FAQ - Certified translations

Certified translations are translations that are recognised by official authorities. They must be completed by court-appointed translators, be firmly attached to the original document, and bear a certification clause from a court interpreter.

Translations for certain official social and business endeavours must be certified (marriage to a foreigner, conducting business or entering employment abroad, handling insurance claims abroad etc.)

A court-appointed interpreter is obligated to firmly attach the original document to the translation.
If you would like to keep the original for later use, please send us a certified copy for translation.

Yes. As a supplement to our certified translations, we can arrange certified copies (notarised/official copies), an apostille for the translation or the original Czech document (where required by the authority/country concerned), or superlegalization.

When requesting a quote, please specify the country of use and your required deadline.
We will determine the price based on the requested service after reviewing the documents.

To find out if an apostille is required, please check with the institution requiring the certified translation.
If an apostille is required, please obtain one before submitting your document for translation. The apostille must also be translated.

An apostille (for certain groups of countries) or superlegalisation (for other groups of countries) is a certification attached to official documents (e.g. birth or marriage certificates, registry extracts, diplomas, certificates, etc.). It verifies that the document is valid and has been issued by a competent authority in the respective country.

The apostille is always issued by the country that issued the document (or its embassy). For example, if you have a Romanian birth certificate and need it apostilled, this can only be done by a competent authority in Romania or a Romanian embassy or consulate abroad. For Czech documents, apostilles certifying their authenticity are issued either by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic or the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic, depending on the type of document.

For Czech documents you plan to use abroad, you may also need to arrange an apostille or superlegalisation not only for the document itself but also for the certified translation. It is highly recommended to check this out in advance and inform us when placing your enquiry. A certified translation that requires a further apostille or superlegalisation must meet certain criteria, which can affect both the cost and the deadline of the translation.

A certified translation is prepared by a translator appointed by the Ministry of Justice, tied to the source document, and bears an official seal (required by authorities, courts, or the police). In contrast, a translation with a certificate of accuracy is a high-quality commercial translation bearing the stamp of our agency, České překlady. This option, without being sworn, is often sufficient for companies, employers, or schools as proof that the text was translated by a professional agency rather than a layperson. It offers faster delivery and provides a more affordable alternative.

Yes, we can.

Since 2021 it has been possible for certified translations to be delivered electronically. An electronic certified translation is nothing more than a PDF file containing the original document, its translation, and a translation certification clause bearing the electronic signature of a certified translator and a time stamp. This form of certified translation is ideal if you plan to send it by email or data mail. It has the same validity as a hard copy of a certified translation; however, we do recommend that you first check with the recipient whether they will accept the translation in this form. Some institutions may require the translation to be physically attached to the original document in the form of a printout.

Not all of our vendors produce electronic certified translations, so if you are interested, please let us know when ordering your translation so that we can select a suitable translator for the job.