How and Where to Get Certified Translations of Documents Issued in the Czech Republic

Options for Preparing Translations of Czech Documents

There are several ways to obtain such a certified translation:

In the Czech Republic, Through an Officially Authorized Translator Based in the Czech Republic

A good option, but with some important considerations.

There are many such translators in the Czech Republic, covering a wide range of languages, and they can be found in virtually every reasonably large city in the Czech Republic. We recommend simply using a search engine to find the nearest one. Larger Czech cities also have translation agencies that provide these services.

This option has one very significant advantage: it is quick, simple, and can be arranged immediately. If you have obtained a document in the Czech Republic and are currently here, you can immediately give the document to such a translator. The translation usually takes only 2–3 business days (often even less if the document is short and you make arrangements directly with the translator). In other words, everything can be handled locally while you are still in the Czech Republic.

However, this option also has a disadvantage that may later affect whether the document is accepted outside the Czech Republic: the authorization of a Czech translator may not be recognized outside the Czech Republic. For example, when you present such a translation in another country, the receiving authority may say: "We do not know who this Czech translator is, we cannot verify their authorization and therefore cannot trust the translation."

We have often arranged such translations for our clients for documents that we obtained on their behalf. In the vast majority of cases, the translations were accepted, but there was a small percentage of cases where the issue described above did arise. We should clarify that, from a formal point of view, this should not normally happen and translations prepared by Czech authorized translators should be accepted. Nevertheless, in practice it does happen, and it can be quite difficult to challenge such decisions locally.

In some cases, when a translation was prepared by a local translator in the Czech Republic, our clients were additionally asked to obtain an apostille for the translation (see our detailed information on how to obtain an apostille for a document translation).

Our recommendation if you choose this option: check in advance with the authority or institution where the document will be submitted, if possible, whether they will accept a document accompanied by this type of translation.

Translation Outside the Czech Republic, in the Country Where the Document Will Be Used

This is the best option and the one we recommend.

In other words, have the document translated directly in the country where you will use or present it, by translators based there. In this case, the translation will be prepared by translators who are already authorized in that country, so there should be no questions about the translation itself.

The major advantage of this option is that such a translation should be accepted without difficulty in that country because it has been prepared directly by a local translator.

There are, of course, some disadvantages as well. In particular, the translation needs to be prepared in the country where the document will be used, which means that the document needs to be provided to the translator there. Someone must either deliver it to the translator locally, or you need to arrange the translation with the translator remotely.

There are quite a few translators working from Czech around the world, particularly in larger cities. If there is no Czech translator in your city or town, look in the nearest larger cities. In many cases, the document can be sent to the translator and the translation can be prepared remotely.

Alternative Options Using Translators Based in the Czech Republic

These can also be good options, but it depends on the particular situation, how practical they are, and most importantly whether they are actually necessary.

There are also some alternative translation options in the Czech Republic. They are somewhat specific, but we should mention them because they can also provide a good solution.

These include the following options:

• Translators based in the Czech Republic who are additionally licensed or authorized by a government authority of another country (usually its Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Ministry of Justice) and therefore effectively hold an additional authorization from that country. Documents translated by such translators are generally very well accepted in the countries whose authorities have authorized them. For example: a Czech-Spanish translator may live and work in the Czech Republic but also hold an authorization from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (and therefore be included in the Ministry's official list of translators). Such a translator can prepare a Czech-to-Spanish translation directly in the Czech Republic, while the translation is treated as having been prepared under Spanish authorization and can be accepted in Spain as a locally certified translation. There are not many such translators in the Czech Republic, but for the most widely used languages they can often be found.
• Translators working with foreign embassies or consulates. These are translators who work with embassies and consular sections of other countries. Unfortunately, it would be very difficult to provide general information about how they operate because the arrangements differ from one embassy or consulate to another. You therefore need to contact the diplomatic mission of the particular country and ask them directly.

These alternative options have one major advantage: translations prepared this way should generally be accepted without difficulty in the country where the documents will be used. However, finding such a translator is not always easy. In practice, it is usually considerably simpler to find a translator directly in the country where the documents will be used, as described above.