Czech Republic
Drives on the right · CZK · Emergency 112Driving in Czech Republic
The single most important thing about driving in the Czech Republic is that the alcohol limit is zero. Not low — zero, for every driver, with no allowance for a small glass of wine at lunch. Visitors arriving from Germany or Austria, where 0.5‰ applies, routinely misjudge this. The motorway network needs a digital, plate-linked e-vignette, sold in 10-day, monthly and annual bands and bought online or at border crossings and petrol stations. There is no sticker, so nothing on the car reminds you whether you have one. Winter tyres are required between 1 November and 31 March, but conditionally and locally rather than as a blanket rule: the obligation applies where roads are snow-covered, icy or frosty and where signs indicate it, which in practice means mountain and other marked roads. Headlights or daytime running lights are mandatory at all times, year-round. Limits are 50 in towns, 90 on rural roads and 130 on the motorway, and fixed and mobile cameras are common in and around towns. The currency is the koruna rather than the euro — worth knowing for parking machines and fuel stops, even though cards are widely accepted.
Speed limits
Alcohol limits
Mandatory equipment
- •Warning triangle
- •Hi-vis vest
- •First aid kit
- •Spare bulb kit
Winter tires & snow chains
From 1 November to 31 March, winter tires are required whenever the road is snow-covered, icy, or frosty, on roads signed accordingly (mainly mountain or other marked roads) — condition- and location-based rather than a blanket nationwide rule.
Tolls
A digital, plate-linked e-vignette is required for motorways and expressways, purchased online or at border crossings/petrol stations, valid for a set period (10 days / 1 month / 1 year).
Full vignette & tolls guide →More things to know before you drive
Good to know
Zero-tolerance alcohol policy for all drivers. Currency is the Czech koruna (CZK), not the euro.