Law
Živnostenské oprávnění, driving and rest rules, the tachograph and fines — what changes when you are the one answering. 4 articles.
A page for a driver who is moving from employment to working independently and wants to know what becomes their own responsibility from that day: documents, the tachograph card, driving and rest times, and fines. The four guides run in order: set up the živnost, the rules on the road and who the fine goes to, the tachograph card and — if you do not have them yet — category C+E with code 95. The guides are informational and do not replace legal advice; the figures below come from the law and EU regulations, each with a year and a link.
Reading order
- Živnostenské oprávnění: how to get it in one visit 5 min
Which živnost to choose, what to take to the Czech POINT and the two different insurance deadlines you must not miss.
- Driving and rest times: 9 h a day, 56 h a week, 45-minute break 8 min
The rules are the same for everyone, but the fine now comes to you personally, not to an employer. The driving caps, the break, daily and weekly rest — in one place.
- Tachograph driver card in Czechia: cost, applying, renewal 9 min
Where to apply, what it costs and what to do if the card fails on a trip. Apply for the replacement before the old one expires.
- Category C+E: what it covers, what it costs and how long it takes 6 min
What C+E covers, from what age it is granted and in what order to do C+E, code 95 and the tachograph card.
Figures from the law and EU regulations
| What | How much | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driving per day, hours: usual / at most twice a week | 9 / 10 | 2020 | eur-lex.europa.eu |
| Driving, hours: per calendar week / across any two consecutive weeks | 56 / 90 | 2020 | eur-lex.europa.eu |
| Break: minutes of driving before it (4.5 hours) / length of the uninterrupted break, minutes | 270 / 45 | 2020 | eur-lex.europa.eu |
| Daily rest, hours, at least: regular / reduced | 11 / 9 | 2020 | eur-lex.europa.eu |
| Administrative fee for accepting a driver card application | 700 Kč | 2026 | zakonyprolidi.cz |
| Longest validity of the card, years | 5 | 2020 | eur-lex.europa.eu |
| Fee for filing a živnost on entry into trade business, one-off | 1 000 Kč | 2026 | zakonyprolidi.cz |
| Deadline to notify the health insurance fund after setting up a živnost, days | 8 | 2026 | zakonyprolidi.cz |
| Deadline to notify ČSSZ, days | 15 | 2026 | zakonyprolidi.cz |
The year is the version of the source we read; for the EU regulations that is the consolidated text of 2020, and the rules apply. A reduced daily rest is shorter than a regular one. The card’s validity is a ceiling, not a fixed term: go by the date on your own card.
Common questions
- How many hours can I drive?
- 9 hours a day; twice a week at most you may extend that to 10. In a calendar week no more than 56 hours and, at the same time, no more than 90 hours across any two consecutive weeks: the second limit is the one that binds after a heavy week.
- Guide: Driving and rest times: 9 h a day, 56 h a week, 45-minute break
- Who pays a driving-time fine if I’m an OSVČ?
- You do. The rules themselves do not change with employment status; what changes is who the fine is addressed to: you, not an employer. Fines, like fuel and tolls, stay with the driver.
- Guide: Driving and rest times: 9 h a day, 56 h a week, 45-minute break
- What does a tachograph card cost and how long is it valid?
- The administrative fee for accepting the application is 700 Kč. The card is valid for no more than 5 years: that is a ceiling, not a fixed term, so go by the date on the card. Apply for the replacement before the old one expires.
- Guide: Tachograph driver card in Czechia: cost, applying, renewal
- Do I need a transport licence?
- No, not if the truck and the licence belong to the company you work with. You act as an OSVČ, not as a carrier in your own right.
- Guide: Živnostenské oprávnění: how to get it in one visit
Everything you need to start, in one list: Requirements
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