Payment and e-money firms that will run the business from the Czech Republic choose the Czech National Bank for its published assessment methodology, an EU passport and domestic small-scale regimes.
Selected engagements from more than 250 licences obtained since 2013, for payment, e-money, cryptoasset and consumer credit firms.
Volkswagen
Payment InstitutionObtained Nexpay’s FCA Authorised Payment Institution licence.
Electronic Money InstitutionObtained Dzing Finance’s FCA Authorised Electronic Money Institution licence.
Obtained Orbital’s FCA Authorised Payment Institution licence.
Our realistic timeline from submission, set against the regulator’s own published figures.
Safeguarding, operating and settlement accounts opened alongside the application, so you trade on authorisation.
Candidates introduced for directors managing from the Czech Republic, each assessed against the regulator’s standard.
A reply within three business hours and a written proposal the same day: the licence, the requirements, the cost and the timing.
You will need directors who are trustworthy and professionally competent, running the company from its offices in the Czech Republic and meeting there.
One engagement and one timetable, from scoping to launch. Speak to an expert about the people, the banking and the technology for this licence.
The regulator’s requirements, capital, timing, fees and the questions firms ask, from the regulator’s own publications.
A legal person providing payment services or issuing e-money in the Czech Republic needs a licence from the Czech National Bank, or a small-scale licence where volumes stay below the thresholds and the business is domestic. The CNB publishes its assessment methodology in detail and may require the payment business to be held in a separate legal entity where other activities would affect financial stability or supervision.
| Type | Scope | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Payment institution | Any payment service; EU and EEA passport | CZK 50,000 |
| E-money institution | E-money issuance and payment services; EU and EEA passport | CZK 50,000 |
| Account information administrator | Account information only | Set by the fee schedule |
| Small-scale payment service provider | Payment services below €3 million a month; Czech Republic only | CZK 10,000 |
| Small-scale e-money issuer | E-money below €5 million outstanding; Czech Republic only | CZK 10,000 |
| Requirement | Amount |
|---|---|
| Payment institution: account, card and other services (a to e) | €125,000 |
| Payment institution: payment initiation only | €50,000 |
| Payment institution: money remittance only | €20,000 |
| E-money institution | €350,000 |
| E-money institution: ongoing own funds | 2% of average outstanding e-money (EU requirement) |
| Small-scale provider or issuer | No initial capital stated |
E-money institution capital is defined by the common equity items in Article 26 of the Capital Requirements Regulation. The CNB converts euro at its rate the day before the decision and expects a margin above the minimum.
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory decision period | 3 months from the commencement of proceedings; the period starts once defects in the application are cured | Act No. 370/2017 Coll., sections 10(2) and 69(2) |
| Regulator’s published figure | Small-scale payment service provider and small-scale e-money issuer licences decided generally within 30 days, about 1 month, with registration effective on entry in the register | Portál veřejné správy, CNB licence services |
| Application preparation | 6 to 8 weeks | From instruction to submission, including banking in parallel |
| Our realistic timeline | 6 to 8 months after submission | The firm’s own figure, from the regulator’s published data and its own applications |
Figures published by the regulator are quoted as published and converted to months. The realistic timeline is the firm’s own, for a complete, well-prepared application.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee, payment institution or EMI | CZK 50,000 | Administrative fee on filing |
| Application fee, small-scale provider or issuer | CZK 10,000 | Extension of a small-scale licence CZK 5,000 |
| Narrowing of a licence | CZK 5,000 or CZK 20,000 | Small-scale, or payment institution and EMI |
| Annual supervisory fee | None published | The CNB publishes no annual supervisory fee |
| Initial capital | €20,000 to €350,000 | By licence type and highest service |
| Professional fees | Fixed, in writing | Quoted after scoping |
A small-scale payment service provider executes payment transactions in the Czech Republic up to a monthly average of €3 million over the last twelve months, with group members’ transactions counted towards the limit and the business plan setting the figure for a firm under twelve months old. A small-scale e-money issuer, a sole trader or a legal entity, keeps average outstanding e-money below €5 million and other payment transactions below €3 million a month. Each pays CZK 10,000, is decided in generally 30 days, takes effect on entry in the register and serves the Czech Republic only, without a passport.
A Czech payment institution or e-money institution passports throughout the EU and EEA by branch, agent, distributor or cross-border services under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/2055. The small-scale licences cover the Czech Republic only.
The CNB’s 2025 assessment methodology sets out what it looks for.
A refusal may be appealed by rozklad to the CNB Bank Board.
A payment institution needs a safeguarding account that satisfies the regulator’s requirements, an operating account and settlement accounts in the currencies it serves. The firm arranges each through institutions that serve regulated firms in Czech Republic and across the EU, during the application, so the firm trades on authorisation. See banking and payment processing.
Three months from the commencement of proceedings by statute, with the clock starting once any defects are cured. The firm plans for six to eight months after submission; small-scale licences are decided in generally 30 days.
€125,000 for account, card and most services, €50,000 for payment initiation only, €20,000 for money remittance only and €350,000 for an e-money institution, converted at the CNB rate the day before the decision with a margin above the minimum.
The company is managed from the Czech Republic and its senior decision-makers meet there, in premises it has a legal right to use; a post office box or virtual office does not qualify.
CZK 50,000 on filing for a payment institution or e-money institution and CZK 10,000 for a small-scale licence. The CNB publishes no annual supervisory fee.
No. The small-scale licences cover the Czech Republic only; a firm serving other Member States holds the full licence and passports.
A regulatory advisory firm to payment, e-money and cryptoasset companies since 2013, with more than 250 licences obtained in more than 60 countries. The firm advises on authorisation, compliance, safeguarding, banking and transactions, and builds the white-label payment and card technology its clients launch on.
A written proposal on cost, timing and requirements, the same day: speak to an expert.
This guide is general information for firms considering authorisation and is reviewed against the regulator’s published requirements. It is not legal advice; requirements and fees change, and the regulator’s current publications take precedence.
The requirements, the cost and the timing for your business, in a written proposal the same day.