European regulations that extended the validity of driving licenses during the Covid-19 pandemic from September 2020 to June 2021 have come to an end. Expired driving licenses will no longer be valid after June. The Czech Ministry of Transport is urging citizens to renew them on the available online platform. Photo Credit: Mdcr.cz.
Czech Rep., June 21 (BD) – During the state of emergency, the European Parliament passed a measure extending the validity of driving licenses or professional licenses expiring between September 1st, 2020, and June 30th, 2021. The EU Regulation Omnibus II followed last year’s Omnibus I, which covered the period from February 1st to August 31st, 2020, extending the validity by 10 months.
According to estimates by the Czech Ministry of Transport, quoted in the Czech media outlet Novinky, the extension of driver’s licenses affected around 200,000 people. However, the European Regulation will come to an end by the end of June, and citizens are being reminded to renew their driver’s licenses.
In cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior, on June 1st, the Ministry of Transport launched a platform for electronic applications for the renewal of driving licenses nearing the end of their validity. Drivers whose old licenses have already expired can now apply for a replacement on the online Citizen Portal.
“Each year, around 500 or 750 thousand people need to exchange their driving licences, after the expiration of their ten-year validity. They can now do it online from the comfort of their home. In just a few clicks on the Citizen Portal, they can submit an application in several minutes. They can then collect their new driving licence at a chosen authority,” said Minister of Transport Karel Havlíček.
Users of the platform can sign in either with eID, eGovernment mobile key, via data mailbox, or a bank ID. They will then see a form with their data taken from the Central Register of Drivers.
“The eGovernment proved its benefits especially during the pandemic, when the use of electronic communication skyrocketed. An online application for a driving license is another feature that will save time not only for citizens but also the authorities,” Minister of Interior Jan Hamáček.
