by Florian König, mautwelt.de - 20 March 2024
With a few exceptions - these roads are marked with blue signs or boards with the inscription "BEZ POPLATKU" - the motorways and motorways in our neighbouring country, the Czech Republic, are subject to tolls.
All vehicles up to a weight of 3.5 tonnes require an (e-)vignette, with the exception of motorbikes and trailers. Vehicles with alternative drive types pay less, E-cars do not require an e-vignette at all, provided they are registered in the Czech Republic using the registration form before travelling.
New on offer: the 1-day vignette
Since 1 March 2024, in addition to the familiar vignette periods of 1 year, 30 or 10 days for a day trip or transit through the Czech Republic in the direction of Slovakia, Austria, Hungary or Poland, travellers can also choose a 1-day vignette.
Digital vignette: the new prices
With the introduction of the new 1-day vignette, the vignette prices were adjusted overall: the prices for the 10- and 30-day vignette were slightly reduced (similar to the price adjustments for the introduction of the 1-day vignette in Austria), while the 1-year vignette has become 50% more expensive.
Overview of prices for vignettes in the Czech Republic
| Vignette | Price from 01.03.2024 | Price until 29.02.2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 1-day vignette | 200 CZK (ca. 8 Euro) | --- |
| 10-day vignette | 270 CZK (ca. 10,80 Euro) | 310 CZK (ca. 12,40 Euro) |
| 30-day vignette | 430 CZK (ca. 17,20 Euro) | 440 CZK (ca. 17,60 Euro) |
| Jahres-Vignette | 2.300 CZK (ca. 92,00 Euro) | 1.500 CZK (ca. 60,00 Euro) |
How the e-vignette works?
In order to receive an e-vignette, the vehicle's licence plate number must be registered during the ordering process. When driving on motorways and motorways that require a vignette, the number plates of the vehicles are recorded by camera bridges and compared with the registered number plates.
If there is a valid registration for the e-vignette, the licence plate is deleted again, but if this is missing, the authorities are notified and vehicles identified are stopped on the spot for inspection or fines are imposed, for example.
Please note: offences against the toll obligation in the Czech Republic can cost up to 20,000 crowns (approx. 800 euros) in fines. These fines can also be enforced after travelling in Germany.
Vehicles with alternative drive systems pay less or no tolls
In order to promote alternative and environmentally friendly drive types, the Czech Republic has opted for reduced toll charges for the e-vignette. These are 50% lower for vehicles that use natural gas (CNG) or biomethane as fuel. Plug-in hybrids (whose CO₂ emissions in combined operation are below 50g/km) pay 75% less tolls and vehicles with purely electric drives are completely exempt from tolls.
Note: To reduce or exempt from the toll obligation, a form must be completed and sent in advance on the homepage of the operating company. When travelling through the Czech Republic, this must be carried along for safety reasons.