Inheritance · Data sources

How to check a deceased person's debts before accepting an inheritance

Reading time: 4 min

Before deciding whether to accept, renounce, or reserve an inventory for an inheritance, it helps to know whether the deceased left unpaid debts. In the Czech Republic, two public registers serve this purpose — each works a little differently.

The Insolvency Register

Run by the Ministry of Justice at isir.justice.cz. It contains information about people in insolvency proceedings — that is, those who have had personal bankruptcy (debt relief) approved or are otherwise in insolvency. The search is freely accessible and free of charge; you just need a name and date of birth.

The Central Register of Enforcements

Run by the Czech Chamber of Executors at the official site ceecr.cz. Unlike the Insolvency Register, searching here is chargeable — registering on the portal is free, but the actual electronic extract carries a fee set by decree.

Watch out for copies There are numerous commercial websites offering an "enforcement extract" that simply resell data from ceecr.cz — the Chamber of Executors itself warns it cannot guarantee their accuracy or currency, and some charge more than the official fee. Stick to ceecr.cz directly.

What the registers don't include

The Central Register of Enforcements doesn't include court-ordered enforcements of judgments, nor enforcement actions carried out by state administration bodies, tax authorities, or health insurance companies — coverage there isn't complete. A debt is also only entered into the register after a 30-day period for voluntary payment has passed without result, not immediately once enforcement begins.

Insolvency RegisterCentral Register of Enforcements
OperatorMinistry of JusticeCzech Chamber of Executors
Accessfree, no registrationfree registration, chargeable extract
Websiteisir.justice.czceecr.cz

Neither register alone gives complete certainty — there's no single central database of all debts in the Czech Republic. Still, the two together give a reasonable first picture before you decide how to handle the inheritance.

Check the asset side too

Free search of the ÚZSVM list, no registration.

Open search