Courts and entities providing out-of-court dispute resolution

To initiate court proceedings, you need to file a lawsuit, in which you describe:

• what the dispute concerns 
• what you are seeking

You should provide evidence in favour of your claim. You will also have to pay the court fees.

The Financial Arbitrator is an entity established by the state to provide out-of-court dispute resolution for consumer disputes related to the financial market. Proceedings before the Financial Arbitrator are simpler than with a court and are free of charge. 

You can contact the Financial Arbitrator if you are a consumer and have a dispute with:

• a payment service provider in relation to the offer and provision of payment services,
• a creditor or intermediary in relation to the offer, provision or intermediation of consumer credit or other credit, a loan, or similar financial service,
• a person providing investment services in relation to the provision of such investment services,
• an insurer or insurance intermediary in relation to the distribution of life insurance or the exercise of rights and the performance of obligations from life insurance,
• a bureau de change in relation to a foreign exchange transaction,
• a building society or intermediary in relation to the offer, provision or mediation or building savings,
• a person that maintains a non-payment account in relation to the maintenance of that account,
• an electronic money issuer in relation to the issue and redemption of such electronic money,
• the beneficiary of a one-off deposit in relation to the acceptance or return of such deposit,
• a person managing or administering a collective investment fund or offering investment in a collective investment fund or comparable investment fund abroad in relation to the management or administration of such collective investment fund or offer of investment in such collective investment fund or comparable investment fund abroad.

The Financial Arbitrator can usually assist you with the submission of your petition, alterations to it and the rectification of its deficiencies. Its activities also include a preliminary legal assessment of the dispute and an explanation and mediation of a conciliatory resolution to the dispute.

You can find more information about the activities of the Financial Arbitrator, including a form to initiate proceedings, on the website www.finarbitr.cz/en/.

The Czech Trade Inspection Authority is an entity providing out-of-court dispute resolution for consumer disputes and can be of assistance to you when dealing with a financial institution. The Czech Trade Inspection Authority can assist you in finding a conciliatory resolution to your dispute with a financial institution through agreement between both sides. This out-of-court dispute resolution is simpler than proceedings before a court or the Financial Arbitrator and is also free of charge.

You can contact the Czech Trade Inspection Authority if you are a consumer with a contract for the provision of a service and the Financial Arbitrator is not competent to resolve your consumer dispute (see above).

You can find more information about the activities of the Czech Trade Inspection Authority, including how to submit a petition to initiate out-of-court dispute resolution for your dispute on the website https://www.coi.cz/en/information-about-adr/.

Legislation also enables out-of-court resolution of consumer disputes via other entities. This is, however, on condition that these entities have authorisation from the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic.

An up-to-date list of such entities is maintained by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic and is available on its website at https://www.mpo.cz/en/consumer-protection/alternative-dispute-resolution-adr/list-of-entities-of-out-of-court-settlement-of-consumer-disputes--245433/. 

Please note that you need to check whether the entity in question is competent to resolve your dispute (e.g. the Office of the Ombudsman of the Czech Insurance Association is only competent to resolve disputes from non-life insurance).