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Criminal penalties in Czechia

Checked in October 2026 against the Trestní zákoník (zákon č. 40/2009 Sb.), consolidated text on e-Sbírka as at 1 January 2026, read in Czech.

These are statutory ranges for a first offence, from the least to the most the law allows. A court decides the actual sentence in each case. We read the code in its original language and give the offences in plain English, with the legal term where it helps. For anything that matters, rely on the code itself. Not legal advice.

How Czechia sets penalties

  • The Czech Criminal Code states most penalties as a range ('na dvě léta až deset let', two to ten years) or as a maximum ('až na dvě léta', up to two years). A crime usually has a basic form in paragraph (1) and heavier forms in paragraphs (2), (3) and (4).
  • The 'exceptional sentence' is a term of more than 20 and up to 30 years, or life imprisonment. A court may impose it only if the Code allows it for the offence, and the 30-year term only if the crime is exceptionally serious or the offender's correction is especially hard (s. 54).
  • Czech property crimes are graded by the damage caused: not insignificant, larger ('větší'), substantial ('značná') and large-scale ('velkého rozsahu'). The money amounts are in the Code's general definitions and were not read for this table.
  • Murder is split into the basic crime (s. 140(1), 10 to 18 years), premeditated murder (s. 140(2), 12 to 20 years) and the aggravated form (s. 140(3), 15 to 20 years or an exceptional sentence). This table maps the premeditated and aggravated forms to the 'first degree' row and the basic form to the 'second degree' row.
  • This table shows first-offence ranges. Repeat offending and the general rules on reducing a sentence below the minimum were not read.

Death penalty: No. The most serious punishment in the Criminal Code is the 'exceptional sentence' (výjimečný trest): imprisonment of more than 20 and up to 30 years, or life imprisonment (s. 54). It can be imposed only for a particularly serious crime for which the Code allows it, such as aggravated murder.

Read the Czechia legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →

First-degree murder

12 to 20 years (premeditated murder); 15 to 20 years or an exceptional sentence (aggravated murder)

Aggravated murder (s. 140(3)) covers a killing of two or more people, a pregnant woman, a child under 15, an official on duty, a witness, expert or interpreter, a health worker on duty, a person killed for their race, ethnic origin, sex or similar reasons, among others. The exceptional sentence is more than 20 and up to 30 years, or life (s. 54).

Second-degree murder

10 to 18 years

Voluntary manslaughter

3 to 10 years (killing in strong agitation); up to 3 years (negligent killing)

Killing in strong agitation (zabití, s. 141) is an intentional killing in strong agitation caused by fear, fright, confusion or another excusable state of mind, or as a result of the victim's earlier reprehensible conduct. Causing death by negligence (s. 143) is a lesser offence.

Robbery

2 to 10 years; up to 18 years if death results

Burglary

Up to 2 years (trespass into a home); up to 10 years (theft causing large-scale damage)

The Code has no offence called burglary. Entering another's home without right is trespass (s. 178), and the heavier range applies if force or a threat is used or an obstacle against entry is overcome. Taking property is theft (s. 205), graded by damage.

Arson

3 to 8 years (causing a general danger, such as by fire); up to 20 years or an exceptional sentence if death results

The Code has no offence called arson. Causing a fire that puts people in danger of death or serious harm, or another's property in danger of large-scale damage, is the offence of causing a general danger (obecné ohrožení, s. 272).

Aggravated assault

6 months to 3 years (harm to health) up to 12 years (serious harm, aggravated)

Rape and sexual assault

2 to 10 years; up to 12 years if aggravated

Kidnapping

2 to 8 years (deprivation of personal liberty); 5 to 12 years (aggravated)

Embezzlement

Up to 2 years (damage not insignificant) up to 10 years (large-scale damage)

Embezzlement (zpronevěra) is appropriating a thing that was entrusted to the offender and thereby causing damage that is not insignificant. The tiers match those of theft.

Forgery

Up to 3 years (forging a public document); 1 to 6 years (aggravated)

The offence read here is forging or altering a public document (veřejná listina). Forging a private document was not read for this table.

Drunk driving, first offence

Up to 1 year, a fine or a ban on activity (working or acting while unfit through a drug or alcohol); 6 months to 3 years if harm results

The Code's offence is performing a job or activity while unfit as a result of alcohol or another addictive substance, where the activity could endanger life or health or cause substantial damage to property (s. 274). Lesser levels of drunk driving are dealt with as administrative offences outside the Criminal Code and were not read.

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