What is "consular legalization"?
"Consular legalization in the Czech Republic" is an additional certification of any Czech documents that gives them validity outside the country, in other states. This method of certification is also often called "superlegalization" or "consular certification", since the final authentication is carried out at the consulate of the state where the document will be used, directly by its official who applies the appropriate stamp and signatures.
This method can be used to certify any official papers from the Czech Republic, such as those issued by government agencies or notaries in the country. This is a rarely required form of document authentication abroad – it is needed only for a limited number of states that do not accept Czech documents without additional certification and do not recognize the apostille.
How to find out if it is required
It depends individually on the state where you plan to use the Czech document. The Czech Republic has its own specific agreements with each country regarding how they mutually recognize documents. On our website, there is a form to check the legalization requirements for documents from the Czech Republic – the best way is to enter the country, and the form will generate a detailed response on what type of certification is needed for that state.
It is quite difficult to list all the countries that require consular legalization. However, based on our experience, the most common countries where this type of certification is needed include: the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai), Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and nearly all African states.
In reality, the requirement for consular legalization is quite rare. More often, an apostille is sufficient, or documents from the country are accepted without any additional certification (again, you can use the verification form via the link above).
You can always contact us with this question – we will clarify what type of certification is needed for your specific situation and conduct a search for information tailored to your case. It’s no trouble for us, and this service is always free.
The process of consular legalization of documents in the Czech Republic
The procedure consists of the following steps:
- First, the document itself that will undergo this process is required. It must initially be certified by an official Czech authority, such as a notary or a government authority.
- Next, the document receives additional verification from the Czech side, often called "Higher authentication" ("Vyšší ověření"), where a special certification stamp is applied. The logic behind this step is that the Czech Republic essentially double-checks and further confirms the document's authenticity. This certification is carried out by either the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic, or the Czech Notarial Chamber, depending on the type of document and which authority originally certified it.
- At the final stage, the document must be certified by the jurisdiction of the country where it will be used. Most often, this certification is done at the consulate of the destination state, which is why this type of authentication is called "consular legalization". Many countries have representation offices in the Czech Republic where this can be done, though some do not (for example, the UAE does not have one). In such cases, the final certification is usually handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the destination country within its own territory. Essentially, this step ensures that the state where the papers will be used officially recognizes this certification as valid for use within its territory.
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ALL CUSTOMER REVIEWS (summary 35 reviews)(18 November 2022)
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Review: We were completely lost about how to handle the tax inquiry regarding our Czech company, but received tremendous help here. Thank you for the quick work and detailed guidance throughout our cooperation.
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(16 March 2024)
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Review: The company provided invaluable assistance with our Czech company following a request from the Russian tax authorities. We were facing huge fines, but thanks to their help, we obtained the necessary certificates and subsequently closed the company. We're grateful to Arkadiy for his excellent work!
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(13 August 2025)
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