The apostille is one of the most searched-for terms in connection with using Czech documents abroad. Yet it is surrounded by confusion. This guide explains exactly what an apostille is, when you need one (and when you do not), how to obtain one in the Czech Republic and the most common mistakes people make.
What Is an Apostille?
An apostille (from the French) is a special certificate confirming the authenticity of a public document for use abroad. It replaces the lengthy process of diplomatic legalisation (superlegalisation). It is based on the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents of 5 October 1961, which has applied to the Czech Republic since 16 March 1999.
In practice it is a sticker or an attached sheet with a prescribed French heading and ten standardised fields: the name of the signatory of the document, the capacity of the issuing authority, the date and place of certification and the apostille number. An apostille does not certify the content of the document; it only confirms the authenticity of the signature and seal.
When You Need an Apostille
You need an apostille when you present a Czech public document in a country that is party to the Hague Convention and no exemption from authentication applies to the document. Typical situations: presenting a court decision, a notarial power of attorney or a commercial register extract in the USA, the United Kingdom, Canada or Australia; presenting a diploma for recognition outside the EU; needing a criminal record extract for employment outside the EU.
When You Do Not Need an Apostille
An apostille is often unnecessary. First, within the EU, Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 on the free circulation of public documents has applied since 16 February 2019; under it, no apostille is required for the listed documents (birth, marriage and death certificates, proof of residence, criminal record extracts and others), and the registry office will on request issue a multilingual standard form that replaces a translation.
Second, the Czech Republic has bilateral treaties on legal assistance with a number of states that exempt public documents from any further authentication altogether. For our practice, Austria is the key case: under the Czech-Austrian treaty on mutual legal relations (Czech Decree No. 9/1963 Coll., Austrian BGBl. No. 84/1962), Austrian authorities recognise the authenticity of Czech public documents issued by a court, an administrative authority or a notary without an apostille or superlegalisation. A birth certificate for Familienbeihilfe, a criminal record extract for an employer or a divorce judgment therefore only needs a certified translation into German for Austria. The same exemption applies to Slovakia (No. 209/1993 Coll.) and Switzerland (No. 9/1928 Coll.). There is no bilateral exemption for Germany; there the apostille is waived only for documents covered by Regulation (EU) 2016/1191.
It is therefore always advisable to check in advance with the specific foreign authority whether it actually requires an apostille. If it insists, an apostille can be attached to a Czech document even where it is not legally necessary.
Competent Authorities in the Czech Republic
Three authorities issue apostilles in the Czech Republic, depending on who issued or certified the document.
Ministry of Justice
Issues apostilles for documents issued or certified by courts and court bailiffs: court decisions, judgments, rulings, commercial register extracts issued by the registry court. In person: authentication office at Na Děkance 3, Prague 2 (Monday and Wednesday 8–12 and 13:30–17), apostille issued while you wait, up to 5 authentications at a time. By post: Ministerstvo spravedlnosti ČR, mezinárodní odbor civilní, Vyšehradská 16, 128 10 Praha 2; processing usually takes 10 to 14 days. Fee: 600 CZK per apostille; in person by card at the authentication office or in cash at the cashier, by post by bank transfer after a payment request (so include an e-mail address or data box in your application).
Notarial Chamber of the Czech Republic
Since 1 October 2021 it has issued apostilles for documents issued or certified by notaries: notarial deeds, notarially certified copies and signatures (for example on powers of attorney). Apostilles are issued at the Chamber's seat in Prague (Apolinářská 12) and by the regional notarial chambers, including Brno, usually while you wait. Fee: 726 CZK including VAT.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Issues apostilles for all other public documents: civil status documents (birth, marriage and death certificates), diplomas and school certificates, criminal record extracts, trade licence documents, documents of ministries and other authorities. Contact: Consular Department, Legalisation of Public Documents Unit, Hradčanské náměstí 5, Prague 1 (legalizace@mzv.gov.cz). Fee: 600 CZK per apostille, usually issued while you wait if you attend in person. Note the intermediate step: before the apostille, a civil status document must receive higher authentication from the regional authority for the registry office that issued it (for a birth certificate issued in Znojmo this is the South Moravian Regional Authority in Brno, fee 200 CZK, so 800 CZK in total). Educational documents are first certified by the Ministry of Education. Only then does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attach the apostille.
Obtaining an Apostille Step by Step
First, check whether you need an apostille at all (see the exemptions above, especially Austria and Regulation (EU) 2016/1191). Second, obtain the original or an officially certified copy of the document. Third, identify the competent authority (court or bailiff: Ministry of Justice; notary: Notarial Chamber; everything else: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for civil status documents via the regional authority first). Fourth, submit the application in person at the authentication office or by post and pay the 600 CZK fee (by card, cash or transfer; revenue stamps have not been used since 1 January 2025). Fifth: if you attend in person you usually leave with the apostille the same day; by post allow 10 to 14 days; there is no express service for a surcharge. Sixth, if the document also needs translating, have the translation made only after the apostille has been attached; the court-certified translator then translates the document together with the apostille as a whole.
The Most Common Mistakes
We see several recurring mistakes in practice. People have the document translated before the apostille, but the foreign authority needs to see the apostille in the translation too. The correct order is to apostille the original first and then have the whole translated. Another frequent error is sending the application to the wrong authority, for example a birth certificate to the Ministry of Justice instead of the regional authority and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or a notarial power of attorney to the ministry instead of the Notarial Chamber. The application is returned and you lose time. The third mistake is assuming that an apostille replaces a translation; it does not. The apostille certifies the authenticity of the document, but the foreign authority still needs a certified translation into its language. The fourth mistake is obtaining an apostille where it is not needed, typically for Austria or Slovakia; you pay the fee and travel to Prague for nothing.
Apostille vs. Superlegalisation
Superlegalisation (diplomatic legalisation) is the procedure for countries that are neither party to the Hague Convention nor bound by a bilateral treaty with the Czech Republic. It is considerably more complicated: the document must be authenticated successively at three levels: the competent Czech central authority (intermediate step), the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the embassy of the destination country in Prague. The whole process can take several weeks.
In 2026 the Hague Convention has 130 contracting parties, so superlegalisation is rarely needed, typically for the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Egypt or some other African and Asian states. China has been a party to the Convention since 7 November 2023, so an apostille suffices there.
Countries We Deal With Most Often
In our practice we most often handle authentication of documents for Austria (Familienbeihilfe, residence, marriage, recognition of qualifications), Germany (recognition of qualifications, employment), Switzerland (employment), the USA (immigration proceedings, education) and the United Kingdom (official matters after Brexit). For Austria and Switzerland no apostille is needed under the bilateral treaties; a certified translation suffices. For Germany it is waived for documents under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 and required for others. For the USA and the United Kingdom an apostille is necessary and sufficient; superlegalisation is not required.
How We Can Help
We offer a complete apostille service. First we check with you whether you need an apostille for the destination country at all. We tell you which authority is competent for your document. We obtain the apostille on your behalf, so you need not travel anywhere. Mgr. Jaroslav Surman, court-certified translator for German, produces the certified translation of the apostilled document into German (or from German into Czech) and prepares the bundle of document, apostille and translation in the form the foreign authority expects.
Need an apostille or a certified translation with an apostille? Contact us. Details and prices are on our Apostille and Superlegalisation page.
Updated August 2026.
