Before you start

Passport
Proof of a Brno address
Residence permit or registration, for some banks
Rodné číslo, preferred but not always mandatory to open

Step-by-step

1
Choose a bank on English support at the branch, not just in the app
Česká spořitelna, ČSOB, Komerční banka and Moneta all serve foreigners, and Air Bank and Revolut are popular for their apps and lower fees. App interfaces are reliably multilingual; branch staff outside the centre often are not. Call the specific branch before booking.
OnlineWho: You
2
Open the account
Some banks complete onboarding online; others require a branch appointment with originals. Bring the passport, your residence document and proof of your Brno address.
In personWho: YouSame day to a few days
3
Add your rodné číslo as soon as you have it
Not always required to open, but it links the account cleanly to health insurance, tax and government services later. Supplying it retrospectively is a five-minute job that saves a great deal of friction.
In personWho: You
4
If you are self-employed, set up the insurance standing orders that day
Health and social insurance minimums are due monthly whether or not you invoiced anything. Automating them in the branch, the moment the account is live, is the single best protection against the debt that accrues silently when a quiet month is missed.
Mobile appWho: YouDay the account opens
5
Decline dynamic currency conversion, always
Card terminals and cash machines routinely offer to charge you in your home currency at a poor rate. Always choose koruna. Over a year of ordinary spending the difference is real money.
Mobile appWho: You
6
Watch the conversion if you are paid in euros
Czechia is not in the eurozone, so a euro or dollar salary converts every month and the spread compounds. Compare your bank's rate against a specialist provider, and consider holding a multi-currency account alongside the Czech one.
Mobile appWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport
Proof of a Brno address
Residence permit or registration
Rodné číslo
Employment contract or trade licence, sometimes requested

Things most newcomers don’t know

Automate your insurance payments the day the account opens, if you are on a trade licence.

Self-employed health and social insurance minimums are due every month regardless of income, and unpaid amounts accrue penalties quietly rather than producing a demand letter. A standing order set up in the branch on day one is the difference between a manageable monthly cost and a debt discovered eighteen months later with interest. It is the most valuable five minutes of admin available to a Czech freelancer.

Source: ČSSZ — social security for the self-employed

Ask whether the branch speaks English, not just whether the bank does.

Every major Czech bank markets English-language service and every app delivers it. Branch staffing is another matter, and Brno's outer district branches frequently have nobody available. A two-minute call before booking an appointment saves a wasted trip and a conversation you cannot follow about a document you cannot read.

Source: community-reported

Non-eurozone status is a real monthly cost if you earn in euros.

Czechia is in the EU but not the eurozone, so a euro-denominated salary converts every single month and the spread compounds over a year. Many residents keep a multi-currency account alongside a Czech bank specifically for this, and the saving is larger than any account fee you might be comparing.

Source: Czech National Bank

Decline dynamic currency conversion at every terminal.

Terminals and ATMs offer to bill you in your home currency at a rate they set, which is always worse than your card issuer's. Always choose koruna. It is offered constantly, it takes one button to refuse, and over a year of ordinary spending the difference is not trivial.

Source: community-reported, widely corroborated

Common mistakes to avoid

Not automating self-employed insurance payments, and accruing debt through a quiet month.
Accepting dynamic currency conversion at terminals and cash machines.
Assuming branch staff speak English outside the centre.
Comparing account fees while ignoring a much larger monthly currency conversion cost.
Opening an account without supplying the rodné číslo once you have it.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.