Apostille and legalization services for Czech university diplomas

Firstly, the apostille for a diploma from a Czech higher education institution can only be obtained within the territory of the Czech Republic. Unfortunately, there are no representative offices outside the country that cover this matter (embassies and consulates do not provide this service). The document must be physically brought into the country, and someone needs to complete the certification process with all relevant government authorities.

The good news is that it does not have to be the diploma holder themselves – any third party can handle the process on their behalf, even without a power of attorney. If needed, we can arrange the entire procedure for you – just get in touch.

Secondly, only diplomas issued by universities officially recognized as accredited higher education institutions in the Czech Republic can be apostilled. These are institutions legally authorized to operate as universities and are included in the official register maintained by the Czech Ministry of Education ("Ministerstvo školství, mládeže a tělovýchovy České republiky").

Thirdly, a diploma typically consists of multiple documents. In most cases, this includes the actual diploma ("diplom") with a supplement ("dodatek k diplomu") which lists all completed courses and corresponding grades. These are treated as two separate documents and each requires its own apostille certification. While the process is identical for both documents, they must be apostilled separately.

The apostille process involves two steps:

1. First, the Czech Ministry of Education ("Ministerstvo školství, mládeže a tělovýchovy České republiky") verifies the diploma and applies their official stamp. This is not the apostille yet, but a mandatory preliminary step. Their office is located at Karmelitská 529/5, 118 12 Praha 1 - Malá Strana, and accepts documents on Mondays and Wednesdays.

While it is theoretically possible to submit documents by mail (even from outside the country), we have no practical experience or feedback about this option. Therefore, we strongly recommend having someone personally submit the documents at their office.

2. The final apostille is issued by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs located at Hradčanské nám. 5, Praha 1. Again, while they theoretically accept documents by mail, in our opinion, it is better to reach out in person. Please note that without the official stamp from the Ministry of Education (see Step 1), they will not issue the final apostille.

The apostille can be placed:

• Directly on the original diploma and its supplement (exactly as they are).
• On a certified copy of the diploma – but the certification must be done either by Czech authorities, local notaries, or consulates of the state abroad.

We often get requests regarding Czech diploma certification. As a third-party organization, we fully understand that these documents are extremely important to people – often for their whole lives. Many prefer not to send us the original, and we respect that. For such cases, we would like to clarify that it is possible to obtain a certified copy of the document and have the apostille placed on that copy. Additionally, adding extra stamps to the original document is not always a good idea.

IMPORTANT! In both cases – whether apostilling the original document or a certified copy – the apostille directly confirms the content of the diploma.

Let us clarify: an apostille is essentially an additional certification that validates the document for use abroad. In other words, it serves to confirm some prior certifications – the important part is understanding what exactly it is confirming:

• For example, if you had a copy of your diploma notarized in your home country, there is another option: the Notarial Chamber of the Czech Republic can place the apostille. However, in this case, the Notarial Chamber does not confirm the content of the diploma itself – it only certifies the notary’s verification that the "copy matches the original". This is NOT the correct way, as it does not validate the actual diploma.

• The proper way to apostille a certified copy of a diploma is through the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, in those two steps we mentioned earlier – just like with the original. This results in an apostille on the certified copy (not the original), but it does confirm the content of the diploma itself. This is the CORRECT and VALID method for apostilling a Czech higher education diploma. The country’s authorities specifically designed this option (using a certified copy) so that you don’t have to damage the original document with extra stamps, while still ensuring the document’s content is verified – not just the notarized copy.

If anything is unclear, feel free to contact us – we will be happy to explain in more detail at no additional cost (but please text us via email or messaging apps).

Diploma certification through consular legalization

In most countries, Czech university diplomas are recognized with just an apostille or sometimes even without any additional certification. However, there are some countries that require what is called "consular legalization" (also known as "superlegalization"). This is a similar process but slightly more complex than an apostille.

The procedure follows the same steps as an apostille, but at the final stage, the document must also be certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the destination country. Most often, this is done by that country’s consulate – specifically, the consulate of that country located in the Czech Republic. If no such consulate exists in the Czech Republic, then after certification in the Czech Republic, the document must be sent to the destination country and legalized by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs directly on its territory. Our website contains detailed information about the process and purpose of consular legalization.

Additionally, if you're unsure how your diploma should be legalized, we have an online form that checks the required legalization procedure for documents from the Czech Republic. While the form is designed for apostille information, it will still provide you with a general explanation of how documents (including diplomas) from the Czech Republic should be legalized for your destination country.

And of course, you can always contact us directly – we’ll be happy to assist!