Verification of foreign public documents

 Česky

Documents issued by courts and authorities abroad that are valid in the place of issue as public documents have the probative power of public documents in the CZ too, if they are supplemented by a prerequisite verification (Act No 91/2012 Coll., on Private International Law, as amended). In accordance with this, it is necessary for all documents issued abroad and submitted for official purposes to be authenticated by the pertinent bodies of the state whose body issued the document and superlegalised by the Czech Embassy, unless specified otherwise by an international treaty (see below). If the document was issued by a state with which the CZ does not have an agreement on legal assistance in civil and family affairs and this state has not acceded to the Convention on Abolishing the Requirements for Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, the Hague Convention  (pdf, 149 kB), then the foreign document must be provided with superlegalisation and an official translation into the Czech language (Act No. 354/2019 Col., on court interpreters and court translators, as amended). Only for such a document is there a guarantee that it was issued by the authorised body of the foreign state in the requisite form.

Thus, if a foreign document is submitted for official pusrposes and it was issued by a state that has acceded to the Hague Convention (pdf, 149 kB), also called the "Apostille Convention", just as the CZ, this document must then have an "Apostille" affixed to it and be officially translated into the Czech language (Act No. 354/2019 Col., on court interpreters and court translators, as amended). The list of states parties to the cited convention can be found here. Here is a list of the offices of each state that are competent to issue an Apostille.

An exception to the superlegalisation is when it comes to documents issued by diplomatic representatives or consular officers of states that are signatories to the European Convention on the Abolition of Legalisation of Documents Executed by Diplomatic Agents or Consular Officers (pdf, 97 kB). This exception to superlegalisation likewise concerns documents issued or confirmed by the pertinent foreign consulates if a bilateral consular treaty has been signed.

The CZ signed an Agreement on Legal Assistance in Civil and Family Affairs with some states, on the basis of which documents issued or verified by the pertinent foreign body have the probative power of public documents and can be used in proceedings before Czech authorities without further verification, or, if needs be, they clearly set out which body must verify the document for it to have the probative power of a public document in the territory of the other contractual party. Such a document is submitted for official purposes with just an official translation into the Czech language (Act No. 354/2019 Col., on court interpreters and court translators, as amended). Relevant articles of these bilateral agreements can be found here.

At present, a nostrification of education (in case of high school or vocational education) or a recognition of university education are required by the MOI in justified cases, particularly if reasonable doubt exists as to whether you have the required education or whether your education is appropriate for the nature of employment, in for applications for an Employee Card or an a Blue Card.

Department for Asylum and Migration Policy, November 16th, 2022