Czechia runs the European Union's largest MiCA queue: by 1 July 2026 the Czech National Bank (CNB) had assessed 251 applications and granted 11 authorisations. Those numbers belong to the regulator itself, and they shape this page's honest story: the route is open, but it is a quality filter, not a formality — and the Czech route rewards applicants who arrive with substance rather than a shell.
You will find no Czech crown amount on this page. The application fee is not published on any CNB page; the legal basis is Act No 634/2004 Sb. on administrative fees, so our formula is: the administrative fee is set by Act 634/2004 Sb. — confirm the amount with the CNB before filing. Everything else below — deadlines, statistics, the sanction frame — comes from the CNB's own notices and the legislation.
The EU Frame: MiCA and the Route for a Georgian-Owned Group
MiCA ((EU) 2023/1114) is uniform across the Member States: Article 59(2) requires a registered office in a Member State where part of the services are carried out, effective management in the Union, and at least one EU-resident director. The Czech route for a Georgian-owned group therefore means a Czech subsidiary with local substance; a third-country firm serves Union clients only at the client's own exclusive initiative (Article 61(1)).
The statutory clock: a completeness check within 25 working days, a decision within 40 working days, a possible suspension of up to 20 further working days (Article 63). Own funds follow Article 67 — the higher of the Annex IV class minimum or one quarter of the preceding year's fixed overheads; confirm your class amount in Annex IV. The grandfathering window (Article 143(3)) closed on 1 July 2026.
CNB Competence and the End of the Transition
The CNB became the competent authority for CASP authorisation through the Act on the Digitalisation of the Financial Market (No 31/2025 Sb.), in force since 15 February 2025. Before that, crypto services in Czechia ran on a trade licence (branch code 81, "virtual asset services") with AML oversight only. The transitional regime (Act 31/2025 Sb., § 26) worked like this: entities authorised before 30 December 2024 on a trade licence that applied by 31 July 2025 could keep operating until a decision — but no later than 1 July 2026.
That date has passed, and the CNB's notice is unambiguous: only (a) CASPs authorised by the CNB or another Member State, or (b) financial entities that notified under MiCA Article 60, may operate in Czechia now. One more gate was added in August 2025: only legal entities may provide MiCA services or apply — individuals are out.
251 Applications, 11 Authorisations: the Queue and the Quality Screen
The CNB's own statistics are the core of this page. By 11 February 2026 the regulator had 248 applications — the vast majority filed just before the 31 July 2025 deadline; by 1 July 2026 it had assessed 251 applications, 204 of them filed during the transition. The outcomes: the first six authorisations were granted on 11 February 2026, and 11 entities were authorised by 1 July 2026 — "the highest number of MiCA licence applications in the entire EU", in the CNB's words. The regulator also notes plainly that many applications were content-deficient or came from entities with no verifiable history, at virtual-office addresses. One contrast stands out: Binance applied to the Greek regulator, was refused, and must stop providing crypto services across the Union, Czechia included.
Process, Sanctions and the Legal Basis of the Fee
The application rests on the MiCA Article 62(2)–(6) content list, given format by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/305 (RTS) and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/306 (ITS — the standard forms). Submission goes to the CNB at podatelna@cnb.cz or via data box ID 8tgaiej; given the volume, the CNB even used an AI document-checking tool (ČNB Lab) in first-pass review. MiCA's statutory deadlines bind, and the clock restarts on missing documents. In suitability assessment the CNB relies on the joint EBA/ESMA guidelines and ESMA's supervisory briefing on CASP authorisation.
The sanction frame: operating without authorisation breaches MiCA — in the CNB's wording, the fine ceiling "exceeds CZK 100 million" (MiCA Article 112), while national coercion fines under § 10a of the act run up to CZK 5 million per basis and CZK 20 million in total. Those left outside the transition carry wind-down duties: transferring client crypto to authorised CASPs or self-hosted wallets, keeping AML obligations until closure, and informing clients. As for the fee: it is an administrative fee under Act 634/2004 Sb. — the CNB names the act among its legal bases but publishes no amount, so confirm the figure with the regulator before filing.
The Georgian Layer: What Applies at Home Despite a Czech Authorisation
A Czech CASP status serves the European market and changes no Georgian requirement. Under the organic law on the National Bank of Georgia (No 101044): Article 52-5(2) — a VASP registers with the National Bank; Article 52-5(3) — unregistered provision is impermissible; Article 52-5(4) — the provider carries on only the virtual asset service and auxiliary activity; Article 39-1 — a virtual asset is not legal tender and payments in it are prohibited; Article 48 — supervision belongs to the National Bank.
The AML law (No 4690334): Article 3(1) makes VASPs accountable persons; Article 4 assigns AML supervision to the National Bank; Article 11(1) sets the crypto KYC trigger at USD 1 000 / EUR 1 000 / GEL 3 000; Article 17¹ imposes the Travel Rule, with the accompanying-information content set by a National Bank act (Article 52-5(1) of the organic law). A Czech authorisation opens the European market; on the Georgian market, registration remains mandatory.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Czech application fee?
Not published in official sources. The legal basis is Act 634/2004 Sb.; the amount must be confirmed with the CNB before filing. We print no crown figure — none is official.
Is the transitional route still available?
No. The Act 31/2025 Sb. § 26 transition ran at most to 1 July 2026, and the CNB states that only authorised CASPs or Article 60-notified financial entities may operate now. A new entrant files a full Article 62 application.
Why so few authorisations from such a large queue?
Per the CNB, many applications were content-deficient or unverifiable — virtual offices, no history. Of 251 assessed applications, 11 authorisations had been granted by 1 July 2026. Preparation of the file, not speed, is the decisive variable.
Does a Czech authorisation change Georgian requirements?
No. Georgia-facing services still require National Bank registration under Article 52-5(2), and the USD 1 000 / EUR 1 000 / GEL 3 000 KYC trigger and the Travel Rule remain in force.
How We Help on Legal.ge
Legal.ge builds the Czech route around the CNB's own numbers: we set up the Czech subsidiary with Article 59(2) substance, assemble the Article 62 document stack in the 2025/305 and 2025/306 formats, file through podatelna@cnb.cz or the data box, and track the statutory clock (25/40/20 working days). In parallel we build the Georgian ring — National Bank registration and AML compliance. The fee amount we confirm with the CNB before filing, not by reading blogs. Contact us to start the Czech route from your service list.