Czechpoint, getting documents online or at the postoffice
Making it easier to get a vypis (an extract) from commercial court and criminal record
The Czech government has launched Czechpoint to make it easier to get official documents such as extracts for the trade license register, commercial court, land register, criminal record etc. etc. The system can be used online at www.czechpoint.cz or at (larger) postoffices. The benefit is you can get documents from anywhere in Czech Republic, you do not have to travel anymore to the place the original document was issued.
Using Czechpoint or not
If you are considering using the Czechpoint at the Prague main post office in Jindřisšká for an extract of commercial court (výpis z obchodního rejstríku) you may as well go to commercial court near Námestí Míru rightaway. Usually the lines are shorter.For getting an extract of the trade license register (výpis z živnostenského rejstríku) you also can go to any mestský úrád in Czech Republic. All offices have access to data of all trade licenses issued in Czech Republic.
For a criminal extract (výpis z rejstríku trestů) it is better to go to CzechPoint, instead of the criminal court, since you run the risk there that you will have to wait for hours, at Czechpoint it usually is ready in 30 minutes. The question is if you need it though, because most government bodies now check your criminal record themselves.
As official government bodies now also can look directly in the land register (Katastr) there is no need anymore to bring a výpis z katastru when registering a trade license.
Using Czechpoint online
If you want to use the system online, at www.czechpoint.cz you must first have an electronic signature for some (but not all) documents. In order to get this electronic signature, you will have to wait for a registered letter that you can pick up at the post office. With that, you can order your document, which again will arrive in a registered letter.Since the majority of the people only need official document sporadically (if at all), it seems that going to the Czechpoint at the postoffice is not only much quicker (you get your document on the spot) but also much less complicated.
Usefulness of Czechpoint documents
Czechpoint documents do always not look like the original documents. For example at commercial court you get an 'official copy' with the kolky (green, glued paper stamps), much like the original document. The Czechpoint document is a printout you also can get yourself at www.justice.cz, the only difference is that somebody stamped it to prove it is a legally valid copy.Furthermore, notaries and czech authorities have nowadays access to an online database (basically the same as Czechpoint is using), so in many cases they do not even require a paper copy of your extracts anymore, not even for registering a business address or of the czech criminal record.