Driving licence and car

Steps

1. Keep your European licence. At renewal, the Czech rules (validity, medical check) apply. Exchange is compulsory only in case of loss, theft, damage, an offence in Czechia, or if your licence is valid for life and the authorities require it after 2 years of residence.
2. Insure the car with compulsory third-party liability insurance (povinné ručení) from an insurer authorised to sell this insurance in Czechia. The municipality checks the insurance electronically: the green card no longer has to be provided.
3. Have the identification check done (evidenční kontrola) at a technical inspection station (STK): it must be valid and, according to the Ministry of Transport, the municipality checks the result online (the paper report is not needed); the gov.cz page, however, mentions for an in-person application a report less than 30 days old: keep it handy just in case.
4. Submit the registration application:
   • online on the Transport Portal (Portál dopravy, portaldopravy.cz), with a 20% reduction, then go to the municipality of your choice to finish;
   • or in person at any of the 206 municipalities with extended powers (ORP), regardless of your home address. If your file is complete, it is generally immediate: you leave with the registration certificate and the plates.
5. Pay the emission tax if the car is below the Euro 3 standard (passenger cars and light commercial vehicles).
6. Buy the electronic vignette at edalnice.gov.cz (the state's official shop) before using a motorway or a toll expressway.

Documents

• Registration application and ID document.
• Proof of stay in Czechia if necessary: for an EU citizen, a temporary stay of at least 6 months in the calendar year.
• Foreign vehicle papers: both parts of the registration certificate from the other EU country (originals), or the certificate of conformity (COC).
• Valid identification check (evidenční kontrola) (see step 3) and, if required, proof of the technical inspection (technická prohlídka).
• Proof of payment of VAT only for a "new vehicle" within the meaning of VAT: delivered within 6 months after being put into service, or with at most 6,000 km.
• Signed and certified power of attorney if someone submits on your behalf.

Costs and timelines

• Registration of a car (4 wheels): CZK 800 in person, CZK 640 online.
• Emission tax (first registration in Czechia of an M1 or N1 car): CZK 10,000 (Euro 0), CZK 5,000 (Euro 1), CZK 3,000 (Euro 2), 0 from Euro 3.
• 2026 electronic vignette (car): CZK 2,570 per year, CZK 480 for 30 days, CZK 300 for 10 days, CZK 230 for 1 day; reduced rate for natural gas (CNG and LNG, not LPG) and biomethane (CZK 1,280 per year) and plug-in hybrids with at most 50 g of CO₂/km (CZK 640 per year); free for electric and hydrogen cars (automatic if registered in Czechia, on declaration otherwise). The annual vignette is valid for 1 year from the start date you choose (no later than 30 days after payment): bought on 1 May, it is valid until the following 30 April at 23:59.
• Timeline: register as soon as you import it if you want to drive. It is generally immediate if the file is complete; in complex cases, the administration can take up to 30 days.
• Texts (in force in 2026): Act 56/2001 on the conditions of use of vehicles, decree 343/2014 on registration, Act 30/2024 on motor third-party liability insurance.
• Fine: up to CZK 50,000 for an unregistered vehicle on the road.

Common pitfalls

• An identification check (evidenční kontrola) that is too old: for an in-person application, gov.cz asks for a report less than 30 days old; if it is older, it must be redone.
• Forgetting the vignette: it is electronic, linked to the plate; buy it only on the official site.
• Keeping foreign plates when you are settling in Czechia: if you settle permanently with your car, you must register it and pay the related taxes in your new country (EURES); the gov.cz portal asks you to register it as soon as you want to drive it in Czechia after buying or importing it. Possible deadlines and exemptions are to be confirmed with the municipality.

What changes by country of origin

• EU and EEA licences: valid without exchange.
• British licences (including Scottish) and other non-EU licences: after a temporary stay of more than 185 days or permanent residence, exchange for a Czech licence is generally compulsory within 3 months; an international licence can be requested in the meantime (EURES). British licence: exchange to be requested before the end of your first 3 months of residence, at a municipality with extended powers (ORP); no obligation if you settled before 1 January 2021 (withdrawal agreement) (British government, 11/12/2025).