Speech
3.3
The person posts on a public social-media account, under their own name, that the Holocaust did not happen and the gas chambers are a fabrication. The post contains no threat, no call to violence, and names no living individual.
Criminal Code § 405 makes public denial or questioning of Nazi, communist or other genocide a crime punishable by 6 months to 3 years in prison. The Supreme Prosecutor's Office reported 20 suspended sentences, one fine and one waived penalty for § 405 between 2011 and 2018, and no unsuspended prison terms. Police open investigations into online posts, and since 2022 they have also used § 405 against posts approving Russian war crimes.
Sources: Trestní zákoník (Criminal Code) č. 40/2009 Sb., consolidated text · Seznam Zprávy: Popírání holokaustu - tresty i osvěta (prosecution statistics, 2018)
The person posts a public rant using slurs against an ethnic or religious group, saying the group is inferior and unwelcome in the country. No threat, no call to violence, no named individual.
Criminal Code § 355 (defamation of a nation, race or group) carries up to 2 years in prison, or up to 3 years if committed through a publicly accessible computer network. § 356 (incitement to hatred) carries 6 months to 3 years when committed online. In 2024 police recorded 159 hate crimes, prosecuted 119 people and saw 63 convicted. Sentences for speech offences are typically suspended terms or fines.
Sources: Trestní zákoník (Criminal Code) č. 40/2009 Sb., consolidated text · Advokátní deník: Policie loni evidovala 159 nenávistných trestných činů (2025)
At a lawful, peaceful protest in a public square, the person burns a national flag they own and a copy of the dominant religion's scripture they own. No fire-safety rule is broken.
Flag desecration is not a crime. Act 352/2001 § 13(1)(a) makes destroying or grossly disparaging a state symbol an administrative offence with a fine of up to 30,000 CZK. Czech law has no blasphemy offence. Burning one's own scripture is not covered by § 355 unless it amounts to public defamation of a group. No reported fines or prosecutions for protest flag burning were found.
Sources: Zákon o užívání státních symbolů č. 352/2001 Sb., § 13 · Advokátní deník: Hanobení státní vlajky a liberální právní úpravy ČR (2023)
The person posts that the head of state is a criminal and a pedophile. They have no evidence and present it as their opinion of the leader.
The special offence of defaming the president was repealed with effect from 1 January 1998. A 2016 bill to restore it failed. The president is protected only by general criminal defamation (§ 184: up to 1 year, or up to 2 years via media). § 184 applies only to verifiable false facts, so a 'pedophile' accusation can qualify but 'criminal' as a value judgment does not. In practice presidents have used civil personality-rights suits (e.g. Zeman v. Bártík), and no recent criminal conviction for insulting a president was found.
Sources: Trestní zákoník (Criminal Code) č. 40/2009 Sb., consolidated text · Bílková, Urážka hlavy státu jako trestný čin? Právník 3/2018
The person prints and hands out a pamphlet praising an organisation the state has banned as terrorist or extremist, saying its cause is just. The pamphlet urges no specific act, and the person has no contact with the group.
Several offences apply. § 404 (public sympathy for a movement suppressing human rights) carries 6 months to 3 years. § 403(1) (supporting or propagating such a movement) carries 1 to 5 years, rising to 3 to 10 years when committed via print. § 312e(1) (publicly approving a terrorist crime or praising its perpetrators) carries 1 to 5 years, rising to 3 to 12 years via print. In practice, people who publicly approved Russia's aggression were charged under §§ 365/405 and mostly received suspended sentences, community service or fines.
Sources: Trestní zákoník (Criminal Code) č. 40/2009 Sb., consolidated text · ČTK/České noviny: NSZ - žalobci loni za schvalování ruské agrese obžalovali nejméně šest lidí (2023)
The person repeatedly refers to a named transgender public figure by their former pronouns and name in public posts, with no threats and no contact with the figure.
Misgendering is not a criminal or administrative offence, and Czechia has no self-ID registry offence. The figure could in theory bring a civil personality-rights action (Civil Code §§ 81-82, 2956) seeking an end to the interference and compensation, but no such judgment was found. Hate-speech offences (§§ 355-356) require defamation of, or incitement against, a group, not misgendering one person.
Sources: Občanský zákoník (Civil Code) č. 89/2012 Sb., §§ 81-90, 2956 · Trestní zákoník (Criminal Code) č. 40/2009 Sb., consolidated text
Libel
5.7
A blogger writes that a named local businessman (a private figure) is a fraud. The claim is false, but the blogger honestly believed it after reading a news report.
Criminal defamation (§ 184: up to 1 year, or 2 years via the internet) requires intent about the falsity, so an honest belief excludes criminal liability. In civil law the businessman can sue under Civil Code §§ 82 and 2956 for retraction, an apology and compensation for non-pecuniary harm, because a false factual claim is an unlawful interference whatever the author's good faith. Awards are usually modest, and costs follow the loser-pays tariff.
Sources: Trestní zákoník (Criminal Code) č. 40/2009 Sb., consolidated text · Občanský zákoník (Civil Code) č. 89/2012 Sb., §§ 81-90, 2956
A journalist accurately reports, with evidence, that a sitting politician is having an extramarital affair. The politician sues for defamation and invasion of privacy.
Truth defeats defamation (§ 184 requires a false statement), but Civil Code § 86 separately protects private life, and courts balance privacy against press freedom case by case. The Constitutional Court holds that politicians must tolerate more scrutiny (e.g. I. ÚS 2246/12, Paroubková v. Ringier, rejecting a privacy claim). A purely private affair with no link to public office can still lead to an apology order or damages.
Sources: Občanský zákoník (Civil Code) č. 89/2012 Sb., §§ 81-90, 2956 · Ústavní soud I. ÚS 2246/12 (Paroubková v. Ringier ČR)
A foreign billionaire sues a local critic in local courts over a harsh but clearly opinion-based review of their business conduct.
Czechia had no anti-SLAPP mechanism in force as of the latest information found. A Ministry of Justice bill to transpose Directive 2024/1069 (security for costs, fines up to 50,000 CZK for abusive suits) was still in Parliament at the 7 May 2026 deadline. Value judgments are protected under Constitutional Court case law, but the critic must defend through trial. Costs are recovered on a loser-pays tariff. A criminal complaint for defamation cannot succeed against pure opinion.
Sources: EAPIL: Status of the Anti-SLAPP Directive transpositions at the 7 May 2026 deadline · Česká justice: Kdo zažaluje novináře nebo aktivistu, složí peněžní záruku (2025)
Arms
5.7
The person wants to buy a common centrefire semi-automatic rifle (e.g. an AR-15 pattern rifle with a 30-round magazine) and keep it at home.
Under Act 90/2024 (in force 2026), a centrefire semi-automatic fitted with a magazine over 10 rounds is category R2. An R2 exemption (§ 48) is issued to a firearms-licence holder only for a listed reason: collecting, historical reenactment, or sport shooting with proof of 12 months of active club training. The same rifle with a 10-round magazine needs only an R3 permit, which is available for self-defence (§ 50). Possessing a firearm without authorisation is a crime under § 279 (up to 2 years).
Sources: Zákon o zbraních a střelivu č. 90/2024 Sb. (in force 1 Jan 2026) · Trestní zákoník (Criminal Code) č. 40/2009 Sb., consolidated text
The person wants to buy a 9mm handgun and keep it loaded at home for self-defence.
Under Act 90/2024 § 50, a holder of a general firearms authorisation (an objective test of exam, health and integrity) gets an R3 permit on request for 'protection of life, health or property', so self-defence is an accepted reason. The storage duty (§§ 83-84) applies only to guns outside the owner's immediate control, so a loaded gun at hand at home is lawful. Unlicensed possession is a crime (§ 279, up to 2 years).
Sources: Zákon o zbraních a střelivu č. 90/2024 Sb. (in force 1 Jan 2026) · Self-defence law (Czech Republic) - Wikipedia
The person wants to carry a loaded handgun, concealed, in everyday public places.
Carrying a registered firearm requires the extended firearms authorisation (rozšířené zbrojní oprávnění, the former licence group D). It is issued on objective criteria: age 21, a theory exam (28 of 30 questions), a shooting test, a medical certificate and integrity. Carry must be concealed (§ 80). There is no need requirement, but the exam, medical and fees involve real cost.
Sources: Zákon o zbraních a střelivu č. 90/2024 Sb. (in force 1 Jan 2026) · Self-defence law (Czech Republic) - Wikipedia
The person wants to carry pepper spray, or a folding knife with a 9 cm locking blade, in public for self-defence.
Knives other than firearms are not regulated by Czech weapons law, and pepper spray is legal for adults without a permit. Restrictions apply at assemblies (Act 84/1990 § 7(3) bars items that can injure), courts, airports and some events. The Interior Ministry has recommended sprays for self-defence.
Sources: Self-defence law (Czech Republic) - Wikipedia · Zákon o zbraních a střelivu č. 90/2024 Sb. (in force 1 Jan 2026)
The person wants to own a machine gun, or a destructive device such as an artillery piece or a grenade launcher with live rounds.
Fully automatic weapons are category R1. Under Act 90/2024 § 46, an R1 exemption is issued only to holders of a ZL2 firearms business licence who show a need for a listed purpose (collecting or museum activity, film, training, protection of sensitive sites). Ordinary private persons therefore have a narrow, licence-dependent route. Possessing one without authorisation is a crime (§ 279, up to 2 years; prohibited combat means § 280, 2 to 8 years).
Sources: Zákon o zbraních a střelivu č. 90/2024 Sb. (in force 1 Jan 2026) · Trestní zákoník (Criminal Code) č. 40/2009 Sb., consolidated text
Self-defense
7.5
At night, a stranger armed with a knife breaks into the person's home. The person shoots and kills the intruder with a lawfully held gun.
Criminal Code § 29 makes self-defence lawful unless it was 'manifestly disproportionate' to the attack. A 2021 constitutional amendment added the right to defend life with arms. In the 2021 Vochov case, a homeowner who shot an axe-armed intruder was not arrested, but police investigated for about eight months before closing the case as self-defence. No castle doctrine or presumption exists.
Sources: Trestní zákoník (Criminal Code) č. 40/2009 Sb., consolidated text · ČT24: Majitel domu zastřelil zloděje v sebeobraně. Policie případ odložila (2021)
On the street, a stranger attacks the person with fists. The person could safely walk away but instead punches back once, breaking the attacker's nose.
Self-defence (§ 29) has no subsidiarity requirement, so there is no duty to retreat, unlike necessity (§ 28). Only manifestly disproportionate defence is unlawful. A single punch answering an ongoing fist attack is within the standard, and in practice such cases end at the police-inquiry stage.
Sources: Trestní zákoník (Criminal Code) č. 40/2009 Sb., consolidated text · Self-defence law (Czech Republic) - Wikipedia
Medical freedom
4.2
The person wants to buy a course of amoxicillin for a sinus infection without seeing a doctor.
Amoxicillin is prescription-only. Pharmacies may sell only registered non-prescription medicines by mail order (Medicines Act § 85(1)), so lawful online purchase without a prescription is impossible. Supply requires a doctor's e-prescription at the doctor's discretion. General practitioners are accessible through public insurance.
Sources: Zákon o léčivech č. 378/2007 Sb., §§ 8, 49, 85
The person wants to take a drug approved by the EMA or FDA but not approved in their own country, for a non-terminal condition.
EMA centrally authorised drugs are automatically valid in Czechia. A drug approved only by the FDA or another state can be prescribed by the treating doctor under Medicines Act § 8(3) if no equivalent is marketed in Czechia, it is registered in another state, and use is scientifically justified. The doctor must notify SÚKL. Patients cannot lawfully order prescription medicines by post themselves (§ 85).
Sources: Zákon o léčivech č. 378/2007 Sb., §§ 8, 49, 85
A terminally ill patient wants a drug that has passed Phase 1 trials but is not approved anywhere, and the manufacturer is willing to supply it.
A drug registered nowhere cannot be prescribed under § 8(3), which requires foreign registration. The route is a specific treatment programme (Medicines Act § 49) proposed by the manufacturer or a doctor, approved by the Ministry of Health after a SÚKL opinion, for conditions seriously threatening health. Approval is discretionary but programmes are routinely approved. EU-level compassionate use under Reg. 726/2004 art. 83 also applies.
Sources: Zákon o léčivech č. 378/2007 Sb., §§ 8, 49, 85
The person wants to sell one of their kidneys to a willing recipient, with surgery by licensed surgeons.
Criminal Code § 166 punishes offering, giving, requesting or accepting payment for removal of an organ, or for a transplant, with up to 5 years in prison, for both payer and seller. The Transplant Act permits only cost reimbursement. No reported prosecutions were found, because the transplant system's donor review stops paid donations.
Sources: Trestní zákoník (Criminal Code) č. 40/2009 Sb., consolidated text
An adult declines a vaccine the state recommends or mandates for adults (score the strictest adult mandate in force in the last 5 years).
Adults must take periodic tetanus boosters (Decree 537/2006 § 4(5)), and refusal is an administrative offence with a fine of up to 10,000 CZK (Public Health Act § 92k(6)(a), (7)(d)); this is rarely enforced. From November 2021, a '2G' rule barred unvaccinated people from restaurants, hotels, events and services. The Supreme Administrative Court annulled it on 2 February 2022. A planned COVID mandate for over-60s and some professions was withdrawn before taking effect.
Sources: Zákon o ochraně veřejného zdraví č. 258/2000 Sb., § 92k · Vyhláška o očkování č. 537/2006 Sb., § 4 · COVID-19 Litigation: Czech Supreme Administrative Court annuls 2G rule (2022)
Drugs
4.3
The person is found with 5 grams of cannabis for personal use.
From 1 January 2026, Addictive Substances Act § 5(12) lets adults over 21 possess up to 25 g of cannabis outside the home and 100 g at home without any permit. Possessing 25 to 50 g in public is an administrative offence (§ 39(2)(b), fine up to 50,000 CZK). Only more than 50 g in public or 200 g at home is a crime (Criminal Code § 285(2)). 5 g is therefore lawful for the 30-year-old.
Sources: Zákon o návykových látkách č. 167/1998 Sb., §§ 5(12)-(13), 39 · Trestní zákoník (Criminal Code) č. 40/2009 Sb., consolidated text
The person is found with one personal dose of psilocybin mushrooms or MDMA.
Possessing a 'small amount' of any controlled substance other than cannabis, including psilocybin and MDMA, is an administrative offence under Addictive Substances Act § 39(2)(e), with a fine of up to 50,000 CZK. Amounts above 'small' are a crime under § 284 (up to 2 years). Medical psilocybin is legal only through a specialist doctor.
Sources: Zákon o návykových látkách č. 167/1998 Sb., §§ 5(12)-(13), 39 · Trestní zákoník (Criminal Code) č. 40/2009 Sb., consolidated text
The person sells 30 grams of cannabis to another adult.
Since 2026, selling cannabis falls under the separate Criminal Code § 283a: up to 1 year for the basic offence and up to 2 years for a 'larger extent'. There is no licensed retail channel. Selling other drugs (§ 283) carries 1 to 5 years.
Sources: Trestní zákoník (Criminal Code) č. 40/2009 Sb., consolidated text
Sex and family
7.2
Two adults agree to have sex for money, in private, with no third party involved.
Prostitution is unregulated at statute level, so private paid sex between adults is legal for both parties. Only pimping (§ 189: 6 months to 4 years), trafficking and prostitution near children (§ 190) are crimes. Municipalities may ban solicitation in public places by ordinance, which does not reach private arrangements.
Sources: Trestní zákoník (Criminal Code) č. 40/2009 Sb., consolidated text · Rozkoš bez rizika: Legislativa (legal status of sex work in CZ)
Three consenting adults want to live together as a family, share property, and make binding arrangements for inheritance, medical decisions and parenting.
Only concluding a second marriage or registered partnership is a crime (§ 194). Cohabitation of three adults is lawful. Wills, co-ownership contracts and healthcare proxies are available under the Civil Code. The law recognises only two legal parents and no group marriage or partnership, so parenthood and spousal inheritance cannot be extended to a third adult.
Sources: Trestní zákoník (Criminal Code) č. 40/2009 Sb., consolidated text · Občanský zákoník (Civil Code) č. 89/2012 Sb., §§ 81-90, 2956
Parents want to homeschool their 10-year-old using their own curriculum.
Education Act § 41 lets the school director permit individual (home) education on written application. The applicant must show 'serious reasons', suitable conditions, and that the teaching parent holds at least a secondary school leaving certificate (a university degree for grades 6-9). The child takes exams at the school every half-year on the national curriculum. Permission ends if the child fails. Directors usually approve, but the curriculum must track the national framework.
Sources: Školský zákon č. 561/2004 Sb., § 41
Privacy
6.0
The state wants to read the person's end-to-end encrypted messages, although they are suspected of no serious crime.
Interception of content requires a judicial order and an offence carrying at least 8 years, or a listed offence (Criminal Procedure Code § 88). Traffic-data access requires a judge's order for offences carrying 3 or more years (§ 88a). Intelligence services need consent from a High Court judge. There is no key-disclosure offence or backdoor mandate. Providers must retain metadata on all users for 6 months (Electronic Communications Act § 97), which is a general retention duty.
Sources: Trestní řád (Code of Criminal Procedure) č. 141/1961 Sb.
The person wants a prepaid SIM card and an internet connection without giving their identity.
Czechia does not require registration of prepaid SIM cards; it is the last central European country where they can be bought anonymously. Proposals to end anonymity (2005, 2020, December 2025) have not become law. Fixed internet requires a contract in one's name.
Sources: HN: Zrušení anonymních SIM karet v ČR (Dec 2025) · Globe24: Bude prolomena anonymita SIM karet? (2020 proposal)
The person wants to pay a dealer 15,000 USD (or the local equivalent) in cash for a used car.
Act 254/2004 § 4 requires payments above 270,000 CZK per day between the same parties to be cashless. 15,000 USD (about 310,000-345,000 CZK) exceeds the limit. Both payer and recipient commit an administrative offence, with fines of up to 500,000 CZK for an individual and up to 5,000,000 CZK for a business. Tax and trade authorities enforce it in inspections.
Sources: Zákon o omezení plateb v hotovosti č. 254/2004 Sb.
Conscience and association
8.5
The person wants to found a new religion, or an association, and hold weekly meetings without registering it.
Freedom of religion, including private or collective worship, is guaranteed without registration (Churches Act 3/2002 § 2). Registration is needed only for legal personality. Informal associations may meet without registering, and a spolek registers only to gain legal personality.
Sources: Zákon o církvích a náboženských společnostech č. 3/2002 Sb., § 2 · Občanský zákoník (Civil Code) č. 89/2012 Sb., §§ 81-90, 2956
The person organises a protest of 50 people in a public square with one day's notice to nobody. It is peaceful.
Assembly Act 84/1990 § 5 requires notice to the municipality at least 5 days in advance. Organising without notice is an administrative offence (§ 14(3)(a), fine up to 15,000 CZK). An unnotified assembly may be dissolved only if grounds for a ban exist (§ 12(2)), so a peaceful one is normally tolerated. Fines on organisers are occasional.
Sources: Zákon o právu shromažďovacím č. 84/1990 Sb.
The person publicly announces they have left the country's dominant religion, or Islam, and criticises it.
Czech law has no apostasy or blasphemy offence. The Churches Act § 2(1) guarantees the right to change religion or have none, and § 2(5) bars restricting anyone's rights for being without religion. Criticising religion is protected unless it amounts to group defamation or incitement under §§ 355-356.
Sources: Zákon o církvích a náboženských společnostech č. 3/2002 Sb., § 2
Movement and exit
7.5
The person wants to move abroad permanently, taking 1 million USD of savings and shares.
Czechia levies no exit tax on individuals. Its ATAD exit tax applies only to companies and permanent establishments, and there are no capital controls or wealth tax. A departing resident only notifies the tax office and the health insurer and files a final return for the residence period.
Sources: PwC Tax Summaries: Czech Republic - Corporate - Other taxes (exit tax) · Moving from Czech Republic Tax Guide 2026
The person, who already holds another citizenship, wants to renounce this one.
Under Citizenship Act 186/2013 § 40, citizenship is lost by declaration only if the person permanently lives abroad, has no registered permanent residence in Czechia and holds, or is acquiring, another citizenship. Proof of foreign residence and nationality is required. A person living in Czechia cannot renounce until they move abroad. Czechia has no military-service or tax-clearance condition.
Sources: Zákon o státním občanství ČR č. 186/2013 Sb., § 40
Property and process
6.5
Police find 20,000 USD in cash in the person's car at a traffic stop. They charge no crime.
Money can be seized only within criminal proceedings, which may be at the pre-charge 'prověřování' stage. Seizure requires facts suggesting it is an instrument or proceeds of crime (Criminal Procedure Code § 79a), ordered by police with prosecutor consent, not a judge, and open to complaint. It must be returned once no longer needed (§ 80). No civil forfeiture applies to a sum this size: the 2026 government bill on unexplained-wealth confiscation sets a 1 million CZK threshold and requires a court decision.
Sources: Trestní řád (Code of Criminal Procedure) č. 141/1961 Sb. · Česká justice: Zabavování majetku bez rozsudku? Vláda má jasný plán (2026)
The person is arrested for a non-violent offence carrying up to 2 years in prison. They have a home and a job.
A detained person must be handed to a court within 48 hours, and the judge must decide within 24 hours of the prosecutor's motion (Criminal Procedure Code § 77). Custody is barred for intentional offences with a maximum of 2 years or less, except for flight, interference or repeat offending (§ 68(2)-(3)). Czech law has no money-bail-as-default. A person with a home and a job is normally released by police without a custody motion.
Sources: Trestní řád (Code of Criminal Procedure) č. 141/1961 Sb.
The person wants to build a 20 m² wooden shed on their own rural land.
Under Building Act 283/2021, a shed up to 40 m² is a permit-free 'drobná stavba' only on the plot of a family or recreation house (Annex 1(1)(a)(1)), or a hunting/forestry hut up to 30 m². On open rural land outside the built-up area, construction is allowed only for agriculture, forestry and similar uses (§ 122). An agricultural building up to 60 m² is a 'simple building' that still needs a permit (Annex 2). Building without permission brings fines of up to 4,000,000 CZK in undeveloped areas, plus a removal order.
Sources: Stavební zákon č. 283/2021 Sb., Annexes 1-2