When do foreigners living in the Czech Republic need a certified translation?

If you have decided to work or study in the Czech Republic, you will probably need to provide the authorities or schools with translated documents. Such translations are known by several terms: certified translations, legalized translations, official translations, notarized translations, or also court translations. Find out what these terms mean and what type of translation you need in any situation in our guide written by experts from I.L.T.S. Prague.

Only a court-appointed translator can make a court translation. They often work with translation agencies. I.L.T.S. Prague, which has specialized in translation and interpreting services since 2005, offers court translations in more than 40 languages.

A certified translation is a translated official document that you present in a different country than the one where it was originally issued. Unlike a regular translation, a certified translation is done by a certified translator appointed by the court. Additionally, a certified translation is endorsed with a clause and a round stamp bearing the national emblem of the country of issue.

These formalities are proof that the document is a correct and accurate translation of documents that can be accepted in foreign countries by the authorities, the courts, the police, or other places. A certified translation includes the original document in the original language, the translated text of the document, and a stamped endorsement.

A certified translation is required in the Czech Republic when it is necessary to provide proof of an official document from abroad. For example, if you want to study at a university in the Czech Republic, you will need to provide a translated document of your secondary education.

The most commonly translated documents include civil registry documents, legal and court documents, powers of attorney and signature verifications, extracts from registers, school certificates and diplomas, identification documents, notarial deeds, tax documents, and others.

There are three types of certified translations, namely the legalized translation, the legalized translation that is also apostilled, and the super-legalized translation.

An ordinary court translation is sufficient if you need to translate documents issued in a country that has a bilateral treaty on the exemption from authentication of documents with the Czech Republic. A court translation is also enough if you are dealing with certain documents in EU countries, such as documents certifying birth, death, or name changes.

An apostille is a higher level of authentication. A certified translation with an apostille is necessary if the documents are translated from a country that has not concluded a bilateral agreement with the Czech Republic and is a contracting party to the Apostille Convention.

Superlegalization is the most administratively demanding procedure, and it is necessary for documents issued by a country that neither has a bilateral treaty with the Czech Republic nor is a contracting state to the Apostille Convention.