> Czech whistleblower law under Act No. 171/2023: the 50-worker threshold, the Ministry of Justice external system, and the official Czech sources.

Source: https://ethicsportal.eu/whistleblower-laws/czech-republic/
Updated: 2026-08-19

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# Whistleblower law in Czech Republic

The Czech Republic implemented Directive (EU) 2019/1937 through **Act No. 171/2023 Coll. on the protection of whistleblowers**, effective from **1 August 2023**. The Czech model gives the Ministry of Justice a visible role through its public `Oznamovatel` portal and external reporting system.

## Applicable law

- [Ministry of Justice whistleblower portal](https://oznamovatel.justice.cz/)
- [Ministry note on Act No. 171/2023 entering into force](https://oznamovatel.justice.cz/zakon-o-ochrane-oznamovatelu-a-souvisejici-zmenovy-zakon-nabyvaji-ucinnosti/)

## Who must establish an internal channel

Private employers with **at least 50 employees** must establish an internal reporting channel. Public authorities, municipalities with **at least 10,000 inhabitants**, and a range of other public bodies are also covered.

## External reporting authority

The official external reporting system is operated by the [Ministry of Justice](https://oznamovatel.justice.cz/informace-pro-oznamovatele/). Czech official guidance also notes that a whistleblower may report directly to the public authority that is substantively competent to address the unlawful conduct.

## Data protection authority

For data-protection complaints connected to whistleblower handling, the relevant authority is the [Office for Personal Data Protection (UOOU)](https://www.uoou.cz/).

## Key compliance points

- Czech law is narrower than a generic ethics hotline because the official ministry guidance ties protection to defined types of unlawful conduct.
- The Ministry of Justice publishes model forms, methodology and sample internal rules, which makes the Czech market relatively documentation-heavy.
- Internal systems should clearly explain when a reporter may prefer the ministry's external route instead of the employer's own channel.

## The framework in practice

The Ministry of Justice publishes an annual report on its whistleblower-protection activity. Its report for **2024** — the first full calendar year of the external channel under Act No. 171/2023 — records:

- **156 reports** received through the external reporting channel.
- **59 of those fell within the scope of the Act**, chiefly suspected offences reaching the minimum-penalty threshold the Act sets.
- Systematic verification of compliance across selected public-administration bodies, covering internal reporting systems, appointment of the responsible person, and record-keeping.
- Nine educational events, including a conference with more than 560 participants, alongside 30 written enquiries answered and 5 direct consultations with prospective reporters.

Two inferences for Czech obligated entities. First, roughly **two in three external reports fell outside the Act's scope** — consistent with the narrow material scope described above, and a practical argument for internal intake that screens and explains scope rather than routing everything onward. Second, the Ministry actively checks obligated entities, so the documentation the Act requires is inspected in practice and not merely expected on paper.

## Official sources

- [Oznamovatel — Ministry of Justice portal](https://oznamovatel.justice.cz/)
- [Ministry of Justice — information for whistleblowers](https://oznamovatel.justice.cz/informace-pro-oznamovatele/)
- [Ministry of Justice — Act No. 171/2023 enters into force](https://oznamovatel.justice.cz/zakon-o-ochrane-oznamovatelu-a-souvisejici-zmenovy-zakon-nabyvaji-ucinnosti/)
- [Ministry of Justice — annual reports and methodology section](https://oznamovatel.justice.cz/vyrocni-zpravy/)
- [UOOU — Office for Personal Data Protection](https://www.uoou.cz/)

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