In Prague, 36,539 expired driver’s licenses still need to be replaced, whose owners, as usual, left it to the last minute. Thus began an endless marathon for officials at the driver’s registry. However, the municipality prepared for the onslaught of latecomers by extending office hours to Saturday, November 11, and the next date will be November 25, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The office also reminds of the possibility of online exchange.
The extended office hours are intended exclusively for the submission of applications for the issuance of driving licenses whose validity expires in 2023 or have already expired, and for the issuance of licenses that have already been produced. Drivers can apply for a driver’s license at any of the 206 municipal offices of municipalities with extended jurisdiction throughout the Czech Republic. The exchange is thus not tied to the address of permanent residence. The matter can also be done electronically from the comfort of your home via the Citizen Portal. “It is also possible to order a personal visit to the workplace conveniently online via the Pražana Portal on a standard office day, or interested parties can check the occupancy of individual workplaces and counters online on the capital city’s website,” explains Deputy for Transport Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates).
This year, the capital of Prague issued a total of 81,364 permits as of September 30, of which only roughly 20 percent of applications were processed online. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Transport as of October 1, 36,539 driving licenses need to be exchanged in Prague. However, a third of drivers from this number are over 60 years old. “We cater to those interested in exchanging driver’s licenses, of which there is a really large number and there is no capacity to serve them during the current office hours. However, we prefer to process the exchange online. I also thank all the employees who will go to work on Saturday beyond their working hours,” says Martin Kubelka, director of the Prague municipality.
Driving licenses are exchanged continuously throughout the year as they expire. Some drivers come with a replacement ahead of time, others bring expired licenses. Last year, about 20,000 people did not exchange their ID for Prague in this way.
Source: MHMP
