The latest system of Czechvehicle 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.[1]
In mid-2023, the serial of new license plates issued in the Prague region added a letter.[2]
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.
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 (it was only 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 (it was 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 (it was never used)
KV
Karlovy Vary
VS
Vsetín
LB
Liberec
VY
Vyškov
LI
Liberec
XX
Consular corps
LN
Louny
ZL
Zlín (from 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).