Is it possible to open a bank account for a Czech company in 2026?

In short, opening a bank account in the Czech Republic for a local legal entity has become rather challenging. All banks in the country base their decisions on two fundamental factors:

• The company director must have a temporary or permanent residence permit or even Czech citizenship and be able to apply to open the account in person at the bank.
• The company must demonstrate “economic ties to the Czech Republic”, meaning that the legal entity needs to engage in business activities with other economic actors within the country.

If none of these criteria are met, there is almost no chance of opening an account.

Even if both conditions are met, there is no guarantee that every bank will open the account. It is necessary to apply to as many banks as possible and see which one responds positively.

Alternative solutions are to open an account in another European Union country or even outside the EU (Czech legislation does not prohibit Czech legal entities from doing so), or to use reputable payment systems (which fully allow a company to conduct business and submit accounting reports).

Opening bank accounts for Czech legal entities in 2026: a detailed overview

If the founder and director are residents of the Czech Republic, opening an account is generally possible. However, it is important to note that the procedure is not merely a formality. Simply visiting the bank, signing documents, and receiving account details and online banking access is not sufficient. The process requires approval from the bank, during which the company must provide a detailed explanation of its intended activities and identify its prospective economic partners.

For the bank, it is important that the company demonstrates clear economic ties to the Czech Republic. This means that the organization must have substantial counterparties within the country - for example, by providing services to clients based in the Czech Republic, purchasing goods from them, or collaborating with local businesses. Additionally, these counterparties must be genuine, actively operating economic entities within the Czech Republic, not shell companies or organizations. Payments for accounting services or a registered office address alone will not be sufficient.

If the founder and director of the company are non-residents of the Czech Republic, opening a bank account becomes significantly more challenging. In this case, the only viable approach is to emphasize the firm's strong economic ties to the Czech Republic, meaning that the legal entity actively conducts business with other organizations and legal entities within the country. While the firm may also engage in international economic activities, if its operations are exclusively outside the country, the chances of opening an account are almost zero. The firm must have substantial counterparties in the Czech Republic. We understand that at the company registration stage, it is often difficult to predict who the specific counterparties will be. This requirement may seem absurd, but these are the current rules we have to work with.

It is also important that the director of the legal entity can visit banks in the Czech Republic in person and request to open an account. Moreover, almost all banks in the country currently require the applicant to be present in person even when submitting an application to open an account. Typically, such an application can be submitted in person by an individual who has temporary or permanent residence in the Czech Republic (or even citizenship) and, accordingly, speaks Czech. Even if a person is a resident of the country but arrives with an interpreter, banks tend to view this rather negatively (how will the person conduct business here without knowing the local language?).

It is currently nearly impossible to open an account in the Czech Republic remotely under a power of attorney. Even with in-person applications that meet all requirements, success is not guaranteed at every bank. All services offering remote account opening by power of attorney are, in our view, highly questionable and risky.

Likewise, to our knowledge, there are offers for relatively straightforward bank account opening for Czech companies. These are typically expensive and bypass all the requirements described above. Generally, these are highly suspicious schemes that bypass the bank's standard procedures. Even if an account is successfully opened, its reliability and sustainability are highly questionable. Banks usually detect and shut down such accounts shortly after the first large transactions.

For detailed information on company registration in the Czech Republic and our comprehensive services, click the button below. If interested, feel free to contact us using our contact details, and we will provide a detailed plan of action.