§ 6 and § 7 certificate scope: voltage, hazards, limits

Two electricians may both hold a “§ 6” qualification yet be authorised to do completely different work. The difference lies in one line on the certificate that often receives little attention during checks: the scope of professional competence. This does not indicate how skilled an electrician is. It specifies the voltages and environments in which an electrical technician may work independently (§ 6 of nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb.) or a supervising electrical technician may supervise work (§ 7 of the same regulation). However, the certificate’s scope alone does not mean that an electrical technician may perform every task within that scope independently: § 6 odst. 1 provides for exceptions in specific cases based on risk assessment, and for people with no electrical work experience, the local operational safety rules must require supervision by a skilled person with at least two years of experience for a period of at least one year, under § 6 odst. 2.

The rules are set out in nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb., which took effect on 1 July 2022. The former vyhláška č. 50/1978 Sb. has been repealed (§ 25 bod 15 of zákon č. 250/2021 Sb.), but the old “§ 6” and “§ 7” labels remain in everyday use.

The short answer: two dimensions of scope

Under § 6 odst. 5 (for electrical technicians) and § 7 odst. 6 (for supervising electrical technicians) of nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb., the scope of professional competence is defined by two criteria:

The certificate template in Annex 2 to the regulation explicitly states that, for skilled persons, one voltage option and one equipment-type option must be entered. Below these is a further field, “Definition of the scope of professional competence”, which is completed only in certain circumstances. We explain when below. For supervising electrical technicians, § 7 odst. 3 of nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb. also requires the examination scope to correspond to the authorisation scope designations in Annex 3 to nařízení vlády č. 190/2022 Sb. (E1 to E3, A or B); see the section on extending the scope.

A typical certificate for a maintenance electrician in a production hall will therefore state “up to 1 kV AC or 1.5 kV DC, equipment on premises without an explosion hazard”. Anyone who also works on high-voltage substations needs “without voltage restrictions”. Anyone working on equipment on premises with an explosion hazard, such as paint shops or filling stations, needs the second equipment-type option.

Under § 5 odst. 2 of nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb., a skilled person is professionally competent to work on electrical equipment within the scope of the certificate issued. The certificate does not authorise work outside that scope.

The scope depends on the work you actually do

The training and examination scope must match the professional competence required for the activities performed. This is stated in § 6 odst. 4 of nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb. and in the second sentence of § 19 odst. 2 písm. b) of zákon č. 250/2021 Sb. For supervising electrical technicians, § 7 odst. 5 of the regulation expressly states that the training and examination scope “must correspond” to the scope of competence required.

The scope is therefore chosen to suit the work, rather than for how impressive it sounds. In your examination application, describe the required scope of activities so that both the training and examination can match it:

• what equipment you operate, repair or install (machinery, distribution boards, lighting, control systems, photovoltaic systems, etc.),
• at what voltage (standard low-voltage installations, DC circuits, high voltage),
• in what environment (ordinary premises or premises with an explosion hazard),
• exactly what you do — installation, maintenance, fault diagnosis, measurements or supervision of other people’s work.

Under § 9 odst. 2 písm. b) of nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb., the oral examination includes technical questions tailored to the candidate’s scope and specialisation. The technical questions reflect the candidate’s scope and specialisation, so describe the requested scope in your application based on the activities you actually perform. For a step-by-step explanation of the examination, see Professional competence examination for electrical work: process and examining board.

What to do and who can help

Do not guess what a certificate covers when:

• an employee has been assigned new work — for example, moving from machinery maintenance to a substation or premises with an explosion hazard — and their certificate has a narrower scope than the work you are assigning. Under § 5 odst. 2 of nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb., they would be working outside the certificate’s scope,
• the certificate is more than three years old. It is valid for three years from the date of issue (§ 19 odst. 2 písm. b) of zákon č. 250/2021 Sb.). Once it expires, a skilled person is regarded as an instructed person under § 4 odst. 1 of nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb.,
• the “Definition of scope” field is completed and nobody at the company knows exactly what it restricts.

How we handle it:

1. Send us the existing certificate and a brief description of the work. We will use these to propose the examination scope and explain which supporting documents are needed.
2. Training and an examination before a three-member examining board chaired by an electrical inspection technician. Periodic reassessment can take place online, with a test in the application and an oral examination with the board by video call.
3. The chair of the examining board issues a new certificate using the Annex 2 template, valid for three years.

At renewal, we align the scope with the work you actually do now — even if you took your first examination elsewhere. Online periodic reassessment for electrical technicians under § 6 and § 7 costs CZK 1,400 excluding VAT per person. The first § 6 or § 7 examination costs CZK 2,500 excluding VAT per person, including training and the certificate; current examination dates in Brno are listed on the electrical training and examinations page. Online reassessment is intended to renew a certificate you already hold; extensions of scope, such as adding equipment on premises with an explosion hazard, are arranged individually.

When the examining board restricts the scope

Under § 6 odst. 6 and § 7 odst. 7 of nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb., the examining board may restrict the certificate’s scope to reflect the activities actually performed. The restriction is then entered in the “Definition of the scope of professional competence” field. According to note 2 in Annex 2, this field is completed when the chair of the examining board has restricted the scope or when the responsible person has determined that an occupational qualification is sufficient (see the next section).

Two illustrative examples:

• A machinery maintenance electrician replaces motors, sensors and contactors, diagnoses control faults and does not work on the production hall’s main distribution board. The board may grant a scope of “up to 1 kV, without an explosion hazard” and restrict it to maintenance and repairs of machinery electrical equipment.
• A panel builder wires and commissions low-voltage distribution boards both in the workshop and at customers’ sites. The voltage and equipment-type dimensions are the same, but the restriction, if imposed by the board, will be worded differently.

A restriction is not a penalty; it reflects what the person was examined on. It must, however, be taken into account when assigning work: under § 5 odst. 2 of nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb., a skilled person is competent only within the scope of the certificate issued, including any restrictions.

An occupational qualification instead of a full technical qualification

Under § 6 odst. 1 of nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb., an electrical technician is a person with a technical qualification under § 2 písm. a), typically an electrical apprenticeship qualification, an electrical upper-secondary school-leaving qualification, a university qualification or a complete occupational qualification published in Národní soustava kvalifikací under the field “Elektrotechnika, telekomunikační a výpočetní technika” (electrical engineering, telecommunications and computer technology). Someone who does not have this education but holds an occupational qualification under § 2 písm. b) may access the examination through the route set out in § 6 odst. 7:

• the company’s responsible person determines, based on the risks of the specific activities, that an occupational qualification is sufficient for the type of work concerned,
• they issue written confirmation using the template in Annex 1 to the regulation and specify the exact scope of activities, which must not exceed the scope of that occupational qualification,
• the examination and certificate are then restricted to activities up to 1 kV AC or 1.5 kV DC on premises without an explosion hazard,
• the certificate issued is valid only for activities carried out for that legal entity or self-employed individual.

This has a practical consequence: if the employee changes companies, the certificate does not transfer to the new job. The new company would need to complete the § 6 odst. 7 procedure itself; otherwise, the route through a full technical qualification remains available. The article Electrician retraining courses and the § 6 examination explains what a retraining course does and does not provide.

This route is not sufficient for a supervising electrical technician. Under § 7 odst. 1 of nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb., only a person with a technical qualification under § 2 písm. a) and the prescribed experience can hold that role. A specific exception is provided in § 7 odst. 8 of the same regulation: physics graduates from university faculties of science who work as assistants in school laboratories and do not meet the technical qualification requirements are regarded as supervising electrical technicians at their workplaces if, following training, they have passed an examination covering the activities they perform.

How to extend the scope

The examination determines the scope on the certificate. Anyone who needs a broader scope must take an examination covering the new scope, and the reassessment required after three years is a natural opportunity to do so. However, the conditions differ between the two levels.

Electrical technician (§ 6). The regulation does not prescribe a uniform length of experience for each scope. Under § 6 odst. 2, the responsible person sets the minimum practical experience in the local operational safety rules, in line with the risk assessment. For people with no electrical work experience, these rules must require supervision by a skilled person with at least two years of experience for a period of at least one year. Anyone moving to high-voltage work or an environment with an explosion hazard therefore needs training for the new work and the experience specified by the company, followed by an examination covering the new scope.

Supervising electrical technician (§ 7). Here, the regulation sets fixed minimum experience requirements. Under § 7 odst. 2, these are two years for scopes E2A and E3A, three years for E1A, E2B and E3B, and four years for E1B; these designations are defined in Annex 3 to nařízení vlády č. 190/2022 Sb. Under § 7 odst. 3 of nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb., at least one year of this experience must be on electrical equipment of the relevant type and voltage, and the examination scope must correspond to the authorisation scope in that annex. A supervising electrical technician who has previously supervised only low-voltage work can therefore obtain a scope “without voltage restrictions” only with documented experience on the corresponding equipment.

Annex 3 to nařízení vlády č. 190/2022 Sb. distinguishes between E1 (low- and high-voltage electrical equipment with voltage ranges up to 35 kV, up to 230 kV or without restrictions), E2 (low voltage up to 1 kV AC or 1.5 kV DC) and E3 (equipment for protection against atmospheric electricity, overvoltage and static electricity), with A or B indicating environments without or with an explosion hazard. Scopes such as “high voltage up to 35 kV” or “lightning protection systems” (E3) therefore have a legal basis for supervising electrical technicians. For electrical technicians, § 6 of nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb. does not define these as separate categories; the two scope dimensions and any restriction imposed by the examining board are decisive.

What the certificate’s scope does not cover

• Statutory inspections. Neither a § 6 nor a § 7 certificate authorises statutory inspections of designated electrical equipment. Under § 5 odst. 3 of nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb., these are carried out by an electrical inspection technician holding a certificate of the relevant scope under zákon č. 250/2021 Sb.
• Vaguely defined “modules”. If you encounter a scope designation that matches neither the certificate’s dimensions nor the designations in Annex 3 to nařízení vlády č. 190/2022 Sb., ask exactly what will be entered in the certificate’s fields.
• Validity period. Neither the scope nor any restriction changes this: the certificate is valid for three years from the date of issue under § 19 odst. 2 písm. b) of zákon č. 250/2021 Sb. For guidance on timing your renewal, see Renewal and reassessment of electrical competence.

Checklist before applying

1. Your existing certificate — check its scope, restrictions and expiry date.
2. Evidence of your technical or occupational qualification, if required for the relevant level, as an original or an officially certified copy (§ 9 odst. 5 písm. a) of nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb.). If the technical qualification document does not clearly show that the qualification is in electrical engineering, provide confirmation from the school that issued it or from MŠMT (§ 9 odst. 5 písm. c)); this requirement applies independently.
3. Evidence of practical experience, if experience is required for the relevant level of professional competence — an employer’s confirmation or a signed declaration covering at least the minimum period prescribed for that level (§ 9 odst. 5 písm. b)), preferably specifying the equipment type and voltage.
4. A description of your activities — what you actually do now and what you will be doing. This determines the examination scope.
5. For the occupational qualification route, the responsible person’s confirmation using the Annex 1 template.

You can prepare for the written component using Practice questions for the § 6 and § 7 electrical technician examination. The examination has written and oral components, and at least 80% of answers must be correct in each (§ 19 odst. 2 písm. c) of zákon č. 250/2021 Sb.).

Sources behind this article

• Online periodic reassessment under § 6 and § 7 – a SOHE service.
• How to obtain Czech electrical qualifications – the route from education to examination.
• Professional competence in electrical work – competence levels under nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb.
• An electrical school-leaving qualification and § 6: what actually applies – education, experience and supervision for graduates.
• Nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb. – professional competence requirements for work on electrical equipment and in electrical engineering; certificate scope in § 6 and § 7, certificate template in Annex 2.
• Zákon č. 250/2021 Sb. – occupational safety for designated technical equipment; § 19 odst. 2 písm. b) establishes the examination certificate’s three-year validity, and § 25 bod 15 repealed vyhláška č. 50/1978 Sb.
• Nařízení vlády č. 190/2022 Sb. – designated electrical equipment; Annex 3 contains the authorisation scope designations referenced in § 7 of nařízení vlády č. 194/2022 Sb.

This article is for information only and does not replace a legal opinion. The specific scope of competence, experience and supervision must be determined according to actual operating conditions, equipment type, environment and risk assessment.

Unsure which scope to enter in your application, or need to align your whole team’s certificates with the work they actually do? Take a look at online periodic reassessment, send us a non-binding enquiry or email info@sohe.cz.