APOSTILLE
To simplify the procedure of document legalization, the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents was signed in The Hague on October 5, 1961. For the Czech Republic, this Convention came into force on March 16, 1999, under No. 45/1999 Coll. Official Czech documents intended for submission to authorities in a country that is a member of the Hague Convention are certified with a special clause known as an “apostille.” An apostille is a specific endorsement of a prescribed format and wording that confirms the authenticity of the signature, seal, or stamp.
NOSTRIFICATION
Nostrification in the Czech Republic is conducted under Sections 108 and 108a of Act No. 561/2004 Coll., on pre-school, elementary, secondary, higher vocational, and other education (Education Act), and its implementing Decree No. 12/2005 Coll., on the conditions for the recognition of equivalence and nostrification of certificates issued by foreign schools.
SUPERLEGALIZATION
Higher verification of documents is an act by an administrative authority that certifies a public document or a document that has already been officially verified once. For states where neither the Apostille Convention applies nor an exemption from verification has been agreed upon in a bilateral international treaty on legal assistance, the process of superlegalization is used. This is the highest form of document verification, which has already been endorsed by the apostille from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and subsequently by the diplomatic or consular office of the state in which the document is to be used. The superlegalization process and its higher verification are governed by international law rules. This is outlined in Act No. 97/1963 Coll., on international private and procedural law, as amended by Act No. 91/2012 Coll., with the superlegalization process incorporated according to Sections 52 and 62 and further Section 109.
CERTIFIED TRANSLATIONS
Certified translations in the Czech Republic are subject to legal regulations that set precise rules and requirements for their preparation. The main legal provisions related to this area include Act No. 36/1967 Coll., on experts and interpreters, as amended, which governs the activities of court experts and interpreters who must meet the qualification requirements set by law, be appointed by the Minister of Justice or the President of the Regional Court, and take an oath. Certified translators must be appointed as court interpreters for a given language. Additionally, Decree No. 37/1967 Coll., implementing the Act on Experts and Interpreters, specifies the requirements for a certified translation, such as the designation “officially certified translation,” item number from the relevant fee schedule, translator’s stamp and signature, and instructions from the Ministry of Justice ref. 505/2002-OPR-SPZ, which further specifies the requirements for certified translations, such as the use of a cover sheet, the structure of the translation text, the obligation to translate verbatim, etc.