Compulsory insurance for new types of vehicles

From April, a new law will come into force which regulates the rules of compulsory liability insurance for motor vehicles. Not only car and motorbike owners are now obliged to have this insurance, but you must also have compulsory liability insurance for:

- certain types of electric scooters;
- segway-type vehicles;
- garden tractors (if you drive them off your own land);
- motorised golf carts;
- work machinery or industrial equipment capable of being moved independently;
- snowmobiles and snowmobiles.

Speed and weight determine whether you must have compulsory insurance. New vehicles with a maximum design speed greater than 25 km/h or vehicles with an operating weight greater than 25 kilograms that can travel more than 14 km/h must have insurance.

For compulsory liability insurance, the minimum insurance limits will generally increase from CZK 35 million to CZK 50 million. From this amount, the insurance company covers the damage you cause as the person at fault in the accident. This applies to both new and existing contracts. Insurance companies will make the changes automatically, only for older contracts can they deal with them individually. The price of the insurance should not be affected.

As with any other insurance, we recommend that you "check" your liability insurance from time to time to make sure that your existing contract still meets your needs and protects you sufficiently. For example, you may find it useful to take out some additional insurance options, which will also give you insurance protection for your car, for example in the event of an accident or damage from the elements.

Without a green card

There will also be a transfer of liability insurance liability from the owner to the operator, which is recorded in the technical licence or the new vehicle registration certificate. However, for the average person, nothing fundamental will change.

When travelling in the Czech Republic, the obligation to carry the so-called green card, i.e. proof of the compulsory insurance, will end. The police will eventually verify everything electronically.

And a word of caution. Just because you don't drive your car doesn't mean you don't have to have compulsory insurance. If you want to get rid of this obligation, you have to deregister the car and hand in the number plate. If you drive a car without compulsory insurance, you risk a hefty fine and the Insurers' Bureau could also ask you to pay a contribution to its guarantee fund. This ranges from 30 to 90 crowns per day.

Without a license and a small technician's license

From January, drivers in the Czech Republic do not have to carry a driving licence, a small technical licence or a professional licence.

Paper "large technical licences" and "small technical licences" are coming to an end. When you buy a new car from the manufacturer, you will get a "COC" instead of a large technical certificate and with this you will go to the registration office to register the car, where you will then get a Certificate of Vehicle Registration (ORV).

You will also get an ORV when you re-register a used car. You don't have to have the paper large MOT certificate removed at the office if you want to keep it (typically, for example, collectors). The official should return it to you, they will just officially deface it (e.g. by stamping it or cutting off a corner).

However, you'd better take your existing large registration card with you to the MOT test at all times. There may still be discrepancies in the electronic Road Vehicle Register compared to the paper version - for example, at the beginning of the year the wheel dimensions were missing. With a paper licence, you can avoid the risk of being sent home from the MOT and having to drive there again.

Tougher fines

The points system is being simplified, with penalty points being awarded according to severity in bands of 2, 4 and 6 points. For 12 penalty points, i.e. for two serious offences such as running a red light or drink-driving, a person will lose their licence. Some penalties are assessed much more severely (e.g. using a mobile phone while driving, running a red light, entering a level crossing over a prohibition...).

The amendment to the Road Act allows police officers to issue on-the-spot fines of up to CZK 5,500. The most serious offences will be fined up to CZK 75,000 and banned from driving for 3 years in administrative proceedings (previously CZK 50,000 and 2 years).

If you want to see a summary of your penalty points, you can find it, for example, with the validity of your driving licence on the Transport Portal. You must log in, for example with your bank identity.

Motorway stamps have become more expensive

As of 1 March, the price of yearly vignettes will increase from CZK 1,500 to CZK 2,300. You can now buy a one-day stamp (CZK 200) in addition to the monthly (CZK 430) and ten-day (CZK 270) stamps. It is always valid only until midnight of the day. If you buy it at 3pm on Friday, it will only be valid until midnight, not for the full 24 hours until 3pm on Saturday. Even hybrids and gas-powered vehicles must have a vignette, although the discount still applies to them. Only electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles are not required to have a vignette.

Behind the wheel at 17, but...

Drivers can get behind the wheel of a car at the age of 17, but they must be supervised by an adult of good character - called a mentor.
New licence holders get their licence by taking a driving test. If, within two years, they commit a serious traffic offence or have their licence revoked for an offence, they will have to take a refresher course - theory and practical driving at a driving school - to get it back.