Mandatory information on Czech websites and e-shops in 2026: a legal checklist

"What exactly do I have to have on my website to avoid a fine?" is one of the most common questions from new clients. The answer fits into one checklist — most articles just either inflate it with fear or leave outdated items in it. This overview is current as of August 2026, with links to the regulations so you can verify everything.

The usual caveat: I'm not a lawyer and this isn't legal advice. It's a practical summary for an ordinary Czech business website and e-shop; for more complex cases (regulated industries, financial services) consult an attorney.

What every business website must have (even without a shop)

The basics come from § 435 of the Civil Code — it applies to business documents and websites:

1. Name / company name — exactly as registered.
2. Registered office (for sole traders, place of business).
3. Company ID (IČO).
4. Register entry: companies state the commercial register including section and file (e.g. "registered in the Commercial Register at the Regional Court in Ostrava, file C 12345"); sole traders state the trade register.
5. VAT ID (DIČ) if you're a VAT payer.

The law doesn't prescribe where exactly — the details must simply be easy to find. In practice: the footer plus the contact page. Missing identification is one of the most common defects I run into during audits — and a needless one, the fix takes ten minutes.

What an e-shop must have on top

An e-shop concludes distance contracts with consumers, so the Consumer Protection Act and the Civil Code's pre-contract duties apply:

• Terms and conditions describing the goods/service, prices including VAT, payment and delivery methods and their cost.
• The 14-day withdrawal notice including the model form — and information on when the right doesn't arise (made-to-order goods, unsealed hygiene products…).
• A complaints procedure — how, where, within what deadlines.
• Out-of-court dispute resolution (§ 14): information that consumers can turn to the Czech Trade Inspection Authority, with the coi.cz address. This duty continues.
• Contacts — a delivery address, phone, e-mail.

The 2026 trap: linking to an ODR platform that no longer exists

For years, every set of terms included the link to the European dispute-resolution platform ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr. But the platform was discontinued as of 20 July 2025 by Regulation (EU) 2024/3228 — and traders were required to remove the links from their websites and terms.

A year later, a significant share of Czech e-shops still link to it — typically because the terms came from an old template nobody has opened since. The dead link alone probably won't earn a fine, but it's a reliable indicator of unmaintained terms — and that's exactly how an inspection reads it. The mandatory ČOI information under § 14 remains.

Discounts: the lowest-price-in-30-days rule

Since the Omnibus directive was implemented: with any discount you must state the lowest price at which you sold the product in the 30 days before the discount — and calculate the discount from it. The purpose is simple: to prevent "raise the price on Monday, run −50% on Friday".

ČOI showed this isn't theory: according to its discount-inspection results published in May 2025, 60% of inspected traders were in breach, with fines reaching 18.5 million CZK. Discounts are currently one of the most actively inspected topics.

Reviews: you must be able to show who wrote them

The second big Omnibus topic: if you display consumer reviews, you must state whether and how you verify that they come from real customers — and actually do the verification (e.g. reviews tied to a verified purchase). Fake, purchased or unverified reviews presented as verified are an unfair commercial practice.

ČOI repeatedly reports that over 80% of inspected e-shops get reviews wrong — most often by missing the verification description. Yet one sentence next to the reviews plus a real process behind it is enough. (How fake reviews also damage customer trust is covered in my article on fake reviews.)

The rest of the checklist: GDPR, cookies, accessibility

• A privacy policy — whose data, what, why and for how long you process; the controller's contact. Mandatory for any site with a form or analytics.
• A cookie banner — analytics and marketing cookies need prior consent; "necessary" cookies don't. The banner must not force consent by design (a "reject" button hidden in a second layer is a repeatedly criticised practice). A detailed breakdown is coming as a separate article.
• Accessibility — since 28 June 2025, e-shops above the microenterprise limits fall under Act No. 424/2023 Coll. Who is obliged and who isn't is covered in a separate article.

A quick closing checklist

Summary

The mandatory minimum for a business website is identification under § 435 of the Civil Code — name, registered office, IČO, register entry. An e-shop adds pre-contract information, withdrawal, complaints, the ČOI notice, the 30-day discount rule and review verification; the link to the discontinued EU ODR platform belongs in the bin. Recent ČOI inspections focus precisely on discounts (60% in breach) and reviews (over 80%). None of this is expensive to fix — ignoring it is.

I go through this checklist as standard when building websites and maintaining e-shops; if you're unsure about your current site, get in touch and I'll walk through it with you.

Sources and links

• § 435 of Act No. 89/2012 Coll., the Civil Code — details on business documents and websites
• Act No. 634/1992 Coll., on Consumer Protection — pre-contract information, § 14, discounts, reviews
• Ministry of Industry and Trade: the ODR information duty has ended — discontinued 20 July 2025
• HAVEL & PARTNERS: The end of the ODR platform
• Právo pro všechny: The end of fake discounts — the 30-day rule
• Czech Trade Inspection Authority (ČOI) — the supervisory body

A practical overview, not legal advice. Current as of 6 Aug 2026.