no annual levy |
 Poland | KNF dom maklerski | 19% CIT · 9% small | IFD €75k-€750k, 2-month clock |
 Estonia | Investment firm - FI | 0% · 22% distributed | IFD €75k-€750k, statutory clock |
 Cyprus | CySEC CIF | 15% CIT (2026) | IFD €75k-€750k, EU passport |
CzechiaLicense typeČNB investment firm (OCP)
Taxation21% CIT · 15% WHT
RequirementsIFD €75k-€750k, no annual levy
PolandLicense typeKNF dom maklerski
Taxation19% CIT · 9% small
RequirementsIFD €75k-€750k, 2-month clock
EstoniaLicense typeInvestment firm - FI
Taxation0% · 22% distributed
RequirementsIFD €75k-€750k, statutory clock
CyprusLicense typeCySEC CIF
Taxation15% CIT (2026)
RequirementsIFD €75k-€750k, EU passport
Europe
Forex licences in neighbouring jurisdictions
Before you apply
Requirements for the ČNB licence.Requirements for the licence.
§ 6 ZPKT and the ČNB's forms define the file; the craft is a business plan the ČNB will still believe in 2027 and people it can approve. The checklist below is what a passing application contains.
01
Czech company - an a.s. or s.r.o. with its registered and real seat in the Czech Republic, as § 6 ZPKT and MiFID II Art. 5(4) require.
02
Initial capital - €750,000, €150,000 or €75,000 by model under § 8a ZPKT, paid in and of transparent, lawful origin.
03
Trustworthy and competent management - every member of the vedoucí orgán assessed under the ČNB's communication of 5 August 2020 and EBA/GL/2021/06, with the reliability forms completed and any 'yes' answer documented.
04
Suitable qualifying shareholders - holders of 10% or more vetted under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/1946 down to UBO level.
05
A business plan with realistic calculations - the ČNB checked in 2025 whether licensed firms deliver their plans, so the numbers must survive a second reading two years later.
06
Governance and control system - the řídicí a kontrolní systém of § 12 ff. ZPKT: compliance, risk management and internal audit, with outsourcing that leaves substance in Prague.
07
The EU application pack - Annex I of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1945 on the ČNB template plus the Annex II list of management-body members, filed electronically.
08
Retail CFD conduct - the ČNB measure of 25 July 2019 engineered in: 30:1 to 2:1 leverage, 50% close-out, negative balance protection, no bonuses, the Annex II risk warning.
09
Client assets and the fund - segregation under § 128 ff. ZPKT and Garanční fond membership at 2% of commissions (CZK 10,000 minimum), or insurance for a class-3 firm.
10
AML/CFT - an internal system under § 21 of Act No. 253/2008 Sb. with suspicious-transaction reports to the FAÚ, supervised by the ČNB under § 35.
01
Czech a.s. or s.r.o., real seat.
02
Capital per § 8a class.
03
Trustworthy, competent management.
04
Shareholders vetted to UBOs.
05
Plan with realistic numbers.
06
§ 12 control system.
07
Annex I pack, filed electronically.
08
2019 CFD measure engineered in.
09
Segregated assets, fund member.
10
AML system, FAÚ reporting.
Reflects Act No. 256/2004 Sb. (ZPKT) as amended by Act No. 96/2022 Sb., IFR/IFD and ČNB practice as of 2026.ZPKT 256/2004 + Act 96/2022 + IFR/IFD, as of 2026.
How it works
From first call to the JERRS register.
01
Model and strategy
Market maker or STP, services under § 4(2) ZPKT and the capital class - fixed in writing before any drafting.MM or STP - § 4(2) services fixed.
02
The ČNB meeting
The three-page summary and the informal pre-application meeting: conditions, documents and the expected timeframe discussed with the ČNB itself.Timeframe discussed first.
03
Company and file
Czech entity, capital evidence, management forms and the Annex I pack - complete before filing, because the clock stops while the file is incomplete.Complete before filing.
04
ČNB review
Question rounds answered; six months statutory from receipt, 9-12 months realistic end to end in our planning.6 months statutory, 9-12 planned.
05
Licence and launch
JERRS register entry, Garanční fond membership, EEA notifications and banking live - 30 states from one Prague licence.JERRS, fund, passports.
Quick facts
RegulatorČNB
FrameworkZPKT 256/2004 · MiFID II
Light class - no client money€75,000
With client money€150,000
Own account€750,000
Annual ČNB levyNone
Statutory decision6 months from receipt
Corporate tax21%
The ČNB discusses the expected timeframe of the procedure in the pre-application meeting, case by case. We plan for 9-12 months and file complete on day one.
On the ground in Czechia
Run from our own Prague office.
Prifinance - Czech Republic
Prague · Vlkova 532/8, Žižkov
Vlkova 532/8, Žižkov, Prague
01
Czech company formation
An a.s. or s.r.o. incorporated with the capital evidence and the management the ČNB vets - built for the OCP licence from day one.Built for the ČNB.
02
The ČNB file
The Annex I template, the business plan, the § 12 control system and the conduct pack - drafted by our Prague lawyers and defended through the question rounds.Drafted in Prague, defended.
03
The pre-application meeting
We write the three-page summary the ČNB asks for and sit in the informal meeting with you, so the expected timeframe and the usual deficiencies are known before drafting.Summary written, we attend.
04
Substance and go-live
Directors, compliance and AML officers sourced in Prague; Garanční fond membership, passport notifications and banking sequenced with the licence.Prague people, fund, banking.
We also have offices in
Vilnius
Lithuania
Gedimino pr. 2
Dubai
UAE
33 Level, Al Saqr Business Tower
London
United Kingdom
7 Bell Yard
Madeira
Portugal
Rua da Alegria 31, 1F
Budapest
Hungary
Korányi Sándor u. 4
Istanbul
Turkey
Perpa Ticaret Merkezi, A Blok
Good to know
Taxation of forex brokers in Czechia.
21% on profit, 15% on dividends out, nothing to the regulator each year - the Czech model in one line.
Corporate tax 21%
For tax periods starting on or after 1 January 2024 under § 21(1) of Act No. 586/1992 Sb.; the consolidation package raised it from 19%.Since 1 Jan 2024.
Dividend withholding 15%
§ 36(1)(b) of the Income Tax Act; 35% to owners in non-treaty, non-cooperating jurisdictions, 0% to an EU/EEA, Swiss or treaty-state parent holding 10% for twelve months (§ 19(1)(ze)).35% non-treaty, 0% EU parent.
VAT-exempt dealing
Transactions in securities, foreign exchange and derivatives, and their intermediation, are exempt without input-tax credit under § 54 of Act No. 235/2004 Sb.§ 54 VAT Act.
No ČNB levy
Supervision is financed from the central bank's own budget: an investment firm pays no annual supervisory fee to the ČNB.Central bank pays.
Garanční fond 2%
2% of fees and commissions from investment services, CZK 10,000 minimum, due by 31 March for the previous year; class-3 firms insure instead.Min CZK 10,000 a year.
Pillar 2 top-up
Act No. 416/2023 Sb. applies a minimum top-up tax to large groups from 2024. It is a group-level question, not a broker-specific charge, and is modelled per structure.Large groups only.
Tax summary
Corporate tax21% · since 2024
Dividend withholding15% · 35% non-treaty
VAT on dealingExempt · § 54
Annual ČNB levyNone
Garanční fond2% of commissions · min CZK 10,000
*As of 2026 per Act No. 586/1992 Sb., Act No. 235/2004 Sb. and the Financial Administration. Group and founder-level outcomes are modelled per structure.
Turnkey professional support
Experienced lawyers and international consultants.
We provide end-to-end support, from company registration and the application file to regulatory interaction and compliance oversight - with an individualized approach to each client.
Oleksii Kindratenko
Builds the application itself: Czech company, AML/KYC policy pack, capital structure and tax registrations. His document sets are the reason reviews finish in months, not years.
Eugeniu Bevziuc
First point of contact for international founders. Runs the whole setup remotely, across time zones and languages - from the first call to a live, licensed broker.
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Czechia · ČNB
Launch your forex project in Czechia with expert support.
Full-service assistance - from company registration to the OCP licence, passporting and ongoing compliance - run through our own Prague office.
Get a consultation →Free legal opinion
Is Czechia the right fit for your project?
Our legal team will analyze your case at no cost and provide a written legal opinion: which jurisdiction, licence scope, or route fits your business.
Written assessment within 2-5 business days
Request a free conclusion →FAQ
The Czechia forex licence, answered.
What licence does a forex broker need in Czechia?+
A licence as an obchodník s cennými papíry (investment firm) from the Czech National Bank under § 6 of Act No. 256/2004 Sb. CFDs and FX derivatives are § 3 ZPKT instruments; the licence lists the § 4(2) services the model needs, from execution to dealing on own account.
How much capital does the ČNB require?+
€750,000 for dealing on own account, €150,000 for an agency broker holding client money, €75,000 for a firm that holds no client assets - § 8a ZPKT, stated in euro. The ČNB adds SREP capital where the model carries significant risk, so a market maker plans above the floor.
How long does the ČNB take?+
Six months from receipt of the application under § 6 ZPKT, with the Administrative Code pausing the clock while a file is incomplete. The ČNB discusses the expected timeframe in the pre-application meeting; we plan for 9-12 months end to end and use that meeting to test the timetable.
What does the ČNB application cost?+
Act No. 634/2004 Sb. sets an administrative fee for the licence application; we confirm the current figure with the ČNB before quoting. There is no annual ČNB supervisory levy. The running cost is the Garanční fond's 2% of fees and commissions.
What retail CFD rules apply in Czechia?+
The ČNB measure of 25 July 2019: initial margin of 3.33% on major pairs (30:1), 5% on major indices, non-major pairs and gold (20:1), 10% on other commodities (10:1), 20% on shares (5:1), 50% on crypto (2:1), plus close-out at 50%, negative balance protection, no bonuses and the risk warning.
Does a Czech licence passport across the EU?+
Yes - into 30 EEA states by notification to the ČNB under the ZPKT version of MiFID II Art. 34-35. Cross-border sales by Czech firms were a 2025 ČNB thematic-review topic, so the outbound programme is documented before the first notification.
What is the Garanční fond and what does it cost?+
The Czech investor compensation scheme: 90% of unreturned client assets up to the CZK equivalent of €20,000 per client. Members pay 2% of fees and commissions from investment services, CZK 10,000 at minimum, by 31 March; small and non-interconnected firms are exempt but must insure.
How are Czech brokers taxed?+
21% corporate tax since 2024, 15% withholding on dividends (35% to non-treaty jurisdictions, 0% to a qualifying EU parent), VAT-exempt dealing under § 54 of the VAT Act, and no annual regulator levy.
Czechia or Poland for a Central European CFD broker?+
Poland decides faster on paper (two months under Art. 84), taxes lower (19%, 9% for small taxpayers) and has a 100:1 tier for experienced retail clients. Czechia charges no annual supervisory levy where the KNF takes up to 0.5% of revenue, and the ČNB discusses the timetable with you before you file. We model both against your flow.
Why Prifinance for Czechia?+
Our own office in Prague at Vlkova 532/8, lawyers who write the ČNB pre-application summary and sit in the meeting, and a file built to the Annex I template with the § 12 control system and conduct pack the ČNB tests. Local directors and compliance officers are sourced in Prague.
What licence?+
OCP - ČNB, § 6 ZPKT.
Capital?+
€75k/€150k/€750k by class.
How long?+
6 months statutory; 9-12 planned.
Fee?+
Confirmed with the ČNB; no annual levy.
Retail rules?+
2019 measure: 30:1, NBP, no bonuses.
Passport?+
Yes - 30 states, notified via the ČNB.
The fund?+
2% of commissions; €20,000 cover.
Taxes?+
21% CIT; 15% dividends.
Vs Poland?+
Their clock; your zero levy.
Why you?+
Own Prague office, ČNB meeting.
Client notes
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Prifinance is an independent law and advisory firm. We are not a regulator and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the Czech National Bank (ČNB) or any other public authority. Authorisations are granted by, and obtained directly from, the competent authorities.