Fees and steps checked on
Czech Republic certificate attestation makes a Czech diploma, civil record, court paper or company document valid in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other emirates. For a country outside the Apostille Convention, such as the UAE, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs adds a "higher verification" (vyšší ověření) rather than an apostille. The UAE Embassy in Prague then superlegalises it, and MOFA attestation is the final stamp.
Price: Send a copy on WhatsApp and you get the total price plus VAT, all official fees included, before any work starts. See attestation fees.
Apostille or higher verification
The Czech foreign ministry's legalisation office in Prague issues both, at the same fee of CZK 600 for a Czech document. Which one you receive depends on the country you name on the request. Name the UAE, and the office attaches the higher verification that the UAE embassy expects. Name nothing, or a European country, and you may walk out with an apostille that the UAE will not accept on its own.
The Czech chain
The order published for Czech documents by VFS Global, MOFA's attestation service provider, is:
- Sworn translation by a Czech court translator.
- Notarisation of copies and declarations.
- Ministry of Education for school and university documents.
- Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, higher verification.
- UAE Embassy in Prague.
- MOFA in the UAE.
Court and notarial documents have an extra early step: the Czech Ministry of Justice legalises them before the foreign ministry.
At the Prague legalisation office
The ministry's office for legalisation of public documents is at Hradčanské náměstí in Prague 1. It says documents handed in personally are usually verified the same day, and that it may accept only about five documents per person at one time. Postal applications are possible, with the fee paid by bank transfer, but verified documents can be returned abroad only through Czech embassies, which adds time. For a family file with several documents, we split the visits.
Czech documents and their first steps
| Document | First step | Ministry step |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma (diplom) and supplement | University, Ministry of Education | MFA higher verification |
| Birth or marriage certificate (rodný list, oddací list) | Registry office original, sworn translation | MFA higher verification |
| Court decision, divorce | Ministry of Justice | MFA higher verification |
| Power of attorney | Czech notary, Ministry of Justice | MFA higher verification |
| Commercial register extract | Register, sworn translation | MFA higher verification |
Translation and names
Most Czech documents need a sworn translation, which in Czech practice is usually bound to the original with a cord and seal. Do not separate them. Women's surnames usually end in "-ová", and the diacritics (č, ř, š, ž) often disappear in UAE systems, so send your passport copy so that every document matches it. If an Arabic version is also needed, we add a legal translation in Dubai.
From inside the UAE
You do not need to fly to Prague. MOFA lets anyone apply on your behalf, and the original goes to the Czech Republic and back by courier. Tell us early if the document is a power of attorney, because it has to be signed before a notary first; see power of attorney attestation. For a degree used for a work permit or golden visa, see degree certificate attestation.
Documents from Poland follow a different chain, set out on Poland certificate attestation, so if you hold papers from both countries the two routes can be planned side by side.
Avoidable mistakes
- Asking the Czech ministry for an apostille
- Pulling apart a bound sworn translation
- Laminating the original, which MOFA refuses
