Cechia

It is a legal requirement to carry ID. Always carry your passport. The police may fine or arrest you if you do not. They will normally accept a scan of your passport if you have not committed a crime.

Stag groups are not allowed to enter some city centre bars and restaurants. You may be arrested or fined for drunken or offensive behaviour. Police may take you to ‘sober-up’ facilities for a temporary period, and you will have to pay for your stay.

The possession, sale and distribution of drugs, including cannabis, is illegal, and the drugs are often dangerous counterfeits. Some shops, particularly in Prague, advertise ‘cannabis products’, which contain trace amounts of THC permissible under Czech law.

You should expect severe penalties such as a long jail sentence and heavy fines for possessing, using or smuggling illegal drugs, including when transiting through the airport. Convictions carry sentences of up to 18 years.

Airports in Czechia have excellent technology and security for detecting illegal items. This is also used to scan the baggage of transiting passengers.

Same-sex relationships and civil partnerships are legal in Czechia, but same-sex marriages are not recognised in Czech law. Registered same-sex partnerships are awaiting presidential approval. Same-sex couples showing affection in public could receive unwanted attention. Read more advice for LGBT+ travellers. 

It is illegal to earn money from a surrogacy arrangement.

The police may charge you if you are:

• a surrogate mother
• a British national who plans to take a child born through surrogacy
• an agent organising the handover

FCDO advises against making surrogacy arrangements in Czechia or moving surrogacy arrangements from other countries.

You should get specialist legal advice in the UK and Czechia. See surrogacy arrangements in foreign countries.