How to Check a Czech Company: ARES, Commercial Register & VAT Verification 2026

Updated: 2026-06-02. This guide is general and informational. For high-value due diligence, consult a qualified Czech lawyer or adviser.

Before signing a contract with a Czech supplier, client or business partner, it takes only a few minutes to verify their status in three free public registers. Here is how to do it in English.

What you need: the IČO

Every Czech company, sole trader and organisation has an IČO (identifikační číslo osoby) — an eight-digit company identification number. It is the key to all three registers below.

The IČO is printed on invoices, in email signatures, on Czech websites (often in the footer under Fakturační údaje or O nás) and in the Commercial Register. If a company refuses to provide its IČO, treat that as a red flag.

Register 1: ARES (ares.gov.cz)

ARES (Administrativní registr ekonomických subjektů) is the Czech Ministry of Finance’s master business register. It aggregates data from multiple Czech registers into a single lookup.

What ARES shows:

• Full legal name and IČO
• Registered office (sídlo)
• Legal form (e.g. s.r.o., a.s., živnostník)
• Status (active, cancelled, suspended)
• Date of registration
• Primary NACE activity code (obor podnikání)
• DIČ (VAT number), if the company is VAT-registered

How to use it:

1. Go to ares.gov.cz
2. Enter the IČO (or company name) in the search box
3. Click the company name to see the full detail record
4. The interface is available in Czech; use your browser’s built-in translation for English

ARES is the fastest first check — it confirms whether a company with that IČO actually exists and is active.

Register 2: Commercial Register — justice.cz

The obchodní rejstřík (Commercial Register) is the authoritative legal record for Czech companies. It is maintained by Czech regional courts and published at or.justice.cz.

What the Commercial Register shows:

• Full corporate name and registered office
• Date of incorporation and founding notarial deed
• Share capital (základní kapitál) and capital structure
• Current and past statutory body (jednatel / director): full name, date of appointment and removal, scope of authority
• Current and past shareholders (společníci) with shareholding amounts
• Business objects (předmět podnikání)
• All filed documents — annual accounts (if filed), amendments, mergers, liquidation notices

How to use it:

1. Go to or.justice.cz
2. Enter the IČO or company name
3. Click Výpis (extract) for the current record, or Sbírka listin (document collection) for all filed filings
4. The extract is in Czech; use browser translation or request a certified translation if needed for legal purposes

Key check: look at the jednatel (managing director) section. Confirm the person you are dealing with is listed as the current statutory representative — only they can legally bind the company.

Register 3: VAT payer register + EU VIES

Czech VAT payer register (seznam plátců DPH)

If the company claims to be VAT-registered (plátce DPH), verify their DIČ (daňové identifikační číslo) — format: CZ + IČO, e.g. CZ12345678.

1. Go to the Financial Administration VAT lookup: adisrws.mfcr.cz/dpr/faces/platceDPH.xhtml
2. Enter the DIČ and click search
3. Confirms: whether the company is an active VAT payer, the date of registration, and whether they are a reliable or unreliable payer (nespolehlivý plátce)

Important — unreliable payer (nespolehlivý plátce): Czech law allows the tax authority to designate a VAT payer as “unreliable” if they have serious tax debts. If you pay a Czech supplier who is an unreliable payer, you as the buyer may become jointly and severally liable for the unpaid VAT. Always check this before paying a Czech invoice.

EU VIES (VAT Information Exchange System)

For cross-border EU VAT transactions, validate the Czech DIČ in the EU’s central system:

1. Go to ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/
2. Select “CZ” as the member state and enter the number (with or without the CZ prefix)
3. VIES confirms EU-level VAT validity — useful for zero-rating intra-EU B2B supplies

What the registers do NOT show

• Real-time financial health or credit risk — for that, use a commercial credit bureau (e.g. Creditcheck.cz, CRIF, Bisnode).
• Criminal records of directors.
• Tax debt in real time (beyond the unreliable-payer flag).
• Pending court proceedings — check ISIR (insolvency register) at isir.justice.cz separately.

Quick due-diligence checklist

• IČO confirmed in ARES (company exists, active status)
• Commercial Register shows current directors matching who you are dealing with
• Share capital and ownership structure looks as described
• If VAT-registered: DIČ confirmed, not flagged as nespolehlivý plátce
• Annual accounts filed recently (visible in sbírka listin) — optional but helpful
• ISIR check (no insolvency proceedings)

Planning to register your own Czech company? See our company formation guide — we handle the notarial deed, Commercial Register filing, IČO and all post-registration steps.

Sources: ARES — ares.gov.cz; obchodní rejstřík — or.justice.cz; Finanční správa VAT register; EU VIES — European Commission.