Apostille Czech Republic (Prague, Brno and other cities)
In the Czech Republic, apostille is affixed by three different authorities — depending on who issued the document: the Ministry of Justice (courts and court bailiffs), the Notarial Chamber (notarial documents, since 2021) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (all others — civil registry, schools, universities, trade register, government agencies). We determine the correct route, go through preliminary certifications and obtain the apostille without your visit.
What is a Czech apostille (apostila)?
Czech apostille (apostila / apostilní doložka) — is a stamp of a prescribed form, the content and purpose of which are defined by the Hague Convention of 1961. It is the “highest certification” (vyšší ověření) of a Czech public document for use abroad.
The Czech Republic acceded to the Convention, and the apostille has been in effect since March 16, 1999. For countries not party to the Convention, superlegalization (superlegalizace) is preserved in the Czech Republic — a chain of “agency → ministry → consulate of the destination country”.
Who affixes apostille in the Czech Republic — by document type
| Document | Competent authority |
|---|---|
| Decisions and certificates of courts, documents of court bailiffs (soudní exekutor) | Ministerstvo spravedlnosti ČR — mezinárodní odbor civilní (International Civil Division), Prague |
| Notarial documents — issued or certified by a notary (since October 1, 2021) | Notářská komora ČR — Notarial Chamber of the Czech Republic |
| All others: civil registry certificates (matrika), diplomas and school documents, extracts from the trade register, certificates from authorities, criminal record certificate | Ministerstvo zahraničních věcí ČR — Consular Department, Hradčanské nám. 5, Praha 1 |
Contacts of the Legalization Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the CR: phones +420 224 18 2188, +420 224 18 2153, e-mail [email protected].
🔴 Main Czech peculiarity — preliminary «superior» certification. Before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affixes an apostille, an administrative document must usually be certified by a higher authority within its own chain:
- civil registry certificates (birth, marriage, death) — certification by the regional authority (krajský úřad) or magistrate;
- university diplomas and school documents — certification by the Ministry of Education (MŠMT) or an authorized body;
- medical, tax, police certificates — certification by the relevant authority.
Skipping this step is the most common reason for rejection: the document is returned, and the cycle starts over.
Apostille processing times and costs in the Czech Republic (valid as of 2026)
| Authority / Service | Fee | Processing time |
|---|---|---|
| Apostille on a Czech document (Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Ministry of Justice) | 600 CZK per certification | If submitted in person — usually the same day; by mail — longer (requires prior document verification and payment order) |
| Apostille on a notarial document (Notarial Chamber) | 600 CZK + VAT = 726 CZK | Up to 5 apostilles — usually on the day of submission without an appointment; larger packages — by prior request |
| Verification of authenticity of a foreign public document at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs | 1,200 CZK | Per the authority’s regulations |
| Superlegalization (for countries outside the Convention) | 200 CZK per signature/seal certification | + time for the consulate of the destination country |
Payment when submitting in person — primarily by card (VISA, MASTERCARD/Maestro, JCB, including NFC); by mail — by bank transfer to the authority’s account. Document collection, prior certifications, certified translation, and delivery are charged separately.
Important: state fees in the Czech Republic have increased significantly — the old figure of «100 CZK per apostille», which still circulates on forums and in reference guides, is no longer valid. We confirm the amount on the day of submission.
What the apostille in the Czech Republic does not cover
- copies obtained through «postal» notarization and documents signed by a notary office employee rather than the notary himself — the Notarial Chamber does not apostille such documents;
- original civil status records go through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (after certification by the regional office), not through the Notarial Chamber;
- documents for countries outside the Hague Convention — instead of an apostille consular legalization (superlegalization).
Is there an electronic apostille in the Czech Republic?
There is currently no full-fledged e-Apostille service for a wide range of documents in the Czech Republic: the apostille is issued in paper form, and authenticity verification is done by request to the issuing authority (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Notarial Chamber). If the counterparty needs an electronic format, we obtain a paper apostille and prepare a certified electronic copy according to the rules of the destination country. How this works in countries with e-Apostille is described on a separate page.
Text of the Czech apostille
Czech language (original)
APOSTILLE
(Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)
1. Země: ČESKÁ REPUBLIKA
Tato veřejná listina
2. byla podepsána ___________________________
3. jednajícím jako ________________
4. je opatřena pečetí / razítkem ________________
Ověřeno
5. v Praze 6. dne __________________
7. kým: Ministerstvo zahraničních věcí ČR / Ministerstvo spravedlnosti ČR / Notářská komora ČR
8. pod č. ____________________
9. pečeť / razítko ________________ 10. podpis ________________
Translation of the Czech apostille into Russian
APOSTILLE (Hague Convention of October 5, 1961)
1. Country: CZECH REPUBLIC
This public document
2. Signed by: __________________ (surname, given name)
3. Acting in the capacity of: _________________ (position)
4. Bears the seal / stamp: ________________
Certified
5. Place: Prague 6. Date: __________________
7. By: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the CR / Ministry of Justice of the CR / Notarial Chamber of the CR
8. № ____________________
9. Seal / Stamp ________________ 10. Signature ________________
Is an apostille needed for Czech documents for EU countries?
The Czech Republic is an EU country, so Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 applies: documents on birth, death, marriage, marital status, place of residence, and criminal record are accepted in other EU countries without an apostille — if necessary, with a multilingual standard form.
An apostille is required for countries of the Convention outside the EU: Moldova, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Serbia, Turkey, the USA, China, etc. For others — superlegalization.
Can an apostille be obtained at the Czech consulate?
According to the Hague Convention, an apostille on Czech documents cannot be obtained at a Czech consulate abroad. Consular departments certify copies, signatures, and translations, and also participate in the superlegalization of foreign documents — but an apostille on a Czech document is only affixed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic, and the Notarial Chamber within the country.
Frequently asked questions about the Czech apostille
Why was my document refused apostille at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?
Most often because the higher-level certification (krajský úřad for civil registry, MŠMT for diplomas) was not completed, or the document falls under the “judicial” or “notarial” line and was submitted to the wrong authority. We verify the route in advance based on scans.
How much does an apostille cost in the Czech Republic?
State fee — 600 CZK per apostille (at the Notarial Chamber — 600 CZK + VAT). Verification of a foreign document at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — 1,200 CZK. The total depends on the number of preliminary certifications.
Is a court translator (soudní tlumočník) required?
For documents submitted in the Czech Republic — yes, a translation by a court translator is usually required. For Czech documents abroad, the translation is done according to the rules of the destination country; the “apostille → translation” procedure is suitable in almost all cases.
How long is the Czech apostille valid?
Indefinitely. The time limit applies to the document itself (e.g., an extract from the Commercial Register or a criminal record certificate “not older than 3 months”).
Order an apostille for Czech documents
Civil registry certificates, diplomas, criminal record certificates, trade register extracts, notarial documents, and court decisions — we go through all certification steps and obtain the apostille in Prague without your visit, with translation and delivery.
Phone / WhatsApp / Viber / Telegram: +373 67 666 333 · write to WhatsApp · Order an apostille · contact form · contacts
See also: Apostille Countries · Consular Legalization · Frequently Asked Questions about Apostille
Sources (official)
portal.gov.cz — Ověřování listin do ciziny (superlegalizace, apostila) · Notářská komora ČR — Apostila (notarial documents, tariff) · MZV ČR — Ověřování listin · HCCH — list of participants (entry into force for the Czech Republic — 16.03.1999). Data verified in July 2026; fees confirmed on the day of submission.
Apostille in other European countries
Apostille United Kingdom · Apostille Ireland · Apostille Portugal · Apostille France · Apostille Spain · Apostille Poland · Apostille Belgium · Apostille Germany · Apostille Croatia · Apostille Slovakia · Apostille Serbia
BUSINESS LIGA SRL · apostille.expert · +373 67 666 333 — material verified and published in full.