Importing a car to Czechia: registration, STK, fees, insurance and the vignette

If you live in Czechia and keep a car here, it has to be in the Czech vehicle register (registr silničních vozidel) with Czech plates.¹ This page covers registering a car you bring from another EU country or from outside the EU, the inspections, what it costs in 2026, buying second-hand, compulsory insurance and the motorway vignette. Your licence is a separate matter: see Driving licence. This page isn't legal advice: the registry office decides your case.

When does your car need Czech plates?

A car driven on Czech roads must be in the Czech register if the person who runs it, its operator (provozovatel), has permanent or long-term residence here. An EU citizen's car must be registered once they stay at least 6 months in a calendar year.¹ The one exception is a car in international traffic for no more than 6 months in a calendar year.²

The law sets no deadline in days: the government portal says to register the car without delay once you've bought or brought it. Running a car that should be on the Czech register but isn't can be fined up to 50,000 Kč.³

While a car is on foreign plates, its foreign registration certificate must be in the car.⁴ A car registered outside the EU is a customs matter as well: once you live in the EU, you can use it here without paying duty only in narrow cases.⁵

How do you register a car from another EU country?

The owner applies, alone or with the operator, at any municipal office with extended powers (obecní úřad obce s rozšířenou působností, ORP). It needn't be the office where you live.⁶ The office registers the car only if:⁷

• it's insured, and the Czech Insurers' Bureau (Česká kancelář pojistitelů, ČKP) has a record of it;
• VAT has been paid where the law requires it;
• it isn't listed as stolen;
• its operator lives in Czechia;
• an evidence check (evidenční kontrola) done in Czechia matches it, unless the car is new.

The car's foreign registration certificate proves it's roadworthy, and you hand it in with the application. You also bring proof of its last periodic inspection, unless the car is still inside its first inspection period counted from its first registration in another EU country.⁸ You need a full Czech registration inspection first only if the EU inspection has run out or you have no proof of it.⁹

The government portal also asks for proof of your residence, and says the inspection and evidence-check protocol must be no older than 30 days.¹⁰ The law sets no such limit, but get the check done shortly before your visit. A paper application needs an officially verified signature, unless the office checks your identity at the counter, and so does a written power of attorney.¹¹

You can start the application online on the Transport Portal (Portál dopravy). You still go to the office to show the originals, pay and collect the plates.¹⁰ The office takes your foreign certificate, gives you a Czech registration certificate and the plates, and tells the other country.¹² The Czech certificate is a single card. The large technical certificate (velký technický průkaz) hasn't been issued since 1 January 2024.¹³ The portal gives the office up to 30 days to decide, but an application with every paper is usually done on the spot.¹⁴

A car counts as new for VAT if it's no more than 6 months from first use or has no more than 6,000 km. If you buy a new car in another EU country as a private person, you file a Czech VAT return within 10 days, and the registry asks for proof the VAT was paid.¹⁵

How do you import a car from outside the EU?

A car bought outside the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein included, must be cleared through Czech customs: you lodge a customs declaration and pay the customs debt. The registry doesn't ask for the customs papers, but you still have to do it.¹⁶ If you buy such a car from someone who never cleared it, the customs debt can fall on you.¹⁷ Import VAT is 21% of the customs value plus the duty.¹⁸ The duty rate depends on the car's tariff code, which the customs administration's TARIC database shows.¹⁹

If you're moving here from outside the EU, you can bring your own car free of duty and VAT as personal property. You must have used it for at least 6 months where you lived before, have lived outside the EU for at least 12 months, and declare it within 12 months of moving.²⁰

Before you can register it, the car needs an individual approval (schválení technické způsobilosti). Any ORP can grant it, car by car, and you attach the foreign registration certificate or another approval document, such as a certificate of conformity (COC).²¹ The office approves the car if:²²

• a test station's protocol shows it met the Czech requirements in force when it was first approved;
• a Czech evidence check matches it;
• a passenger car or van (categories M1 and N1) meets at least the Euro 3 exhaust limits.

A car first approved in another EU country needs no test protocol for what that country's approval already covers.²³ The approval costs 3,000 Kč in 2026.²⁴ The inspection done for the approval can count as the registration inspection, and the car's next STK is then due 2 years later.²⁵

What are the STK and the evidence check?

The STK (stanice technické kontroly) is the periodic roadworthiness test. A registration inspection is done in full, and every inspection includes an evidence check. Emissions aren't measured on electric cars.²⁶ An emissions test done at a separate emissions station counts only if the car reaches the STK within 30 days.²⁷

The evidence check compares the car with its papers and records the odometer reading. The protocol stops being valid if the car is altered or its odometer reading goes down.²⁸

A new car has its first STK after 4 years and then every 2 years. For a car imported from another EU country, the 4 years count from its first registration there.²⁹ Inspection stations set their own prices, so this page gives none.

What does registration cost?

The administrative fees in 2026 are:³⁰³¹

A personalised plate costs 5,000 Kč per plate. A car that gets electric "EL" plates pays no registration or plate fee.³² Holders of a ZTP or ZTP/P card pay no fee to register a car.³³

On top of that comes the emission fee (emisní poplatek), which ČKP calls the "ecological tax". It's due when a car or van is registered, changes owner or changes operator in Czechia.³⁴ It's paid only once per car: if an earlier owner paid it, nobody pays it again.³⁵ In 2026 it's:³⁶

• 3,000 Kč for a Euro 2 car;
• 5,000 Kč for a Euro 1 car;
• 10,000 Kč for a car below Euro 1.

Euro 3 and newer cars, historic vehicles, ZTP and ZTP/P card holders, inheritance, transfers between close relatives and the end of a marriage's joint property are exempt.³⁷ You pay it at the ORP when the car is registered, and if you don't pay, the registration stops.³⁸

A private car pays no road tax in 2026. The tax covers only heavier lorries and trailers.³⁹

Where do you register in Prague?

Imported cars go to special desks at four branches: Jarov (Osiková 2, Praha 3), Břevnov (Radimova 39, Praha 6), Vysočany (Na Výběžku 1023/7, Praha 9) and Bohdalec (Nad Vršovskou horou 88, Praha 10). You can't book these desks online, and they don't deal with applications while you wait.⁴⁰ For an approval you can fill in the city's online form in advance, which speeds things up at the counter but isn't an electronic filing.⁴⁰

The branches' general counters, for a change of owner and other routine tasks, can be booked online.⁴¹

How do you buy a second-hand car?

The seller and the buyer apply together for the change of owner (zápis změny vlastníka), with a new operator too if there is one. You needn't come together, but you must use the same ORP.⁴² The deadline is 10 working days from the sale.⁴²

You bring the registration certificate, and the large technical certificate if the car still has one. The office checks the insurance in ČKP's database, so you no longer need a green card for it.⁴³ A paper application needs officially verified signatures, unless the office checks your identity, and a power of attorney needs a verified signature too.⁴³

An evidence check stays valid for a change of owner as long as the car's STK is valid, so a car with a current STK usually needs no new one.⁴⁴ Online, the seller starts the change on the Transport Portal and gives you a code, you complete it, and you then visit your chosen ORP with the certificate. That costs 640 Kč, against 800 Kč on paper.⁴⁵

If one side won't cooperate within the deadline, the other can apply alone.⁴⁶ Not applying at all can be fined up to 50,000 Kč.⁴⁷ The emission fee applies to a change of owner too, unless an earlier owner already paid it.³⁵

If you're the seller, your insurance doesn't end when you sell: tell your insurer.⁴⁸

How do you check a used car's history?

• The register. The Ministry of Transport's dataovozidlech.cz shows a car's technical data and other public data from the register, such as inspection dates and its first registration, when you enter the VIN or certificate number.⁴⁹
• The odometer. The Ministry's kontrolatachometru.cz shows the odometer readings taken at STK and emissions tests for a VIN. It warns that these may not reflect the real mileage.⁵⁰ Tampering with an odometer is banned and can be fined up to 500,000 Kč.⁵¹
• Theft. The Czech police's public search covers stolen cars and plates reported in Czechia. You need the full VIN or plate.⁵² The registry also refuses a car listed as stolen.⁷

What insurance does the car need?

Compulsory motor insurance (pojištění odpovědnosti z provozu vozidla, or povinné ručení) has been governed by Act 30/2024 since 1 April 2024. The operator of a Czech-registered car must keep it insured for as long as it's registered, whether or not it's driven.⁵³ The minimum cover is 50 million Kč per injured person and 50 million Kč for damage to property.⁵⁴

If you won't drive the car, insure it or withdraw it from service (vyřazení z provozu) and hand the plates in. An insurer pauses a policy only once the car has been withdrawn.⁵⁵ Since 1 October 2024, the office withdraws a car by itself once it's been uninsured for more than 30 days in a row, and you then have 10 days to hand in the certificate and plates.⁵⁶

For every uninsured day, the operator owes ČKP a daily contribution, plus 300 Kč in costs for claiming it. In 2026 the daily rate for a car depends on its engine: 81 Kč up to 1,000 cm³, 51 Kč up to 1,350 cm³, 61 Kč up to 1,850 cm³, 83 Kč up to 2,500 cm³ and 109 Kč above that. Electric cars are charged by power, from 13 to 109 Kč.⁵⁷ An uninsured car can also be fined up to 50,000 Kč.⁵⁸

Since 1 October 2024 you don't need to carry a green card in Czechia, because the police check ČKP's database. You still need it abroad, and a PDF on your phone has been accepted since 1 January 2025.⁵⁹ A car sent to you from another EU country counts as a Czech car for insurance for 30 days after you take it over, so you insure it here for the drive home.⁶⁰

Do you need a motorway vignette?

A car or other vehicle with at least four wheels and up to 3.5 t needs one on toll motorways. Motorcycles don't.⁶¹ You buy the electronic vignette (elektronická dálniční známka) on edalnice.gov.cz for 1 year, 30 days, 10 days or 1 day. It can start on the day you pay or up to 30 days later.⁶²

The prices in 2026 are 2,570 Kč for a year, 480 Kč for 30 days, 300 Kč for 10 days and 230 Kč for a day.⁶³ Plug-in hybrids at no more than 50 g/km CO₂ pay a quarter of that, and cars on CNG or biomethane pay half; LPG gets no discount.⁶⁴ Fully electric and hydrogen cars are exempt, automatically if they're registered in Czechia; a foreign-registered one has to be notified first.⁶⁵

You pay the price of the year you pay in, so an annual vignette bought in December 2026 costs the 2026 price even if it starts in 2027.⁶⁶ A bill keeping the 2026 prices in 2027 has passed the Chamber of Deputies; the Senate adopted no resolution on it, so it's on its way to the President. If it becomes law, the 2026 prices stay and there's no November price notice; if not, the Ministry of Transport publishes the 2027 price by 30 November.⁶⁷ Driving on a toll motorway without one can be fined up to 20,000 Kč, or up to 5,000 Kč on the spot.⁶⁸

What about temporary protection and Ukrainian plates?

A car with Ukrainian plates may be driven here only if its operator is entered in the register of Ukrainian vehicles. The operator can be a Czech citizen, a foreigner with residence of more than 90 days or a person with temporary protection. Any ORP makes the entry when the operator notifies it and brings the car's registration certificate. After you're granted temporary protection, you can drive for 7 days without the entry.⁶⁹ The car keeps its Ukrainian plates and Ukrainian insurance. Driving without the entry can be fined up to 30,000 Kč.⁶⁹ For the rest of life on temporary protection, see Temporary protection.

Sources

1. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §6(1). ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §6(2). ↩ ↩²

3. Government portal, "Registrace nového nebo dovezeného vozidla", portal.gov.cz; Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §83(1)(a) and (2)(c). ↩ ↩²

4. Road Traffic Act (Act 361/2000 Coll.), §6(7)(b). ↩

5. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2446, Articles 212(3) and 215(1) and (3), celnisprava.gov.cz. ↩

6. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §5(2) and §6(3). ↩

7. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §6(3)(b) to (f). ↩ ↩²

8. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §6(5)(a)(3), (b) and (c). ↩

9. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §5a(1). ↩

10. Government portal, "Registrace nového nebo dovezeného vozidla", portal.gov.cz. ↩ ↩²

11. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §6(4)(d) and §6(7). ↩

12. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §7(1), (2) and (5). ↩

13. Decree 343/2014 Coll. on vehicle registration, §22(1); Act 432/2022 Coll., Art. II. ↩

14. Government portal, "Registrace nového nebo dovezeného vozidla", frequently asked questions, portal.gov.cz. ↩

15. VAT Act (Act 235/2004 Coll.), §19(1)(a) and §19c(3); Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §6(5)(d). ↩

16. Customs Office for the Ústí Region, "Pozor při dovozu auta ze Švýcarska a dalších zemí", 24 October 2023, celnisprava.gov.cz. ↩

17. Customs Office for the Olomouc Region, "Dovoz vozidel ze Švýcarské konfederace", 12 July 2022, celnisprava.gov.cz. ↩

18. VAT Act (Act 235/2004 Coll.), §38(1)(a) and §47(1)(a). ↩

19. Customs Administration, "Jaké bude clo", celnisprava.gov.cz. ↩

20. Customs Administration, "Stěhování fyzických osob", celnisprava.gov.cz. ↩

21. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §34(1), (2) and (4); Government portal, "Registrace nového nebo dovezeného vozidla", portal.gov.cz. ↩

22. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §35(1). ↩

23. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §35(2) and (3). ↩

24. Administrative Fees Act (Act 634/2004 Coll.), annex, item 27(12). ↩

25. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §5a(2) and §40(5)(a). ↩

26. Decree 211/2018 Coll. on technical inspections, §2(2), §3(5) and §4(2). ↩

27. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §47(5) and (6). ↩

28. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §48(3)(b) and (5). ↩

29. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §40(1) and (4). ↩

30. Administrative Fees Act (Act 634/2004 Coll.), annex, item 26(a), (b) and (c), note 3. ↩

31. Administrative Fees Act (Act 634/2004 Coll.), §9; Government portal, "Registrace nového nebo dovezeného vozidla", portal.gov.cz. ↩

32. Administrative Fees Act (Act 634/2004 Coll.), annex, item 26(d) and exemption 5. ↩

33. Administrative Fees Act (Act 634/2004 Coll.), annex, item 26, exemption 1. ↩

34. End-of-Life Products Act (Act 542/2020 Coll.), §114(1) and (2); Czech Insurers' Bureau, "Převod vozidla", ckp.cz. ↩

35. End-of-Life Products Act (Act 542/2020 Coll.), §114(3). ↩ ↩²

36. End-of-Life Products Act (Act 542/2020 Coll.), §116(1). ↩

37. End-of-Life Products Act (Act 542/2020 Coll.), §115. ↩

38. End-of-Life Products Act (Act 542/2020 Coll.), §118 and §119(1) and (2). ↩

39. Road Tax Act (Act 16/1993 Coll.), §2(2). ↩ ↩²

40. Prague City Hall, "Dovezená vozidla ze zahraničí", praha.eu. ↩ ↩²

41. Prague City Hall, "Pracoviště registru vozidel", praha.eu. ↩

42. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §8(1)(a), (2)(a) and (6). ↩ ↩²

43. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §8(3), (4)(a) and (8); Czech Insurers' Bureau, "Převod vozidla", ckp.cz. ↩ ↩²

44. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §10(1). ↩

45. Government portal, "Zápis změny vlastníka vozidla v registru silničních vozidel", portal.gov.cz. ↩

46. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §8a(1). ↩

47. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §83(1)(b) and (2)(c). ↩

48. Czech Insurers' Bureau, "Převod vozidla", ckp.cz. ↩

49. Ministry of Transport, "Data o vozidlech", dataovozidlech.cz. ↩

50. Ministry of Transport, "Kontrola tachometru", kontrolatachometru.cz. ↩

51. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §36(4) and §83(1)(j) and (2)(b). ↩

52. Police of the Czech Republic, "Pátrání po vozidlech a registračních značkách", policie.gov.cz. ↩

53. Motor Insurance Act (Act 30/2024 Coll.), §6(1)(a) and §96. ↩

54. Motor Insurance Act (Act 30/2024 Coll.), §14(1) and §15(1). ↩

55. Czech Insurers' Bureau, "Příspěvky: časté dotazy", ckp.cz; Motor Insurance Act (Act 30/2024 Coll.), §12. ↩

56. Road Vehicles Act (Act 56/2001 Coll.), §12(1)(b) and (6), in the version in force from 1 October 2024, as amended by Act 31/2024 Coll. ↩

57. Motor Insurance Act (Act 30/2024 Coll.), §45(2); Decree 69/2024 Coll., §5 and §6. ↩

58. Motor Insurance Act (Act 30/2024 Coll.), §86(1) and (6)(a). ↩

59. Motor Insurance Act (Act 30/2024 Coll.), §5(2)(a); Czech Insurers' Bureau, "Zelená karta", ckp.cz. ↩ ↩²

60. Motor Insurance Act (Act 30/2024 Coll.), §3(2). ↩

61. Roads Act (Act 13/1997 Coll.), §21(1); Ministry of Transport, "Elektronická dálniční známka", edalnice.gov.cz. ↩

62. Roads Act (Act 13/1997 Coll.), §21(2). ↩

63. Ministry of Transport notice 462/2025 Coll., point c); Ministry of Transport, "Elektronická dálniční známka", price list valid from 1 January 2026, edalnice.gov.cz. ↩

64. Roads Act (Act 13/1997 Coll.), §21(5) and (6); Ministry of Transport notice 462/2025 Coll., point c). ↩

65. Roads Act (Act 13/1997 Coll.), §20a(1)(o) and §21b(1); Ministry of Transport, "Elektronická dálniční známka", edalnice.gov.cz. ↩

66. Roads Act (Act 13/1997 Coll.), §21(2) and (8). ↩

67. Roads Act (Act 13/1997 Coll.), §21(7); Chamber of Deputies, "Sněmovní tisk 246", psp.cz. ↩

68. Roads Act (Act 13/1997 Coll.), §42a(2) and (8)(e) and (h). ↩

69. Lex Ukrajina (Act 65/2022 Coll.), §7h, §7i, §7j(1) and (4) and §7m(2); Czech Insurers' Bureau, "Informace pro ukrajinské motoristy", ckp.cz. ↩ ↩²