Car Registration Goes Digital: Online Transfers and Number Plates via Parcel Lockers
Planned legislative amendment aims to significantly reduce visits to government offices – vehicle transfers, number plates and registration documents to become largely digital
Foto: Ministerstvo dopravy ČR
The Czech government has approved a legislative amendment to further digitalise the vehicle registration system. In future, vehicle owners will be able to complete numerous procedures online via the Transport Portal. Planned measures include digital vehicle transfers and the delivery of number plates and vehicle registration certificates to parcel collection points.
According to the Ministry of Transport, vehicle ownership transfers are among the most common administrative procedures in the Czech Republic. In 2025 alone, more than 1.22 million vehicle purchases and sales were registered. Under the planned reform, buyers and sellers will be able to complete these transactions entirely online via the Portal dopravy (Transport Portal).
Another key part of the amendment concerns the Vehicle Registration Certificate Part I, commonly known as the "small registration certificate". Anyone submitting an application online will in future be able to collect the new document from a Parcel Locker. The existing option of collecting it from a government office will remain available. Those choosing collection from a parcel locker will be required to destroy the old registration certificate themselves. The same procedure will also apply to changes of address and similar amendments.
The draft legislation also introduces transferable number plates. Under certain conditions – such as the sale, deregistration or scrapping of a vehicle – owners will be able to transfer their existing registration number to another vehicle they own. Similar systems already exist in countries including Austria, Slovakia, Belgium and Switzerland.
The processing of many applications is also set to become automated. Applications and notifications submitted online via the Portal dopravy (Transport Portal) that do not require additional documentation will be processed automatically without the involvement of government officials.
In addition, the Ministry of Transport plans to introduce two further automated procedures. Vehicles reported as stolen or missing will automatically be marked as "Out of Service". Likewise, the permanent deregistration of a vehicle following environmentally compliant scrapping will automatically be recorded in the vehicle register.
Another change concerns the temporary deregistration of vehicles. Seasonal vehicles – such as motorcycles during the winter months – will in future be able to be declared "Out of Service" online and later returned to service just as easily. The current requirement to surrender number plates and vehicle documents to the authorities will be abolished.
The Czech Parliament is expected to consider the legislative amendment during this and next year. Most of the changes relating to vehicle registration are due to come into force on 1 July 2027. Individual provisions, particularly those requiring extensive IT modifications, are scheduled to take effect on 1 July 2028.
