Your driving licence in Czechia: nothing to exchange, but do it before it expires

Your Dutch driving licence simply stays valid in Czechia. Within the EU you generally don't have to exchange a licence when you move, and Czechia doesn't require it either. You can exchange it, once Czechia is your normal residence: 200 crowns, ready within twenty days, or 700 crowns for an express licence within five working days. The pitfall is the expiry date. Once you live in Czechia, the RDW no longer renews your Dutch licence, and the Czech Ministry of Transport lists a valid EU licence as a document you bring for the exchange.

Do you have to exchange your licence?

No. You may only hold one EU driving licence at a time, so exchanging means handing it in; a second, Czech licence alongside it doesn't exist. Your Europe lists the cases in which you do have to exchange: if your licence is lost, stolen or damaged, if you commit a traffic offence in your country of residence, and in countries that require it after two years of residence with a licence without an end date. A Dutch licence has an end date, so that last case doesn't apply to you.

When may you exchange?

Only if you have your normal residence in Czechia. The ministry describes that as permanent residence in Czechia, or if you don't have that, the place where you stay for personal and professional reasons for at least 185 days per calendar year. As proof, the ministry names among other things:

• proof of temporary residence, such as the registration certificate;
• a land register extract showing you own a home;
• a rental contract;
• a statement from your employer;
• an extract from the trade register.

Situation	What you do	Cost	Deadline
Valid Dutch licence	nothing, you keep driving on it	none	—
Exchange, standard	apply in person at an ORP office	200 Kč	within 20 days
Exchange, express	same	700 Kč	within 5 working days
Dutch licence expired	the RDW no longer renews; ask the ORP office what is needed	—	—

Why exchange before the expiry date?

The RDW only renews a Dutch licence from abroad for those living outside the EU and EFTA; if you live within the EU, you exchange it in your country of residence. Your Europe says the same from the other side: if your licence expires, you renew it in the country of your normal residence.

The ministry lists a valid licence. Among the documents for the exchange is a valid licence from an EU country. What happens if yours has already expired isn't on that page, and that is exactly the situation you want to avoid. Put the expiry date of your Dutch card in your diary, and exchange as soon as you have the 185 days and that date comes within reach.

How does the exchange work?

You apply in person, at one of the 206 municipal offices with extended powers, the obce s rozšířenou působností (ORP); you may choose any of them. You bring your valid Dutch licence and proof of your normal residence. A photo is no longer needed: the office uses the photo from the Ministry of the Interior's systems, or takes one on the spot.

Before the exchange, Czechia asks the Dutch authorities whether your licence has not been withdrawn, restricted or suspended. You collect the new licence at the same office, yourself or through someone with a certified power of attorney.

What changes with a Czech licence?

From that moment the Czech rules apply, for example on validity periods and medical checks, and no longer the Dutch ones. If you later return to the Netherlands, you exchange the Czech licence there again.

The car itself is another story, with its own documents and fees: see car and driving licence in Czechia. Where the licence falls in your order is in the step-by-step plan for Czechia.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.1: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Czechia or go straight to step 5.1 in the open plan.