Crypto license in Czech Republic

Czech Republic

Since 1 January 2025, any company offering crypto-asset services in the Czech Republic must hold a Crypto-Asset Service Provider licence — commonly referred to simply as a CASP licence — issued under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). This…

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Before applying for a CASP licence, you need a Czech legal entity. For licensing purposes, the recommended default is the Společnost s ručením omezeným (s.r.o.) — the Czech equivalent of a Limited Liability Company (LLC) — which is the standard general-purpose vehicle used for licensed commercial activity in the Czech Republic. Other legal forms (joint-stock company, partnerships, cooperative, branch, sole proprietorship) are also available — see the Basic company reference for the full comparison.

All companies are entered into the Veřejný rejstřík a Sbírka listin (Public Register and Collection of Deeds), Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic, administered through the regional registry courts. The registrar provides electronic and paper-based filing routes, including a template memorandum of association for founding an s.r.o.

Once incorporated, a corporate bank account can be opened with one of the established Czech commercial banks, such as Česká spořitelna, Komerční banka, ČSOB, Raiffeisenbank a.s., or UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia, all of which offer corporate and multi-currency accounts.

The Czech Republic gives crypto businesses access to the EU single market through MiCA passporting once licensed by the ČNB. Key points confirmed from the regulator and legislative transition:

• Crypto-asset service providers are supervised by the Česká národní banka (ČNB), which lists Kryptoaktiva (crypto-assets) among its supervised financial-market sectors alongside banks, insurers, investment firms, and payment institutions.
• The ČNB has already granted CASP licences to 11 entities under the MiCA framework, indicating an active and operating licensing track in the country.
• Before 1 January 2025, crypto activity in the Czech Republic was carried out under a general trade-licensing authorisation via the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Trade Licensing Register, with no dedicated minimum-capital requirement beyond the ordinary company-formation rules, and AML/KYC supervisory obligations (including an appointed AML officer) sitting with the Financial Analytical Office (FAÚ) as the national financial intelligence unit.
• From 1 January 2025, this general trade-licence route has been superseded by the mandatory MiCA CASP licence issued by the ČNB.
• A transitional option existed allowing entities to continue operating under a legacy VASP registration and pre-MiCA rules until 31 July 2025; this window should be treated as a historical reference and confirmed as closed before being relied upon for a new application.

The pre-MiCA regime required crypto businesses to have an appointed AML officer to meet supervisory obligations to the Financial Analytical Office. This AML-officer function remains a baseline compliance requirement to keep in mind when structuring a crypto-asset service provider in the Czech Republic.

Since 1 January 2025, any company offering crypto-asset services in the Czech Republic must hold a Crypto-Asset Service Provider licence — commonly referred to simply as a CASP licence — issued under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). This replaced the previous regime under which crypto activity was carried out as a licensed trade. The Česká národní banka (ČNB) is the supervisory authority responsible for granting and overseeing CASP licences to crypto-asset businesses operating on the Czech market.

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(Stage timelines are not specified in the available sources, so no total processing time is given.)

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• Czech National Bank