An accountant’s license is a regulated trade (vázaná živnost), meaning it requires specific qualifications, education, and experience in the field. It presupposes:
- Higher education in this or a similar field and 3 years of practical experience, or
- Secondary or vocational education in this field (e.g., a lyceum or technical college) and 5 years of practical experience, or
- A certificate of completion from an accredited course and 5 years of practical experience.
However, as it turns out, these are not the only ways to have your qualifications recognized. If you have experience working as an accountant in other countries, you can apply to the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic for the recognition of your practical experience. The review of such an application takes about one month, and apart from the knowledge gained in an accredited course, you will not need to prove your experience any further.
Do you think it is necessary to obtain education and experience specifically in the Czech Republic? We assure you, it is not! Special conditions are provided for people with an accountant’s education and experience from Ukraine who are in the Czech Republic on a temporary protection visa.
What are the possible options for you?
- You have a higher education in economics and 3 years of experience obtained in Ukraine. In this case, you must fill out an application at the Ministry of Industry and Trade and provide your diploma and employment record book, translated into Czech by a sworn (certified) translator.
- You have a vocational education (e.g., from a technical college) and 5 years of experience obtained in Ukraine. In this case, you must fill out an application at the Ministry of Industry and Trade and provide your diploma and employment record book, translated into Czech by a sworn (certified) translator.
- You have completed an accredited course in the Czech Republic and received a Certificate (Osvědčení), but your work experience is from Ukraine. In this case, you must submit the osvědčení and your employment record book with a certified translation to the Trade Licensing Office (živnostenský úřad), and also file an application for the recognition of your accounting experience from Ukraine.
- You worked as a self-employed accountant and had an accountant’s license in Ukraine. In this case, you can provide your tax returns from Ukraine which indicate that you were engaged in accounting activities.
You can find detailed information and the application form at the following link: https://www.mpo.cz/cz/podnikani/zivnostenske-podnikani/uznavani-odborne-kvalifikace-pro-oblast-zivnostenskeho-podnikani/uznavani-odborne-kvalifikace-pro-oblast-zivnostenskeho-podnikani–144206/
We will be happy to answer your questions!