Document Translation & Legalization Guide – 2025

What is it?
A certified translation (úřední překlad) is completed by an official court-appointed translator in the Czech Republic or by a translator recognized by Czech consulates abroad.

When required?

• Birth certificates
• Marriage certificates
• Divorce decrees
• Criminal record extracts
• Academic diplomas
• Citizenship or residency records

Key rules:

• All non-Czech documents must be translated into Czech.
• Translations must be bound to the original or notarized copy.
• Machine or unofficial translations will be rejected.

Step 2 – Document Legalization

Legalization proves that your foreign document is authentic and issued by a legitimate authority.

Apostille

• Used if your country is part of the Hague Apostille Convention.
• Added by your country’s competent authority (often the Ministry of Justice, Foreign Affairs, or State Department).
• Example: US birth certificates get an apostille from the Secretary of State of the issuing state.

Superlegalization

• Required for countries not part of the Hague Convention.
• Involves multiple steps:
  1. Your country’s ministry authenticates the document.
  2. The Czech embassy/consulate authenticates the ministry’s seal.
  3. Sometimes a foreign ministry step is in between.

Step 3 – Combining Both

Order matters:

1. Obtain original document or notarized copy.
2. Get apostille or superlegalization in the issuing country.
3. Have it translated into Czech by a certified translator.