C+E and code 95 give you the right to get behind the wheel. The tachograph card is what turns that right into a paid trip. Without it the tachograph will not record a shift, and a shift that is not in the record does not exist as far as an inspection is concerned.
What it actually is
A smart card tied to your surname and your driving licence. Driving, breaks and rest are recorded against a specific person, so the card stays permanently with one holder, never lent or borrowed "just for one trip" — a real penalty attaches to it personally. What exactly is read off it is covered in Tachograph, driving and rest rules.
Where and how to get one
In Czechia the application goes to a municipality with extended powers. Take your driving licence, a form of photo ID, and a passport-style photograph. The administrative fee is 700 Kč.
Source: Act No. 634/2004 Coll. on administrative fees — Sazebník, Položka 26 — "m) Přijetí žádosti o vydání karty řidiče Kč 700".
That amount is the fee for accepting the application, not for delivery. Ask to have the card sent to a collection point (výdejní místo) and the same item adds a further "Kč 100" under letter j). Note 7 to the item also provides for a refund where the card cannot be delivered through no fault of yours.
How long the wait is
The deadline is not set by Czech law but by a directly applicable EU regulation: the authority issues the card within 1 month of receiving the request and all necessary documentation. That second half matters — an incomplete application does not start the clock.
Source: Regulation (EU) No 165/2014, Article 26(1) — consolidated text of 20.08.2020: "Driver cards shall be issued, at the request of the driver, by the competent authority of the Member State where the driver has his normal residence. They shall be issued within one month of the receipt by the competent authority of the request and all necessary documentation."
"Fifteen days" belongs to a different card
A fifteen-day deadline circulates on forums. Fifteen working days does exist in Czech law — § 3b odst. 1 of Act No. 111/1994 Coll. sets it for the company card (karta podniku), which belongs to the operator, not the driver. Czech law sets no separate deadline for the driver card, because Article 26 of the regulation applies directly. In practice a card often arrives inside a month — but you can only plan against the deadline that binds.
A practical point: apply as soon as you hold C+E, not "when there is time". A month of waiting in the middle of an already-agreed first trip costs more than the fee does — 700 Kč is the cheapest line in the whole move to self-employment and the one that most often decides whether a date holds.
Validity and renewal
The card is valid for no more than 5 years — the regulation says "not valid for more than five years", so it is a ceiling rather than a promise. What governs is the date printed on your own card; read it instead of counting five years from issue.
Source: Regulation (EU) No 165/2014, Article 26(6) — "The driver card shall not be valid for more than five years."
Apply for the replacement before the old one expires — there must be no gap, because on the day the old card stops being valid and the new one has not arrived, you simply do not drive. Add the 1 month for issue and it is clear the application belongs in early, not in the final week. The fee is payable again: the schedule has no reduced rate for a renewal.
If it is lost or fails mid-route
It happens, and it is not a disaster. The trip can be finished by taking and keeping tachograph printouts — but the replacement application goes in immediately, not after you get back. Here that is handled with you during the trip: dispatch knows the procedure and does not leave the driver to work it out alone.
Why this matters before anyone mentions a vehicle
We check documents before you come to look at a tractor, precisely so nobody discovers on the day that a month is missing. Send a photo of your licence and card on WhatsApp and we will say straight away what is missing and how long it will take. Which three documents you need, and in what order, is set out in Category C+E.
