In the Czech Republic, there is a vignette toll requirement. The vignette in the Czech Republic is an important tool for financing and maintaining the road network. You can purchase the digital vignette from us. A detailed description of which roads require a vignette and whether you need one can be found in our article on tolls and vignette requirements in the Czech Republic.
The toll requirement in the Czech Republic applies to all motor vehicles traveling on highways and expressways. The toll obligation applies to both domestic and foreign vehicles, provided they have at least four wheels and do not exceed a maximum permitted weight of 3.5 tons, and the vehicle is driving on a highway or expressway. Trailers and motorcycles are exempt from the toll. Vehicles with a total weight exceeding 3.5 tons are required to pay a distance-based toll and do not need to purchase a vignette. Instead, they must carry a device (On-Board Unit), which can be purchased on-site. The device is used to determine the toll amount, i.e., the toll is calculated based on the distance driven and the vehicle category.
There are some exceptions: You can drive almost the entire D0 highway, as well as parts of the D1 and D5 highways, without a vignette.
The toll regulations and compliance with the rules are not only legally mandatory but also help support the transportation system in the Czech Republic. Failure to comply could lead to serious financial and legal consequences, making it advisable to familiarize yourself with the toll system and take the necessary steps to register and pay the toll promptly.
If you drive in the Czech Republic without a valid (digital) vignette, you can expect a fine. This section explains how high the fine can be and if there are any other penalties.
Failure to pay the toll in the Czech Republic is not tolerated and can lead to serious consequences. Toll checks are carried out both manually by traffic police officers and automatically by camera systems. It is not possible to bypass the system, as monitoring is primarily automatic. On special toll bridges on highways and expressways, your license plate is captured and cross-referenced with the relevant database. If your license plate is not recorded, highway police will be notified.
In the case of a violation of the vignette requirement, fines are imposed, which can vary depending on the extent and duration of the violation. In addition to the fine, there may also be legal consequences, which could make further participation in road traffic more difficult.
If you are caught driving on vignette-required roads in the Czech Republic without a valid vignette, the fine can be up to 20,000 CZK (about 800 euros).
It gets much more expensive if it involves a criminal case. In such cases, the fine can be as high as 100,000 CZK (about 4,000 euros). This would be the case, for example, if you submit a request for exemption from the vignette requirement without being eligible for it. In addition, it must be shown that you deliberately attempted to bypass the system. Since this is hard to prove, we highly recommend purchasing a vignette.
