Driving licence

Driving licence issued by another EU country

If you are an EU citizen and a holder of a driving licence issued by another EU country, then you are entitled to drive a motor vehicle in the Czech Republic without having to change to a Czech driving licence.

If you wish to change your driving licence to a Czech one (it is not compulsory), then you need to:

1) prove the place of usual residence, i.e. the place where you stay and live for at least 185 days a year due to your personal ties. Your usual residence can be proved using one of the following documents: 

 - confirmation of temporary stay

 - certificate of study

 - lease agreement for real estate

 - extract from the Cadastral Register confirming ownership rights to the real estate

 - confirmation of employment or extract from the trade register

2) You must go in person (representation is not possible) to the Department of Transport Administration Agendas. It is necessary to bring:

 - a valid ID card or passport

- your foreign driving licence

- proof of your usual residence (see above)

- either 200 CZK (you will have your Czech driving licence in 20 calendar days)

- or 700 CZK (if you wish to have your Czech driving licence in 5 working days)

After this, your original driving licence will be sent back to the state where it was issued.

For more information, you can consult the website of the Ministry of Transport.

Driving licence issued by a third country (non-EU country)

If you are a holder of a driving licence issued by a third country, you have to check if your current one complies with the requirements of one of the following Conventions on Road Traffic – the 1968 Vienna Convention or the 1949 Geneva Convention. As these Conventions have been ratified by a significant number of countries, there is a chance that your country is on the list. If you are not sure, you can contact the Ministry of Transport or use the following simple guideline.

 Your driving licence is compliant with the Conventions if:

• it is a pink plastic card (54 x 86 mm) or a paper document,
• it has the words “driving licence” written on the front side in the national language of the country issuing it,
• your details stated on it are listed in Latin alphabet and in a certain order.

 The required order of the information on the driving licence according to these international Conventions on Road Traffic is the following:

1. Surname
2. Name
3. Date and place of birth
4. Date of issuance
5. Date of expiration
6. Name or stamp of the issuing authority
7. Licence number
8. Your photo
9. Your signature
10. Groups of vehicles for which the licence is valid
11. Additional information or limitations listed as codes

A. If your foreign driving licence complies with the requirements of one of the above mentioned Conventions, you may keep using your foreign driving licence from your native country, but only for one year. If you intend to use your driving licence for more than one year, you are required to change your original driving licence for a Czech driving licence. Please keep in mind that this obligation must be done within the first 3 months from your long-term visa or permanent residence approval.

B. If your foreign driving licence does not comply with the conditions of Road traffic of the Czech Republic, there are two possibilities:

a) you are a holder of an international driving licence,

b) you apply for a Czech driving licence. In this case you will have to apply to a Czech driving school and pass the exams for a Czech driving licence.

International driving licence

If you are a holder of a Czech driving licence and you are travelling to a third country where you need to drive it is necessary to apply for a supplementary document to your driving licence - International driving licence.

Registration for a driving school for foreigners

There is a wide range of driving schools in Prague, you can choose any kind you wish.

Before you decide to apply, please make sure that you meet the following requirements:

1) age above 18 years

2) be able to prove that you are a long-term or permanent resident of the Czech Republic:

- EU citizens: Confirmation of your temporary residence issued by the Ministry of the Interior

- Third country citizens: visa/long term residence permit/permanent residence permit issued by the Ministry of the Interior

3) you must have no ongoing sentence of prohibition to drive motor vehicles imposed by a court or administrative authority.

For your application you will need to:

1) file an application form "Žádost o přijetí k výuce a výcviku"

2) provide a medical certificate of fitness to drive a motor vehicle Lékařský posudek o zdravotní způsobilosti k řízení motorových vozidel issued by your General Practitioner.