Information for the postal service users

Information on the postal service legislation

Act No. 221/2012 Coll. amending Act No 29/2000, on Postal Services and on Amendment to Certain Acts (the Postal Services Act), as amended, came into effect on 1 January 2013 (available in the Czech Collection of Laws only in Czech language)

The Postal Services Act lays down not only the obligations of the operators providing postal services or ensuring foreign postal services, but also the rights and obligations of customers - postal services users.

1. Authorisation to provide postal services

Any interested party can provide postal services consisting of the delivery of postal items without any restriction if they meet statutory conditions (see the Conditions for the Provision of Postal Services). If this opportunity is utilised by more entities, users will be able to choose among number of operators. Generally,  the development of competition should lead to better quality of the services provided and better conditions for the users of the services.

From 1 January 2013, the provision of postal services is subject to the obligation of notification to CTU. Postal service business should be notified via a form under conditions specified in the conditions for the provision of postal services.

CTU will maintain an electronic database of operators, where the individual operators can be searched according to the type of services provided and territory where those are provided. This database is publicly available on the CTU website.

2. Universal services and how they are ensured

It is the interest of both CTU and the state to ensure that the universal services are kept available. The universal services include the most important postal services, including foreign postal services, that are essential for the public (ordinary postal items and parcels, registered postal items, insured postal items, postal money orders). A more specific description of the universal services follows the provisions of Section 3 of the Postal Services Act, where it is also stipulated that the universal services have to be provided on a permanent basis throughout the territory of the Czech Republic at the required quality, which meets the needs of the public, and at affordable prices. The universal services have to enable at least one postal deposit every working day and at least one postal delivery to the address of any natural or legal person, except the cases specified by an implementing regulation.

The implementing regulation for Section 3 of the Postal Services Act is the Decree No 464/2012 Coll., on the determination of specifications of individual universal services and basic quality requirements for their provision. This Decree describes in detail the technical specification of the individual universal services, the method of providing the services, the minimum requirements for the accessibility of post offices and mail boxes, and the information that should be available to postal service users (on request or by posting it at the post offices or at the operator’s website).

Only minimum requirements for the universal services and their availability are specified in the Decree. The Decree is not intended to put any limits (in addition to the obligations set out in the Postal Services Act) on how operators provide their services.

Government order No. 178/2015 Coll., on the determination of the minimum number of establishments for the provision of universal services came into effect on 1 January 2016. This order set that the minimum number of establishments of the postal licence holders for ensuring and providing universal services is 3200.

To ensure that the prices of the universal services are affordable, CTU is newly authorised by the Postal Services Act to regulate the prices of the universal services.

3. Rights and obligations of postal service users; consumer protection

Operators shall make the postal terms and conditions available, thereby offering everyone the possibility to conclude postal agreement in accordance with the content of these postal terms and conditions. Postal services are provided on the basis of the postal agreement concluded between the sender and the operator. The relations between the sender, recipient and postal service operator – their mutual rights and obligations – are regulated by the provisions of the Postal Services Act and by the signed postal agreement. The provisions of the postal agreement also include the relevant part of the postal conditions concerning the postal service selected by the sender from among the offered options.

CTU is entitled to impose an obligation on a operator to change the postal conditions, if the postal conditions are contrary to the Postal Services Act or any legislation containing consumer protection rules (due to any unfair business practices or any consumer discrimination). Compliance with this obligation can be enforced by imposing fines.

Postal service users can request CTU to review the results of the claims proceedings conducted by the postal service operator.

To ensure that CTU can address the proposal to initiate proceedings on objection to a claim settlement, it is necessary to meet the conditions described in Section 6a of the Postal Services Act. Such a request has to be submitted to CTU within 1 month from the date of delivery of the claim settlement or within 1 month from the ineffective expiry of the settlement period. Submission of such a request is subject to an administrative fee of CZK 100.

More information about proceedings on objection

4. The list of legal regulations

The information concerning the postal services market is intended for information only. Detailed information is contained in relevant legal regulations:

  • Act No. 29/2000 Coll.,on Postal Services and on Amendment to Certain Acts (the Postal Services Act), as amended, especially as amended by the Act No. 221/2012 Coll.
  • Government order No. 178/2015 Coll., on the determination of the minimum number of establishments for the provision of universal services
  • Decree No. 433/2012 Coll., on the determination of the content, form and manner of publication of information on the results of the provision of universal services and performance evaluation of quality parameters.
  • Decree No. 434/2012 Coll., establishing a form template of the notification of business in the area of postal services.
  • Decree No. 464/2012 Coll., on the determination of specifications of individual universal services and basic quality requirements for their provision.
  • Decree No. 465/2012 Coll., on the method of keeping separate records of costs and revenues of the postal licence holder.
  • Decree No. 466/2012 Coll., on the method of the Czech Telecommunication Office in calculating the net costs of fulfilling the obligation to provide universal services.

5. Contact

If you have any inquiries, please contact the relevant departments of CTU (see the Directory):

  1. Information on providing universal services and business notification – Department of Communications and Postal Services Regulation
  2. Price regulation and financing of universal services – Department of Economic Regulation
  3. Postal market data collection – Department of Communications and Postal Services Regulation
  4. Addressing postal service users’ suggestions and complaints – Department of Dispute Resolution and Consumer Protection Methodology 
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