In this section we will tell you which city district office you can contact when you need to arrange something. We will also introduce the individual departments and describe their competences. We will mention other offices (the tax office, the social security administration and the labour office) whose branches are located in individual city districts. You can also learn basic information about the internal structure of city districts.

• Which Office to Contact?
• City District Departments
• Branches of Other Offices
• City District Bodies

Which Office to Contact?

Based on their place of permanent residence, all Prague inhabitants belong to a specific office of their city district. Some city districts are small and represent a part of an administrative unit together with another city district. This means that you can sort out some issues at the office located in the city district where you live, but issues that concern business or social services have to be arranged at another office within the administrative unit.

In the texts about individual city districts you can learn which city districts exercise delegated powers for other city districts within the administrative unit. For example, if you live in Prague-Nebušice, then you need to arrange certain issues in the Prague 6 City District. Or, if you live in Prague-Libuš, you need to go to Prague 12 for certain matters.

Below you can find a list of city districts, which exercise delegated powers for another city district within their administrative unit. If you live in one of the districts listed in the left column of the chart, you have to arrange your issues at the city district stated in the right column that corresponds with it.

City District Departments

Similar to the Prague City Hall, municipal offices of individual city districts comprise several departments. Their names may slightly differ from office to office, but it is possible to find what you need in every city district. Below you will find a description of several departments.

• Department of Civil Administration
• Education Department
• Trade Licensing Department
• Building Department
• Social Department
• Transport Department
• Environmental Department

Department of Civil Administration

The division of registers deals with marriage, the issuance of citizenship certificates for people who have been granted Czech citizenship, the determination of fatherhood and welcoming new-born babies as new citizens. The department also provides verification of signatures and duplication or copies of documents.

The division for residents and personal documents provides services only in Czech. If you need to register a change at the division of registers and you do not speak Czech, then you need to arrange a court interpreter registered in a list of court interpreters.

A list of court interpreters is available at the following website:

• Register of Court Interpreters

The department also provides the following services to foreigners who own property within the territory of the city district:

• – An approval of the property owner with the registration of a change of permanent residence of a Czech citizen.

If a foreigner owns property located in the city district, he or she is authorised to confirm a change or register a place of permanent residence of a Czech citizen and has to come together with the applicant for a change of the place of permanent residence to submit the application.

• – A proposal of a property owner for the removal of the place of permanent residence of a Czech citizen from the register.

A foreigner who owns property located in the city district can submit a proposal for the removal of the place of permanent residence of a Czech citizen from the register, if he or she has registered this address but does not actually live there.

Education Department

The education department establishes, monitors and removes educational facilities in the territory of the city district. It manages school assets and budgets and it also coordinates school education curriculum and thus ensures quality education for children, pupils and students.

Each city district establishes the kindergartens, primary schools and facilities belonging to them (school canteens, after school cares, school clubs). Children’s legal guardians may register their children at any school and the director of the school is obliged to accept the children, unless the capacity of the school is insufficient. Catchment schools are obliged to accept children living in their catchment area throughout the whole school year. If the capacity of the catchment school is not sufficient, the child is placed in another school in cooperation with the education department. A school is considered a catchment school based on the place of permanent residence of particular children.

The education department provides consultation on preschool and primary school education. If you are not satisfied with your child’s education, you may discuss the situation or submit a complaint here.

Trade Licensing Department

At the trade licensing department you can arrange a trade licence or a change an existing trade licence (e.g. suspension or continuation of a trade, a change of a place of residence / permitted residence or registered office and a change of validity of the trade licence).

This department is responsible for the registration of places of business and for the trade register (it provides access to the trade register and makes extracts from it). It also provides duplicates of trade licences and certificates, arranges the suspension of trade practices and manages a register of agricultural entrepreneurs. You may be summoned to the trade licensing department to provide explanation or for an inspection.

Building Department

The building department is responsible for the issuance of planning, zoning and construction permits and the registration of buildings in the territory.

Social Department

The department of social services is divided into several divisions based on the target group. It also includes the Child Protection Unit (the Czech abbreviation is OSPOD), which for example provides social and legal protection of children’s rights to favourable development and a proper upbringing and tries to rebuild broken family systems. If necessary, the Child Protection Unit provides substitute family environment for children who cannot be brought up in their own family.

Other activities of this department include social assistance for citizens at risk of social exclusion, be it homeless people, lonely seniors or other target groups in a critical situation.

Transport Department

The transport department takes care of access to local roads, deals with road closures and construction work. It is also responsible for road management and providing advice about the intentions of the authorities or organisations in the city district. The transport department submits suggestions for changes in the area of transport and public transport and approves what is called the ‘special use of roads’ – the placement of advertising and construction equipment, carrying out construction works, creating reserved parking, the setting up and operation of vending facilities, organising sports, cultural and other events – to prevent a negative impact on safety and flow of traffic. It also approves the placement of engineering networks.

Environmental Department

You go to the environmental department to arrange a fishing and hunting licence, to get permission to cut down trees growing outside forests, a water management permission for building in a protective zone around a water source and near water courses, permission to discharge wastewater containing particularly hazardous and harmful substances into the sewage system or permission to take over land on public green spaces.

Branches of Other Offices

Apart from municipal district offices, there are also branches of state offices located in individual city districts. These are in particular tax authorities, social security administration offices and labour offices. To learn about the specific branches and their contacts, have a look at the individual city districts. Below you will find only a general description of these offices.

• Labour Office
• Prague Social Security Administration (PSSA)
• Tax Office for the Capital of Prague

Labour Office

In labour offices you can seek employment consultation, apply for the state social support, material need benefits, social services, a care allowance or disability benefits.

You have to choose the labour office branch according to your place of permanent residence. To learn about the specific branches and their contacts, have a look at the individual city districts.

Link:

More information (e.g. about employment or state social support) is available on the Internet portal of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in English, German, French, Spanish, Russian and Ukrainian:

• MLSA Portal

Prague Social Security Administration (PSSA)

At the branches of the Prague Social Security Administration you can arrange pension insurance, sickness insurance, self-employed persons’ insurance and social security premiums. You choose the branch according to your place of permanent residence. Individual Prague districts have their own code which corresponds to a particular branch. In the texts about the individual city districts you can learn about the division of the branches.

Links:

Detailed contact information for individual branches:

• PSSA Regional and District Offices

Tax Office for the Capital of Prague

At a tax office you can sort out matters related to tax payments. Specifically, these are: value added tax, income tax, road tax, real estate property tax, real estate property acquisition tax, inheritance tax, gift tax, gambling tax and environmental taxes.

Link:

To learn more about local offices and individual taxes or to download tax forms, have a look at the website of the Financial Administration, which has an English version.

City District Bodies

Apart from electing representatives to the Prague City Assembly, Prague citizens also elect an assembly of their city district the same way. Self-government of city districts is therefore made up of the assembly and the council. Each city district is represented by a mayor.

The city district assembly elects the mayor of the city district and other members of the city district council and may also remove them from office. The city district assembly expresses its opinion on proposed urban planning documentation from the City of Prague and also the capital’s proposed budget. It sets up, establishes and terminates the legal existence of legal entities and organisational units, such as entities without legal personality, and approves their memorandums, project charters and statutes. It also rules on the participation of the city district in legal entities that have already been established and on cooperation with other city districts. With some exceptions, city district assemblies are not entitled to issue generally binding regulations, as it lies within the purview of the Prague City Assembly.

The chief official of each city district is the secretary of the city district. The secretary receives complaints about officials’ work and about potential corruption, petitions and freedom of information requests, information relating to the duties of city districts or decision making activities entrusted by law.