Do you need a vignette to drive in the Czech Republic?

2026 prices on the official site

These are the official eDálnice prices valid from 1 January 2026, in Czech crowns, for a car up to 3.5 tonnes:

• 1 day: CZK 230 • 10 days: CZK 300 • 30 days: CZK 480 • Annual: CZK 2,570

Cheaper rates apply to cars running on CNG or biomethane (CZK 110 a day, CZK 150 for 10 days) and plug-in hybrids with CO₂ emissions up to 50 g/km (CZK 50 a day, CZK 70 for 10 days). Fully electric and hydrogen cars pay nothing, but a car registered abroad has to file an exemption notice on eDálnice to get the zero rate; skip it and the fine can reach CZK 5,000.

The 10-day pass is only CZK 70 more than a single day, so buy it whenever you will be on a motorway on more than one day. These prices rose in 2026 (the annual by CZK 130), so ignore older blog figures.

Buy only on edalnice.gov.cz

The official portal is eDálnice, at the gov.cz address, with an app of the same name. Prices there are exactly the list above. Search results and ads are crowded with reseller sites, some of which charge a markup or a registration fee on top and show prices well above CZK 300 for 10 days. If the price does not match the official list, you are on a reseller. Vignettes are also sold at Czech Post branches and many fuel stations near the border.

At purchase you enter the plate number, the country of registration, the fuel type and the start date. Get the plate exactly right: a single wrong character means the system does not recognise your vignette and you can be fined even though you paid. Keep the confirmation email.

Rental cars and driving in from Germany or Austria

Czech rental cars: cars rented in Prague normally come with an annual Czech vignette already registered to the plate. Ask the desk and check the contract. Foreign rental cars: a car picked up in Munich, Dresden, Berlin or Vienna will not have one. Buy it online before you cross the border; German motorways are toll-free for cars, so this is the first toll you meet on a Germany-to-Prague drive.

From Dresden the obvious route is the D8 motorway to Prague, which is tolled. From Munich or Nuremberg via Pilsen it is the D5. If you are coming from Germany by train instead, see the Deutschlandticket guide for the German side.

Heading on to Hungary? The Brno to Budapest drive goes through Slovakia, which has its own e-vignette, and Hungary needs another: see Hungary e-matrica. Our route went from Brno to Budapest in October 2022 and the same three-country toll question applies to anyone driving that leg.

Fines and enforcement

Police and Customs check by scanning plates: patrol cars with cameras, fixed control gates, and checks at rest areas and car parks. The official eDálnice page sets the fine for using a tolled road without a valid vignette at up to CZK 20,000. Foreign-plated cars can be stopped and asked to pay on the spot.

Which roads are tolled is marked by the motorway sign and shown on the eDálnice toll map. A few short sections, mostly bypasses in and around cities, are exempt, and the signs show this. If you are unsure whether a stretch near Prague is tolled, assume it is, since the 10-day pass costs less than a meal.

Czech road rules worth knowing

• Zero alcohol. The UK Foreign Office warns that any alcohol or drugs in your system can mean a fine of up to CZK 50,000, loss of your licence and possible imprisonment, and police breathalyse on the spot. • Headlights on while driving, day and night, all year. • Speed limits: 130 km/h (81 mph) on motorways, 90 km/h (56 mph) outside towns, 50 km/h (31 mph) in towns, lower if signed. • Winter tyres are compulsory from 1 November to 31 March when there is snow or ice on the road, or it is expected. Rental cars in that window should already have them; confirm. • Licence: UK photocard licences are accepted. Rental companies often set their own rules, including an International Driving Permit for non-EU licences, so US drivers should carry one.

Should you drive at all?

Inside Prague, no. Parking in the centre is zoned for residents, and the trams and metro cover everything; see Prague airport to city center for arrival. Day trips such as Kutná Hora and Karlovy Vary work well by train or bus.

A car makes sense for Bohemian Switzerland around Hřensko, where we spent 3 days with day trips to Mezná and Mezní Louka, and for linking small towns that sit off the rail spine. Our Prague and Bohemia guide covers that region. For that kind of week-long loop, a 10-day vignette at CZK 300 is all you need.

Frequently asked questions