Driving in Czechia on a foreign licence, and exchanging it

Whether you can drive in Czechia on your own licence depends on where it's from and how long you're staying. A licence from an EU or EEA country is valid here as it is. A licence from outside the EU is valid if it follows the 1968 Vienna or the 1949 Geneva convention on road traffic, but once you're granted permanent residence or a stay of more than a year, you must apply to exchange it for a Czech one within 3 months.

Can I drive in Czechia on my foreign licence?

Yes, if it's one of these and still valid:¹

• A licence from an EU or EEA country.
• A licence from another country under the Vienna (1968) or Geneva (1949) convention on road traffic.
• An international driving permit (IDP) issued under those conventions. It's valid here for 3 years from its issue date if issued under the Vienna convention, or 1 year under Geneva.

A licence from a country in neither convention isn't on that list, except for diplomats, so check which convention your country belongs to before you drive.¹

When must I exchange a non-EU licence?

If you hold a licence from outside the EU or EEA and you're granted permanent residence or a stay of more than a year, apply to exchange it within 3 months of the day the stay was granted.² If you don't apply, your licence stops letting you drive in Czechia.²

With an EU or EEA licence, you don't have to exchange it, though you can once you live here.³

Where you live, for a driving licence, means your normal residence (obvyklé bydliště): your permanent residence, or the place where you stay at least 185 days in a calendar year because of personal ties, such as your household, family or a flat you own or rent.⁴

How do I exchange it?

You apply at the municipal office with extended powers (obecní úřad obce s rozšířenou působností) for your normal residence.⁵ In Prague, that's the drivers' register of the City Hall's transport department, at Na Pankráci 1685/17,19, Praha 4, where you can book a visit online.⁶

1. Book a visit, if your office takes bookings.
2. Apply in person: nobody can apply for you.⁶ Bring your passport or residence permit, the licence you're exchanging, and proof of your normal residence, such as your registration certificate, your lease, a land registry extract, a letter from your employer or a trade register extract.⁷
3. Pay the fee: 200 Kč, or 700 Kč if you want the licence within 5 working days.⁸
4. Collect the licence: it's ready within 20 days as standard. Collect it in person, or send someone with a power of attorney carrying your officially verified signature, and hand in your foreign licence.⁹

A Czech licence for a car is valid for 10 years.⁹ The office sends your old licence back to the country that issued it, unless you ask it to keep the licence for you.¹⁰

When do I need a driving test?

The law asks for a test only when your licence follows neither convention.¹¹ Then:

• Your licence can be exchanged once you normally live here, if its categories match Czech ones.
• You need a passed driving test and a medical certificate, each no older than 30 days when you apply.¹¹
• A medical certificate is enough if your country is on the Ministry of Transport's list of countries that recognise Czech licences in return.¹¹

A licence under the Vienna or Geneva convention is exchanged without a test.²

How do penalty points work?

Czechia records points for traffic offences, and 12 points means losing your licence.¹² If you drive on a foreign or EU licence, reaching 12 points means you can't drive in Czechia for a year.¹² Points come off over time: 4 after 12 months without a further offence that carries points, 4 more after 24 months, and the rest after 36.¹²

Sources

1. Road Traffic Act (Act 361/2000 Coll.), §3(3)(a) and §104(2) and (4). ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. Road Traffic Act (Act 361/2000 Coll.), §116(3) and §118(2). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

3. Road Traffic Act (Act 361/2000 Coll.), §116(1). ↩

4. Road Traffic Act (Act 361/2000 Coll.), §2(hh). ↩

5. Road Traffic Act (Act 361/2000 Coll.), §116 and §124(9). ↩

6. Prague City Hall, driving licences: issue and exchange, read 28 October 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

7. Road Traffic Act (Act 361/2000 Coll.), §109(8). ↩

8. Administrative Fees Act (Act 634/2004 Coll.), annex, item 26(h) and (i). ↩

9. Road Traffic Act (Act 361/2000 Coll.), §110(2) to (5). ↩ ↩²

10. Road Traffic Act (Act 361/2000 Coll.), §116(7). ↩ ↩²

11. Road Traffic Act (Act 361/2000 Coll.), §116(4) and (5). ↩ ↩² ↩³

12. Road Traffic Act (Act 361/2000 Coll.), §123c(1), (3) and (7) and §123e(1). ↩ ↩² ↩³