Working in Austria, setting up a company there or dealing with Austrian authorities on family matters? Then you will almost certainly need certified translations of your Czech documents into German. This guide explains which documents need translating, why you do not need an apostille for Austria, how the process works, what to watch out for and what it costs.
Which Documents Need a Certified Translation
Austrian authorities require a certified (sworn) translation of foreign-language documents, bearing the translator's clause, stamp and signature; an ordinary translation is not enough. For civil status documents, criminal record extracts and other documents covered by Regulation (EU) 2016/1191, the Austrian authority must accept a translation by a Czech court-certified translator. For other documents (diplomas, commercial register extracts, contracts), Czech certified translations are accepted in practice, but some authorities may reserve the right to require a translation by a translator certified in Austria; for less common proceedings we therefore recommend checking the required form in advance. The documents most often translated for Austria are the following.
Documents for Familienbeihilfe (Family Allowance)
Applying for the Austrian family allowance (Familienbeihilfe) is one of the most common reasons why Czech nationals working in Austria need certified translations. The Finanzamt Österreich requires translated birth certificates of the children, confirmation of school attendance, confirmation of residence and, in some cases, the marriage certificate. For school attendance and residence confirmations it requires a current document; it does not limit the age of the birth certificate.
Tip: on request, the Czech registry office will issue a multilingual EU standard form under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 together with a birth, marriage or death certificate. With this form the Austrian authority may demand a translation only exceptionally, so for Familienbeihilfe you often do not need a translation of the birth certificate at all. If the authority nevertheless wants a translation, or you do not have the form, we provide the certified translation.
Birth and Marriage Certificates
You need these documents for practically any official matter in Austria, from registering your residence (Meldezettel) and getting married (Standesamt) to obtaining a trade licence. Austrian registry offices (Standesamt, for example for a marriage) require foreign civil status documents no older than 6 months.
Documents for Residence and Work
If you settle in Austria for longer than three months, you must apply for an Anmeldebescheinigung within four months of arrival. With the application you submit a valid passport or identity card (these are not translated) and proof of gainful activity in Austria (employment contract, payslip, trade licence), or alternatively proof of health insurance and sufficient means. Documents that are not in German or English must be submitted with a certified translation. As EU citizens, Czech nationals do not need a work permit; translations of qualification documents are, however, necessary for recognition of qualifications (Nostrifizierung, regulated professions).
Other Frequently Translated Documents
We also regularly translate secondary school leaving certificates and university diplomas (for recognition of qualifications), commercial register extracts (for doing business in Austria), divorce judgments, powers of attorney and various court decisions.
Apostille: You Do Not Need One for Austria
Good news: for the use of Czech public documents before Austrian authorities and courts you generally do not need an apostille. A bilateral treaty on mutual legal relations of 1961 applies between the Czech Republic and Austria (Czech Decree No. 9/1963 Coll., Austrian BGBl. No. 84/1962). Under its Article 22, Czech documents issued by a court, an administrative authority or a notary and bearing an official signature and seal (birth and marriage certificates, court decisions including divorce judgments, register extracts, notarial deeds) are presented in Austria without any further authentication, i.e. without an apostille or superlegalisation. For civil status documents, criminal record extracts, residence confirmations or divorce judgments this is further confirmed by Regulation (EU) 2016/1191, which has abolished the apostille between EU Member States since 16 February 2019.
An apostille therefore only comes into play if you use the document outside Austria, for example in Germany or overseas. In that case it is issued by the Ministry of Justice (documents of courts and bailiffs), the Notarial Chamber of the Czech Republic (notarial documents) or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (everything else) for an administrative fee of 600 CZK. Should an Austrian authority or a private recipient (a bank, an employer) exceptionally ask for an apostille anyway, it is worth pointing to the treaty; to be on the safe side, we can obtain one for you. Details are on our Apostille and Superlegalisation page.
The Translation Process Step by Step
Ordering and producing a certified translation with us is straightforward. First, send us a scan or photo of the document by e-mail to info@surman.cz. You need not send the original; a good digital copy is sufficient both for the quote and for the translation itself. You will promptly receive, usually the same working day, a non-binding quote with the exact price and delivery date. Once you confirm, we start work. Standard personal documents (birth certificate, criminal record extract) are usually ready within a few working days; urgent translations can be done within 24 to 48 hours for a surcharge.
The finished translation bears the translator's clause, stamp and signature and is bound to the original or to a certified copy, depending on what the Austrian authority requires. We deliver the translation on paper by post or for collection in Znojmo; on request we also produce it in electronic form, which Act No. 354/2019 Coll. on court translators expressly allows. We recommend checking in advance whether the specific Austrian authority accepts the electronic form; for court proceedings and the Standesamt, expect to need the paper original.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
In more than two decades of translation practice (court-certified translator since 2000) we keep encountering mistakes that needlessly prolong the process. The most frequent is submitting an incomplete document, for example a birth certificate without the current record of a change of surname. Another common error is confusing an ordinary translation with a certified one, since Austrian authorities do not accept uncertified translations. We also see clients paying unnecessarily for an apostille that Austria does not require for Czech documents, or presenting the Standesamt with civil status documents older than six months. And finally, poor, illegible scans: send us a photo in good light or a full-resolution scan instead.
Indicative Prices
The price of a certified translation depends on the length of the document (standard pages) and its difficulty. Our standard price for translations, including certified ones, is 700 CZK per standard page of the target text (1,800 characters); the minimum charge is one standard page and the billing unit is usually half a page. A Czech birth, marriage or death certificate therefore typically costs 700 CZK and a criminal record extract 1,050 CZK. Demanding texts (e.g. medical reports), handwritten originals, layout work, urgent jobs and work outside working days carry a 100 % surcharge. The translator is not a VAT payer; the prices quoted are final. The current price list is on our Certified Translations page.
Why Order Your Translation from Us
Mgr. Jaroslav Surman has been a court-certified translator for German since 2000, when he was appointed by the Regional Court in Brno; today he is registered in the list of court translators kept by the Czech Ministry of Justice under Act No. 354/2019 Coll. Because our office is in Znojmo, about 70 km from Vienna, we know the requirements of Austrian authorities from daily practice. In cooperation with the law office of Mgr. Barbora Surmanová we can also provide follow-on legal services, certified copies and apostilles for third countries under one roof. We focus exclusively on written translations; we do not offer interpreting.
Need a certified translation for Austria? Send us the document at info@surman.cz or use our Certified Translations page. You will receive a non-binding quote promptly.
Updated August 2026.
