From 1 July 2008, electronic payment orders will be introduced for claims up to CZK 1,000,000 (c. €40,000).

This simplified form of court proceedings is intended to be used for undisputed payment claims such as unrefunded consumer credits.

Proceedings will be begun by filling in a standardised electronic payment order form on the relevant court's website. Advanced electronic signature will be required.

Once the court receives the electronic petition, it will issue an electronic payment order (in paper form – 'electronic' refers to the manner of submitting the petition to the court) and deliver it to the defendant.

The order will come into force and be enforceable unless the defendant files a protest against the order within 15 days from delivery – in which case the order is cancelled and normal court proceedings are held instead.

Other forms of electronic communication with courts have also been confirmed:

  • A petition made by email using advanced electronic signature no longer has to be confirmed by an original paper version being filed at court within three days

  • Evidence may be submitted to the court in an electronic form (eg by email attachment or on CD)

Law: act no. 123/2008, amendment to the Code of Civil Procedure, in force from 1 July 2008

This article was written for Law-Now, CMS Cameron McKenna's free online information service. To register for Law-Now, please go to www.law-now.com/law-now/mondaq

Law-Now information is for general purposes and guidance only. The information and opinions expressed in all Law-Now articles are not necessarily comprehensive and do not purport to give professional or legal advice. All Law-Now information relates to circumstances prevailing at the date of its original publication and may not have been updated to reflect subsequent developments.

The original publication date for this article was 28/04/2008.