Legal terms

Legal terms explained in plain language.

Advokátní úschovaAttorney escrow: the purchase money sits on a lawyer's dedicated account and moves only when the agreed conditions — typically registration — are met.
Autorské právoCopyright: protection of original works that arises automatically on creation — no registration exists, and none is needed.
Bezdůvodné obohaceníUnjust enrichment: whoever gains at another's expense without legal ground must give the gain back.
Daňová kontrolaA tax audit: the tax office examines your filings and evidence, and what happens in it usually decides the case before any court sees it.
Daňové přiznáníThe annual income-tax return: due 1 April, a month later if filed electronically, three months later with a tax adviser — with real interest for missing it.
Datová schránkaThe state-run electronic mailbox: official delivery happens the moment you log in — or by legal fiction ten days after a message arrives.
Dohoda o provedení práce (DPP)The light-touch work agreement for small jobs — up to 300 hours per year per employer, with reduced levies below an earnings threshold.
Dohoda o vině a trestuA negotiated agreement on guilt and punishment between the accused and the prosecutor, approved by the court instead of a full trial.
Fikce legálního pobytuThe fiction of legal stay: file your renewal on time and you remain legal — even if the decision arrives long after the old permit expired.
Insolvenční řízeníInsolvency proceedings: the court process for a debtor who cannot pay, ending in bankruptcy liquidation, reorganisation, or personal debt relief.
JednatelThe managing director of an s.r.o. — its statutory body, personally responsible for acting with due managerial care.
Katastr nemovitostíThe public real estate register: ownership and most rights to Czech land and buildings exist legally only once entered here.
Konkurenční doložkaA post-employment non-compete: the ex-employee stays out of competing business for up to a year — and the employer pays at least half salary for it.
Licenční smlouvaA licence agreement: permission to use someone's IP on defined terms — the contract that determines what you actually bought when you "bought" software, content, or a brand.
Modrá kartaThe EU Blue Card: the residence-and-work permit for university-educated professionals with a high-salary contract, carrying easier EU mobility.
Nájemní smlouvaA lease: the Civil Code protects residential tenants strongly — landlords can terminate only on statutory grounds, and many clauses that "everyone uses" are void.
Nesporný rozvodUncontested divorce: if the spouses agree on the children and the property, the court does not examine why the marriage failed.
Nutná obranaSelf-defence under Czech law: warding off an imminent or ongoing attack is not a crime unless the defence was manifestly disproportionate.
Obchodní tajemstvíA trade secret: commercially valuable, non-public know-how that stays protected only as long as you actively keep it secret.
OdstupnéStatutory severance pay: one to three months' average earnings when employment ends for organisational reasons — more after workplace injuries.
Odvolání ve správním řízeníThe ordinary appeal against a first-instance administrative decision — 15 days, usually suspensive, decided by the superior authority.
Ochranná známkaA trademark: registered protection for your name or logo — ten years, renewable forever, and enforceable against confusingly similar use.
PatentA patent: twenty years of exclusivity for an invention that is new, inventive, and industrially applicable — in exchange for publishing how it works.
Paušální daňThe flat-tax regime for small entrepreneurs: one monthly payment replaces income tax and both insurance contributions — and no tax return is filed.
Penále a úrok z prodleníThe two prices of being wrong with taxes: a 20 % penalty on what the office assesses extra, and interest running on everything paid late.
Plná mocA power of attorney: a document proving that someone may act in your name, from one signature at an office to running your affairs entirely.
Podmíněné odsouzeníA suspended sentence: the prison term is imposed but not served, provided you stay out of trouble during a probation period.
PromlčeníLimitation of claims: after the limitation period runs out, a debt can no longer be enforced in court if the debtor objects.
Předmanželská smlouvaA prenuptial agreement: a notarial deed that replaces the default community-property regime before or during the marriage.
PřestupekA misdemeanour: an offence handled by administrative authorities rather than criminal courts — from speeding to minor property harm.
Registrace k DPHVAT registration: mandatory once your Czech turnover crosses 2 000 000 Kč in a year — voluntary earlier, and sometimes strategically so.
Smluvní pokutaA contractual penalty: a pre-agreed sum payable for breaching a specific duty, owed regardless of whether the breach caused any damage.
Společné jmění manželůThe community property of spouses: almost everything acquired during a marriage belongs to both — and so do most debts.
Společnost s ručením omezeným (s.r.o.)The Czech limited liability company — the default legal form for small and mid-sized business, with capital from 1 CZK.
Správní řízeníAdministrative proceedings: the formal process in which authorities — from the trade office to the foreigners' police — decide about your rights and duties.
Státní občanstvíCzech citizenship by naturalisation: no fixed entitlement, but a defined path — permanent residence, years of stay, B1 Czech, and a clean record.
Stavební povoleníBuilding permission under the new Building Act: one unified permit procedure for most projects, with a digital portal slowly taking over.
Střídavá péčeAlternating custody: the child lives with each parent in turns, typically week by week, under a court-approved arrangement.
Trestní příkazA written conviction issued by a judge without a trial, used for less serious offences — and cancelled entirely if you object within eight days.
Trvalý pobytPermanent residence: after five years of continuous legal stay — with an A2 Czech exam — your status stops depending on any employer, school, or business.
Valná hromadaThe general meeting of shareholders — the supreme body of an s.r.o. that appoints directors, approves accounts, and changes the company itself.
Věcné břemenoA registered burden on property — service ducts, rights of way, or a relative's lifelong right to live in the house — that survives a sale.
Výpověď z pracovního poměruNotice of termination of employment — valid only in writing and, from the employer's side, only for reasons the Labour Code lists exhaustively.
VýživnéMaintenance: the legal duty to support children, and in defined situations a former spouse, according to your means and their justified needs.
Zahlazení odsouzeníJudicial expungement of a conviction, after which you are legally treated as a person with a clean record.
Zaměstnanecká kartaThe employee card: the standard combined residence and work permit for non-EU nationals, tied to a specific registered vacancy.
Zástavní právoA registered lien or mortgage: if the secured debt is not paid, the creditor can have the property sold and take payment from the proceeds.
ZávěťA will: the document that overrides the statutory inheritance order — within limits Czech law sets in favour of your children.
Zkušební dobaThe probationary period: up to three months (six for managers) during which either side can end employment instantly, for any reason or none.
Živnostenské oprávněníA trade licence: the public-law permission to carry on business, from the catch-all free trade to regulated and craft trades.

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