Certified translations
Apostille
For Austria, Slovakia and Switzerland a certified translation is enough; no apostille is needed. For Germany and other Hague Convention states we obtain the apostille and translate the document.
An apostille is a certificate under the 1961 Hague Convention confirming the authenticity of a public document for use in another contracting state. Czech official documents (school certificates, register extracts, birth and marriage certificates and so on) presented to authorities in Germany or other contracting states must bear an apostille and then be translated by a certified translator.
Where an apostille is required (examples)
- Germany
- Luxembourg and Liechtenstein
- Belgium (German-speaking Community)
- Italy (South Tyrol)
- Other Hague Convention states, e.g. the USA, the United Kingdom or China
Austria, Slovakia and Switzerland: no apostille needed. Under bilateral treaties (Austria: Czech Notice No. 9/1963 Coll.; Slovakia: No. 209/1993 Coll.; Switzerland: No. 9/1928 Coll.) and, within the EU, Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 for civil-status documents and criminal record extracts, Czech documents are accepted in these countries without an apostille. A certified translation bound to the original or to a notarised copy is sufficient; we arrange the notarised copies (CZK 350 + CZK 37 per certified page) and you keep the originals.
Our fee for obtaining an apostille
Plus the administrative fee of CZK 600 per apostille (for civil-status documents an additional CZK 200 for prior certification by the regional authority) and postage. Revenue stamps have been abolished; the fee is paid when the authority requests it.
Who issues apostilles in the Czech Republic
- Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic
- Documents issued by courts and court bailiffs.
- Czech Chamber of Notaries
- Notarial deeds, including via the regional chamber in Brno.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
- All other documents: civil-status certificates, diplomas and school certificates, criminal record extracts.
Foreign documents for Czech authorities
Documents issued in Germany or another Hague Convention state must be apostilled by the competent body in the issuing country; we then provide a certified translation into Czech. Austrian, Slovak and Swiss documents need no apostille: we bind the original or a certified copy to the translation, which you then present to the Czech authorities.
How it works
You check the authority's requirements
If in doubt, first ask the body you will present the document to whether it requires an apostille and in what form.
You hand us the original
In person, by post or via the letterbox at our office. The apostille is placed on the original or on a notarised copy.
We obtain the apostille
We submit the document to the competent body (Ministry of Justice, Chamber of Notaries or Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to have the apostille affixed.
We translate and certify
We translate the apostilled document into German and bind the translation to it, so the foreign authority receives everything in one.
Need an apostille and a translation?
info@surman.cz · +420 776 253 056