As of the year 2019 there are two different valid systems of vehicle registration plates in the Czech Republic.

Format

The latest system of Czech vehicle registration plate was introduced between 29 June and 17 July 2001. In this system, the first letter from the left represents the region (kraj), and this is combined with numbers issued in series from 1x0 0001, where x is the letter representing the region.

By 2009, Prague (A) has reached the combination 9x9 9999 in its respective series; consequently it then started issuing plates which included a two-letter combination in the format 1xa 0000 to 9xa 9999, where x is the regional letter and a is a letter in alphabetical order (so that 1AA 9999 is followed by 1AB 0000, and so on). Shortly after that the Central-Bohemian region came. As of the beginning of the summer 2014, the South Moravian (B) and Moravian-Silesian in the November, lastly in April 2019 the Usti region. Regions were also issuing registration marks with two-letter combinations.

In mid-2023, the serial of new license plates issued in the Prague region added a letter.

Motorcycle plates have the 2-line format 1x 0001, where x is the letter representing the region.

Since 2004 with the accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union, a blue European strip with the letters CZ and European stars have been added.

As of 1 January 2015, registration numbers are not changed if the owner of a vehicle moves to another region or if the vehicle is re-registered to a new owner residing in a different region. New numbers (with the corresponding code of the region of re-registration) are assigned only in the case of damage, loss, or theft of a registration plate.

Since 2017 custom ("personalized") plates have been available, against payment of a special fee of 5 000 CZK (around 222 USD) per plate, i.e for a car it would cost 10 000 CZK and for a motorcycle 5 000 CZK. These have the format XXX-XXXXX (i.e. they have one more character than ordinary plates) and must contain at least one number. The letters G, CH, O, Q and W may not be used. The license plate cannot contain any abusive or offensive words.

Regional letters

The letter used to represent each region is derived from its Regional capital, with the exception of the Central Bohemian Region (whose capital, Prague, is a separate region in its own right). Typically, this is the first letter in the name, but sometimes a different letter is used to ensure only one region uses a given letter or to avoid the letter O due to it resembling the number 0.

Code Region Czech NameRegional capitalA (01) Capital City Prague Hlavní město PrAhaPragueB (02) South Moravia Jihomoravský krajBrnoC (03) South Bohemia Jihočeský krajČeské BudějoviceE (04) Pardubice Pardubický krajPardubicEH (05) Hradec Králové KrálovéHradecký krajHradec KrálovéJ (06) Highland (Vysočina) Region Kraj VysočinaJihlavaK (07) Karlovy Vary Karlovarský krajKarlovy VaryL (08) Liberec Liberecký krajLiberecM (09) Olomouc OloMoucký krajOloMoucP (10) Plzeň Plzeňský krajPlzeňS (11) Central Bohemia Středočeský krajPragueT (12) Moravia-Silesia Moravskoslezský krajOsTravaU (13) Ústí nad Labem Ústecký krajÚstí nad LabemZ (14) Zlín Zlínský krajZlínV Historic vehicles (From 2006 they have a format of NNV XXXX, where NN means the number code, V the letter V and X a serial number)Numbers Military vehicles, and diplomatic corps

History 1932 - 1954

This system was introduced in Czechoslovakia in 1932. The first letters are represented by region. Composition (newer form: 1945 – 1954): X-NN-NNN, white on black Composition (older form: 1932 – 1939): X-NNNNN, black on white

1954 - 2001

This system was introduced in Czechoslovakia in 1960. After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the Slovak Republic introduced a new system of car registration plates in 1997 while the Czech Republic kept issuing the old one until 2001. In the old system, the two first letters represented the district (okres). Registrations in Prague began with A, while the vehicles used by the government had registration plates beginning with AA.

Composition (older form: 1960–1984): XX-NN-NN or XXX-NN-NN Composition (newer form: 1984–2001): XX NN-NN or XXX NN-NN

(X = letters, N = numbers.)

Commercially used vehicles and heavy goods vehicle had a yellow background. Vehicles with foreign owners had a blue background and yellow letters.

List of districts Code Region Code Region A Praha MO Most AA For vehicles used by the government (until 1989) NA Náchod BE Beroun NB Nymburk BI Brno-venkov (only ever used with a yellow background for heavy goods vehicles) NJ Nový Jičín BK Blansko OC Olomouc BM Brno-město OL Olomouc BN Benešov OM Olomouc BO Brno-venkov OP Opava BR Bruntál OS Ostrava-město BS Brno-město OT Ostrava-město BV Břeclav OV Ostrava-město BZ Brno-město PA Pardubice CB České Budějovice PB Příbram CE České Budějovice PC Praha-západ CH Cheb PE Pelhřímov CK Český Krumlov PH Praha-východ CL Česká Lípa PI Písek CR Chrudim PJ Plzeň-jih CV Chomutov PM Plzeň-město DC Děčín PN Plzeň-město DD Diplomatic corps PR Přerov DO Domažlice PS Plzeň-sever FI Frýdek-Místek (never used) PT Prachatice FM Frýdek-Místek PU Pardubice GT Gottwaldov (until 1989, town then renamed to Zlín) PV Prostějov GV Gottwaldov (until 1989) PY Praha-východ HB Havlíčkův Brod PZ Praha-západ HK Hradec Králové RA Rakovník HO Hodonín RK Rychnov nad Kněžnou HR Hradec Králové RO Rokycany JC Jičín SM Semily JE Jeseník (from 1996) SO Sokolov JI Jihlava ST Strakonice JH Jindřichův Hradec SU Šumperk JN Jablonec nad Nisou SY Svitavy KA Karviná TA Tábor KD Kladno TC Tachov KH Kutná Hora TP Teplice KI Karviná TR Třebíč KL Kladno TU Trutnov KM Kroměříž UH Uherské Hradiště KO Kolín UL Ústí nad Labem KR Karlovy Vary UO Ústí nad Orlici KT Klatovy US Ústí nad Labem (never used) KV Karlovy Vary VS Vsetín LB Liberec VY Vyškov LI Liberec XX Consular corps LN Louny ZL Zlín (since 1990, previously GT/GV - Gottwaldov) LT Litoměřice ZN Znojmo MB Mladá Boleslav ZR Žďár nad Sázavou ME Mělník Numbers Military vehicle

Special license plates Diplomatic registration plates

Until 2001 diplomatic plates (as well as those on cars owned by foreign residents) in the Czech Republic used a blue background with yellow letters. Foreigners (Czechoslovakia) used same plates as DC plates except they did not use the DD or XX codes, and non-diplomatic personnel used a XX code instead. Since 2001 the yellow on blue plates have been replaced by plates with blue letters on a white background.

Others Commercial vehicles of have black letters with a yellow background, military have numbers only, rentals have red letters on a white background (discontinued), historic vehicles use green letters on a white background (always using "V" as a prefix), trailers have the district codes put in the middle (99 XXX-99 or 99 XX-99) and technical embassies use red letters on a yellow background (discontinued).

Gallery

References

External links

Czech Republic license plates, pictures and images License plates of the Czech Republic