Čeština
APOSTILLE – TURNKEY DOCUMENT CERTIFICATION
As an entrepreneur, employee or student, do you need to have a Czech document officially certified for use abroad? Depending on where your document is headed, you need either a so-called apostille, which is a simple international certification for states party to the Hague Convention, or superlegalisation, which is required by countries where the apostille alone is not enough.
We'll be happy to guide you through the entire certification process and make sure your document is ready on time and precisely to the given country's requirements. For which documents can we arrange certification (and, if needed, translation) and dispatch? For instance, civil registry certificates, diplomas, register extracts, court decisions, powers of attorney, etc. In other words, everything you need.
APOSTILLE VS. SUPERLEGALISATION
The process of officially certifying a Czech document for use abroad differs depending on the destination country. While some states require only a simplified type of certification, others insist on a more complicated, multi-stage process. Below you'll find the differences and parameters that will help you determine whether an apostille or superlegalisation is relevant for you.
Apostille
Superlegalisation
Apostille
For states that are parties to the Hague Convention, i.e. the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, 1961
Simple and fast – it involves only a single step, namely a special certificate (apostille) issued by the central authority of the state (e.g. the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry of Justice)
Normally one step
Most European states, the USA, Australia, Japan, Mexico, Israel, India, New Zealand, Turkey, Brazil, South Africa, etc.
When you need to present a Czech document in a country that has adopted the Hague Convention and accepts simplified certification.
Superlegalisation
For states that are not parties to the Hague Convention or have retained legislation requiring a higher level of certification
Multi-stage and more time-consuming – it involves certification of the document at several authorities in the Czech Republic and then certification by the diplomatic mission (embassy) of the destination country in the Czech Republic (so-called consular legalisation)
Normally three or more steps (e.g. certification by a sworn translator, the Ministry of Justice / Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and finally the embassy)
For example Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Thailand, etc.
When you need to present a Czech document in a country that has not adopted the Hague Convention and requires legalisation of the document.
THE APOSTILLISATION PROCESS – DOCUMENT CERTIFICATION STEP BY STEP
If you don't want to send the original document abroad (e.g. the original of a school report you need to keep), you must first have a notarially certified copy made. Below is the procedure for the simple certification of a document (apostille). Superlegalisation is more individual.
Determining the destination country and verifying validity
It is necessary to confirm whether the destination country accepts an apostille, and to check whether the document is an original or a certified copy and whether it meets the requirements.
Identifying the relevant authority
It is key first to correctly determine which authority (regional authority, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs) is authorised to issue the apostille for the given type of document.
Obtaining the certificate
(apostille)
The document must be presented to the relevant authority, where a special stamp and certificate confirming the authenticity of the signature are attached to it.
Arranging a translation
(if required)
If the country requires a translation, the certified document must be translated by an interpreter. The translation must be firmly attached to the original!
Safe dispatch abroad
The final step is dispatching the document. It is then ideal to arrange a tracked form of delivery, sent directly to the address in the destination country.
WHY ENTRUST YOUR DOCUMENT CERTIFICATION TO US?
Completely online
You only take care of delivering the relevant document to us, and we handle all the agenda for you (visits to authorities or the embassy) and send the document straight to the destination country.
Years of know-how
We have a good grasp of the legal regulations and international conventions. Thanks to this we know what type of certification you need and how to prepare the document to guarantee that a foreign authority will not return it.
Speed of resolution
Our location allows us to move efficiently between ministries and embassies, eliminating needless delays and minimising the time you would otherwise spend on complicated processing.
Affordable price
We offer transparent pricing for this complex administrative service. Our price reflects the saving of your time and travel costs and the certainty that certification will be completed safely on the first attempt.
PRICE OF TURNKEY DOCUMENT CERTIFICATION
For document certification it depends on your requirement – will it be an apostille or superlegalisation, will we make a copy, will the document also need translating, will it be sent within Europe or across the world? The basic price for a copy of the document, its furnishing with an apostille certificate and dispatch within Europe starts at EUR 50.
| Specific service | Price for the selected service |
|---|---|
| Related administration Receipt of the document, determining the correct authority (MFA/MoJ/MoE) and internal administration |
|
| Notarial certification of a copy ~ certified true copy Arranging an officially certified copy in the event that you don't want to apostille the original directly |
|
| Arranging the apostille at the authority | 50 EUR / document |
| Arranging superlegalisation at the authorities | 75 EUR / document |
| Sworn translation of the certified document Includes translation of the certified document and the attached apostille into the target language (depending on scope). |
55 EUR / page into English (other languages priced individually) |
| Indicative price for dispatch within Europe Depends on the destination – we use DHL services |
from EUR 50 / document |
| Indicative price for dispatch outside Europe Depends on the destination – we use DHL services |
priced individually |
The prices shown are excluding VAT.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT APOSTILLES AND DOCUMENT CERTIFICATION
The Hague Convention is an international agreement that simplifies the certification of public documents between member states. If a country has adopted the Convention, an apostille on the document is enough and no further certification via an embassy is needed. Whether your destination country recognises the Convention can easily be checked in its public list – or we'll check it for you when you tell us where the document is going.
To give you an idea, among the states with apostilles you'll find, for example:
- Europe: most EU countries, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway
- Americas: the USA, Canada (for most documents), Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia
- Asia: Japan, South Korea, China, India, Israel, Pakistan
- Oceania: Australia, New Zealand
- Africa: South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia
(The types of documents that accept an apostille may differ from country to country – we'll check it for you in advance.)
An officially certified copy confirms that the copy of the document corresponds to the original.
An apostille confirms that the signature and stamp on the document (or on the certified copy) are genuine and that the document can be used abroad. In practice, both are often used – first an officially certified copy is made and this is then furnished with an apostille.
Superlegalisation is a multi-stage certification, because it is required by countries that do not accept an apostille. The document must first be certified by the relevant Czech authority and then also by the consular department of the embassy of the destination state. Consular legalisation is precisely this second phase – confirmation of the document at the embassy so that it is recognised as valid abroad.
This always depends on the specific type of document:
- Civil registry documents (birth, marriage, death certificates): No, they are issued directly as originals
- Diplomas, school reports, school confirmations: Usually yes – an officially certified copy is often needed
- Company documents (extract from the Commercial Register, etc.): It depends on the form; sometimes an extract from CzechPOINT is enough, other times notarial certification is necessary
- Powers of attorney or contracts: Usually yes, especially for superlegalisation
If you're not sure, just send us the document and we'll recommend the right option.
A translation is needed if the authority of the destination country requires it – some authorities accept Czech with an apostille, others require a translation before or after certification. In general the following applies:
- Apostille: It is usually done on the Czech document, and only then is the document translated (or a bilingual certificate is attached).
- Superlegalisation: A translation in advance is often necessary, and then both the translation and the original are legalised.
We can arrange a translation by a sworn translator for you as part of the whole turnkey document certification process.
- Apostille: Usually 1–5 working days, depending on the type of document and how busy the authorities are
- Superlegalisation: Usually 5–20 working days, because it also involves certification at the embassy (for some states (e.g. the UAE, Egypt or Vietnam) the consular part may be longer)
Faster processing is possible by arrangement – it depends on the type of document and also on the capacity of the authorities.
In the Czech Republic apostilles are issued by three institutions:
- Regional authorities – For civil registry documents (birth, marriage, death certificates)
- The Ministry of Justice – For court documents, notarial certifications and documents from CzechPOINT
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs – For other public documents, e.g. school documents, university diplomas, company documents, etc.
No, personal identity documents (ID card, passport, driving licence) are neither apostilled nor superlegalised. If a foreign authority requires them, the following is used:
- An officially certified copy from a notary (if the destination state accepts it)
- A confirmation of personal data from an authority, which can then be apostilled
REQUEST A QUOTE — OFFICIAL DOCUMENT CERTIFICATION
Please fill in the form below and, on that basis, our staff member will contact you within 24 hours and help you sort everything out. If you'd like to discuss anything, call us on +420 602 654 355 or write to us at [email protected].
