My hands gripped the steering wheel at 9 and 2. I took deep yoga breaths and tried to take comfort in the calming presence of Petr, my driving instructor, in the seat next to me, as the examiner barked out, “NEXT CROSSROADS TURN LEFT!” I edged tentatively into the intersection, looked left, then right, then left again, and crept cautiously through the turn like my grandma (or, rather, like someone else’s grandma; my grandma was famous for her lead foot and belief that stop signs are optional). I had been driving successfully for 30 years, and yet here I was nervously taking my road test all over again for my Czech license.
You may think you don’t need a Czech license, but I am here to tell you a bitter truth: except for diplomats, all people who are in the Czech Republic on long-term or permanent residence who drive a car must by law have a Czech driver’s license “within 3 months of date of official validity” of long-term or permanent residence, according to the praha.eu website. If a police officer stops you and you don’t have a Czech license, he may impose a hefty fine and confiscate your foreign license. Even worse, if you are in a crash without a Czech license, your insurance likely won’t pay damages. Citizens of the EU or of countries covered by the Vienna and Geneva Conventions on Road Traffic (such as South Korea and Canada) can simply exchange their licenses for a Czech one. But for those unfortunates like me who hail from other lands, the process is a bit more complicated. Nonetheless, having gone through it and come out the proud holder of a Czech license, I promise you that you can do it too, if you follow a few steps.
1. But I Already Know How to Drive!: The Preliminaries
To get your license, you can’t simply walk in and take the written and road test; you must have a driving instructor, who will give you lessons and schedule your tests for you. If you speak Czech well enough to take the written and road tests in Czech, you can save some money by going to a Czech autoškola. However, if your Czech isn’t particularly strong (and it needs to be quite good for the written test), you will want an instructor who specializes in foreigners and who will provide you with a translator for the written exam. (See below for a list of instructors who have been recommended by expats.)
Once you have found an instructor, you need your doctor to fill out a medical form showing that you are fit to drive. After your instructor submits the medical form to the authorities, you must wait at least one month before you can take your test (although in reality it can be much longer; for me it was 3-1/2 months), and you will begin your lessons.
Before I started the lessons, I had felt grumpy about having to take them, but in fact I found them useful and even enjoyable. Petr helped me learn the intricacies of Czech driving laws (which differ in a number of ways from U.S. laws) and had me practice driving on streets that were likely to be on the exam. He also gave me tips about ways examiners will try to trick you during your test. Most instructors won’t make an experienced driver take (and pay for) the full driving course. I only had eight lessons, for example.
2. Channeling Your Inner Kafka: The Written Test
Your instructor will give you a study guide to prepare for the test. There is a bank of 840 possible questions, from which 30 will be drawn for your written exam. The exam is given on a computer, and you will have 30 minutes to complete it. The questions are in Czech, but you are allowed a translator. The questions are worth 50 points, and a passing grade is 42 or above. Questions about technical rules (e.g. where to affix an inspection sticker) are worth one point each, while questions about more important topics (e.g. who has right of way at an intersection) are worth two or even four points. You will be stupefied by the bureaucratic language of the rules, but I nonetheless strongly recommended studying them. A typical question whose absurdity I had mocked – “A pedestrian a. is also a person walking a dog, b. is not a person who is moving using a manual or motorized wheelchair, or c. is not a person who is pulling a sled” – turned up on my exam! (The correct answer is a.)
3. Drive Like Grandma: The Road Test
For me this was the most difficult part of the whole process. Even if you never drive in the city center, your test will likely be there, where you will face heavy traffic and unfamiliar streets. Your instructor will ride with you and help translate if necessary, but I found that speaking Czech with my examiner helped predispose him favorably toward me. However, my best advice is to drive under the speed limit (but not too slowly – you can fail for going too slowly too) and to be sure that the examiner sees you checking the mirrors and side streets when you don’t have right-of-way. Remember that the examiner can’t see your eyes move, so you must physically turn your head. To paraphrase the cynical moral lesson of Tom Jones, “It’s not enough to be a good driver. You must also seem good.”
You should also be prepared to fail your first time; many excellent drivers I know did fail at least once. Fortunately, you don’t have to undergo the driving courses or written exam again. You just retake the road test the next available time.
4. Kafka Revisited: The Driver’s License Office
After you pass, your instructor will give you a sheaf of papers to take to the municipal office for your license. You will also need a photo (you can get these at a passport-photo store, which offers the advantage of letting you retake your photo until you get one that’s flattering) and your identification. You will be delighted to learn that the municipal office is not like a DMV in, say, the U.S. The office I visited, near Vyšehrad, was clean, uncrowded, and staffed by friendly workers, and featured a beautiful view we could enjoy while waiting. If you have a biometric card, you will not need any other identification. Otherwise, bring your passport, signed rental agreements, proof of health insurance, proof of employment, and numerous other documents. (Your instructor will let you know what you’ll need.) Once the office has your paperwork, it takes them up to 20 days to make the actual license, but you can check their website to see if yours is ready early.
You did it! You can drive with confidence and bask in the knowledge that you have done the right thing. And if you’re lucky, your new license photo will be attractive too!
Driving Instructors Recommended by Expats
Petr Sim, www.petrsim.cz
Ondřej Horázný, www.ridicak.cz
Autoškola King, www.autoskolaking.cz
Hele Autoškola, www.heleautoskola.cz
Mari Schindele moved to Prague as her first expat assignment and recently her family was relocated to Switzerland. She enjoys hiking, yoga, knitting, reading, and singing.
