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Permitra • Czech Republic • 2026–2027
Waste transport permit in the Czech Republic – the Czech authorisation for waste carriers
Do you haul waste to, from or through the Czech Republic? We explain where the carrier obligation comes from, who it applies to, what the authorities check and where the rules leave room for interpretation.
- Czech Waste Act No. 541/2020 Sb.
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1157
The short answer
Yes, a carrier from Ireland or the UK also needs a Czech authorisation
Since 1 January 2021, the Czech Waste Act has required a waste carrier to notify its activity before starting it (§95(1)). The rule also covers companies established outside the Czech Republic, both inside and outside the EU.
Registration as a carrier in your own country does not replace the Czech notification.
Before accepting a job
Three separate questions
- Company: is it a waste carrier within the meaning of the Czech Act?
- Waste: hazardous or not?
- Shipment: Annex VII or notification?
The Czech system: notification of a waste carrier
The basis is the Czech Waste Act No. 541/2020 Sb. (zákon o odpadech), in force since 1 January 2021, together with the implementing decree No. 273/2021 Sb. (vyhláška) on the details of waste management. For a carrier the Act does not provide for a permit decision. A waste carrier (dopravce odpadu) must notify (ohlásit) its activity before starting it. After notification the company appears in a publicly available list of waste carriers. In practice, this notification is what people call the “Czech permit”.
| Element | What the rules say |
|---|---|
| Obligation | Notification of waste carrier activity before it starts (§95(1)) |
| Authority for foreign companies | The Prague Municipal Authority (Magistrát hlavního města Prahy) – for carriers established outside the Czech Republic (§96(1)) |
| List | The list of waste carriers in the waste management information system, run by the Ministry of the Environment (MŽP), is publicly available (§128(3)) |
| Validity | The rules set no expiry date. Interruption or termination of the activity must be notified within 15 days, and its resumption before it resumes (§95(1)) |
The notification concerns the company, not a particular vehicle or a particular load. The requirements for the vehicle and the shipment are covered in sections 03 and 04.
Who is affected
The Act defines a waste carrier as a legal entity or business that transports for the needs of others, carries waste of which it is not the producer, and does not carry it to or from its own waste treatment facility (§3(2)(f)). A transport company providing waste haulage to customers falls within this definition. The location of the company’s seat does not matter, because the Act expressly provides an authority for carriers established outside the Czech Republic.
Own waste and own facility
The definition does not cover a company that carries waste it has produced itself, or transport to or from its own waste treatment facility. Such companies have other obligations under the Waste Act.
Additional obligations
The carrier notification does not distinguish between types of waste. For hazardous waste, however, additional obligations apply: ADR rules and notification by the consignor of every domestic transport of hazardous waste (§78; this does not apply to cross-border shipments, §46(1)(d)).
Carriers from the UK and Ukraine
The notification duty also applies to carriers from third countries, which includes the United Kingdom and Ukraine. For transport crossing the EU border, the requirements of Regulation 2024/1157 for third countries come on top, which we cover in the article Waste shipments from the EU to Ukraine.
On the road: “A” plates and documents in the vehicle
A vehicle carrying waste on public roads is marked with two white, reflective “A” plates (§46(2)(c) of the Act and §17 of decree 273/2021). The plate is 40 cm wide and at least 30 cm high, with a black letter “A” 20 cm tall and 2 cm thick. One plate goes at the front and the other at the rear, and for a vehicle combination with a trailer, at the rear of the trailer. The obligation does not apply to vehicles of categories M1 and N1. “A” plates do not replace ADR marking.
The carrier also has obligations towards the driver (§46(2)):
- inform the driver that waste is being carried;
- provide the driver with a document stating the type and category of the waste, its owner and the destination facility or site, and ensure that this document accompanies the waste throughout the transport.
All parties involved in the transport must present the shipment documents on request of the inspection authority and keep them for 5 years from the start of the transport (§46(1)(b)–(c)). Transport of waste within the Czech Republic may not take longer than 48 hours, and for medical, veterinary and other biological waste not longer than 24 hours (§46(3)).
Cross-border transport: Annex VII, notification and DIWASS
The Czech notification concerns the carrier. The procedure for a specific shipment is set by Regulation (EU) 2024/1157, applicable from 21 May 2026. For eligible waste destined for recovery this is Annex VII (Art. 18); in other cases it is prior written notification and consent (the notification procedure). Information on the shipment is made available electronically in the EU system DIWASS. The Czech Act defines cross-border shipment as transport to the Czech Republic, from the Czech Republic or through the Czech Republic (§3(1)(w)).
In the part dealing with shipments, the Czech Act still refers to the repealed Regulation 1013/2006. Such references are read as references to Regulation 2024/1157 (Art. 85(8) of Regulation 2024/1157). Where waste is shipped between the UK and the EU, the requirements of Regulation 2024/1157 for third countries apply as well; we do not go into their details here.
Inspections and penalties
Administrative offences under the Waste Act are handled primarily by the Czech Environmental Inspectorate (Česká inspekce životního prostředí, ČIŽP), and some of them also by municipalities with extended powers (§123). In cross-border shipments, the customs office must detain the waste, its packaging or the vehicle carrying it where there is a reasonable suspicion of a serious breach of the EU shipment regulation or the Czech Waste Act and a reasonable suspicion that the shipment is illegal (under the EU regulation or the Czech Act) or carried out contrary to the consent of the Ministry (§137).
Transport without notification
The company carries waste in the Czech Republic but has not notified its activity as a carrier.
Consequence: a fine for the company (§121(4)(c)).
No “A” plates or document
A vehicle without the marking, or a driver without the waste document.
Consequence: a fine for the company (§121(2)(j)).
Transport documents not retained
The transport documents are not kept for 5 years from the start of the transport.
Consequence: a fine for the company (§121(2)(h)).
Illegal shipment
The wrong shipment procedure, e.g. Annex VII instead of notification.
Consequence: a fine for the company (§121(4)(g)) and possible detention of the waste, packaging or vehicle.
The amount of a fine in a particular case is set by the authority. The practical consequence is often more serious than the fine itself: a detained vehicle and an undelivered load.
Open questions and points to settle for a specific company
- Pure transit without loading or unloading in the Czech Republic. The Act covers shipments “through the Czech Republic”, and the definition of a carrier contains no exception for transit. We have not, however, found an official interpretation that addresses the case of mere passage directly. It is safer to assume that the notification obligation applies to transit as well.
- Carrying own waste and freight forwarding. The definition of a carrier depends on whose waste it is and where it is going. A company carrying its own waste, or a forwarder who only arranges the transport, needs a separate assessment.
- Waste classification. Classification of the waste decides the additional obligations for hazardous waste and the shipment procedure. For mixed loads or uncertain codes, it must be settled before departure.
We describe the requirements in other countries along your route in the overview Waste transport across Europe in 2026/2027.
Frequently asked questions
Is registration as a carrier in Ireland or the UK enough to transport waste in the Czech Republic?
No. Registration in your own country does not replace the Czech notification. A waste carrier in the Czech Republic must notify its activity under the Czech Waste Act before starting transports.
Is the Czech authorisation needed if I only drive through the Czech Republic?
The Act covers shipments of waste through the Czech Republic and provides no exception for transit. There is no official interpretation addressing mere passage directly, so it is safer to hold the authorisation for transit as well.
Since when has this requirement applied?
Since 1 January 2021, the date the Waste Act No. 541/2020 Sb. entered into force.
How long is the Czech authorisation valid?
The rules set no expiry date. Interruption or termination of the activity must, however, be notified, and its resumption is notified before it resumes.
Does a carrier from the UK or Ukraine also need a Czech authorisation?
Yes. The Act covers carriers established outside the Czech Republic, including outside the EU. The United Kingdom and Ukraine are third countries: the Czech notification applies to them in the same way, and for transport crossing the EU border the requirements of Regulation 2024/1157 for third countries come on top. We cover the Ukrainian route in a separate article.
How long must transport documents be kept?
For 5 years from the start of the transport (§46(1)(c) of the Waste Act).