How to open a bank account in Czech koruna (CZK): requirements and documents

The Czech Republic has a well-developed banking system, with around 50 institutions providing financial services, including account opening for clients.

In addition, the Czech Republic is among the leaders in access to banking services: as of 2025, nearly 95% of individuals over the age of 14 have bank accounts, while the global average is just over 65%.

Czech koruna (CZK) dominates bank transfers, accounting for more than 90% of all transactions between client accounts. The scale of CZK transfers shows impressive growth: in the first half of 2025 alone, the volume of such transactions exceeded 80 trillion Czech koruna.

Opening a bank account in Czech koruna (CZK)

To open a CZK account, both residents and non-residents can apply to any local bank. The largest and systemically important Czech banks where you can open a CZK account include:

• Česká spořitelna
• ČSOB
• FIO Banka
• Komerční banka (KB)
• Raiffeisenbank
• UniCredit Bank
• Air Bank
• Oberbank
• mBank
• MONETA Money Bank

Czech banks offer several types of accounts:

• Basic or current accounts — standard bank accounts in CZK
• Savings accounts insured by the Czech National Bank (ČNB) up to 400,000 CZK.
• Multi-currency accounts allowing transactions in CZK, USD, and EUR
• Business accounts
• Student accounts with special conditions for those studying in the Czech Republic, including foreign students.

You can open a CZK account either in person at a bank branch or remotely by submitting the required documents, which differ for residents and foreign nationals.

For residents, including students with a residence permit, the required documents are:

• Passport and a second form of identification (e.g., driver's license, birth certificate, or residence permit)
• Application form to open a bank account

An initial deposit of up to 12,000 CZK (approximately $575) may also be required, depending on the bank.

For non-residents, requirements are stricter. In addition to the above documents, they may need to provide:

• Proof of tax payment
• Proof of address
• Additional documents requested by a specific bank

For non-resident students, special basic accounts with free maintenance are available under certain conditions (e.g., having a visa and registered residence).

Non-resident business clients can also open corporate CZK accounts. However, this requires registering a business in the Czech Republic. Legal entities may also be required to provide apostilled documents* when opening an account.

* Apostilled documents are official documents with a special "apostille" stamp confirming their legal validity for use abroad (in countries that are part of the Hague Convention). In simple terms, an apostille certifies the authenticity of signatures, seals, and the status of the issuing authority so that the document is accepted in another country without additional legalization.

The account-opening process can take several days, though at some banks, such as mBank, it may take only a few minutes. After opening an account, clients gain access to all basic CZK operations, as well as additional services such as debit card issuance for payments.

Banks may charge account maintenance fees, set minimum balance requirements, and close accounts if they remain inactive for a certain period.

Funding a bank account in Czech koruna (CZK)

The most common way to fund CZK bank accounts is through digital payments and transfers. You can deposit Czech koruna into a bank account in several ways:

• Bank transfer using an account number or card number
• Through electronic payment systems such as Wise, Stripe, or Revolut
• Money transfers via systems like KoronaPay or Western Union
• Through physical or online currency exchange services

The same methods can be used to withdraw funds from a CZK account. When choosing a deposit or withdrawal method, it is important to consider fees, which may range from 0% to 2% depending on the bank or payment system.

It is also possible to fund a CZK account with cash, although this method is less common in the Czech Republic due to high fees for both deposits and withdrawals — charges may reach up to 15% of the transaction amount.