Use a data mailbox to sort your Czech income tax online

Wouldn’t it be great if you were able to do your czech taxes online? And how about sorting out a bunch of other paperwork without leaving your home? Well, living in Czech Republic as a foreigner inevitably brings a fair amount of bureaucracy to deal with. That’s why I see having a data mailbox (datová schránka) as a great relief. And since the whole system is not particularly English-friendly, not many foreigners know about it. But I think they should! It really saves you time and money, and it’s FREE! Whether you are self-employed or not, an EU citizen or Indian (or wherever you happen to come from), you can benefit from having one. A data mailbox allows you to handle your taxes, social security and other paperwork with the Czech bureaucratic apparatus quickly and online. You simply log in to the platform and communicate with different institutions via data e-mails.

doing business in Czech Republic, data mailbox, datova schranka

How does it work?

It works just like a regular email. However, what you send / receive via datová schránka is valid as an official document. Don’t forget, here your identity is verified by the platform. To name just a few examples of the benefits this platform offers, using it you can…

submit your czech tax return (you can also grant your accountant user access and ask them to deal with it)
deal with social security and health insurance
request information from land registers
request an overview of your penalty points from the drivers register etc.

There are many government offices that allow you to deal with them via their e-government websites. Many of these offer integration with your data mailbox platform. The Czech Tax Office is a very good example. You can log in, and then interact with their website as a user with a verified identity. Among all of these, there is a central e-gov portal that the Ministry of Interior operates. Log in to your data mailbox, then just visit the portal – now you can handle all the different requests online. Everything in the list above is free of charge. In fact, most of the communication with government institutions via data mailbox is absolutely free. For a small fee, you can also exchange documents with other users, e.g. banks, lawyers etc.

Your data mailbox stores all messages for the next 90 days for free. To keep a digital copy of a certain document for longer, use the Czech Post’s add-on service for a small fee.

Can I get a physical copy of my data mail or an attachment?

You can even get a physical copy of any document sent via data mailbox with its full legal validity. For example, you might need to be able to use the document 90 days after it’s been delivered to you. In such case, you just need to click a couple of buttons in order to send it to CzechPoint. They will convert your digital file into a physical copy. Then go to any CzechPoint office and show them the bar code you obtained from your data mailbox platform after sending the file for conversion. They will print the file with an official time stamp on it. Such physical copy of the document is then just as valid as its digital version. Find the nearest CzechPoint office in this interactive map. But honestly, it’s safe to say they are in any post office around the country.

Can I submit my Czech income tax return online with it?

Yes, you absolutely can use it to submit your Czech tax return online! You can fill in the tax return form online, while carefully putting in all your tax deductions and discounts. In my list of recommended English-speaking Czech Tax advisers I also included an online platform that allows you to easily populate all the papers required for submitting your Czech tax return online. Then just download the files and send them via your data mailbox. You can also use your data mailbox credentials to log into the Tax Office’s online portal.

I personally find that functionality to be the most useful one. Let’s face it, if I can avoid physically going to any Czech government office and still get the job done, I’m going to use that opportunity! You can have a data mailbox as a private citizen (of any country). That allows you to submit your personal income tax return online, just as well as to use your data mailbox for other personal errands. If you are a freelancer, a self-employed private citizen (again, including foreigners) you can set a data mailbox as a freelancer and use it for your business dealings. You can also have both, but not more than 5 different private data mailboxes all together.

If you run your own business as an s.r.o. (Limited Liability Company) you must be familiar with what a data mailbox is, because all Czech LLCs must have one. In fact, in such case, you probably have it, but you’re just unaware that you have one, as your Czech accountant is dealing with all of it.

What are the downsides of having a datová schránka?

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How to start using my datová schránka?

It’s easy. Just take your Passport (ID is fine if you are an EU citizen) and go to the nearest CzechPoint office. Tell them ‘Potřebuji si založit datovou schránku‘ and smile. 🙂 The clerk will take care of the rest. Within 30 days you should receive an email with your login details, and you can start using your data mailbox. To access it go and log in at www.mojedatovaschranka.cz.

Beware, the system is currently only available in Czech language, just like most of other state run platforms. But it is pretty intuitive, weather you are trying to submit your Czech tax return online or to handle any other errand. Also, honestly I expect you will have a Czech friend helping you in all of this anyway… Especially, if you don’t have any Czech vocabulary. Don’t be discouraged by the language barrier. Enjoy this modern, and more efficient way of dealing with Czech bureaucracy; there is no better way for doing your Czech taxes online than this one.

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