Apostille
Apostille is a clause which verifies the authenticity of the signature and stamp on a document for the purpose of its use abroad . The apostille enables the presenter to substitute further certification if the documents were issued and applied by the signatory states of the Hague Convention. A list of signatories to the Hague Convention can be found here.
Apostille makes the recognition process easier. It is not necessary to legalize the document through the embassy of the state where the document is supposed to be used. The legalization is provided by the competent authorities in the state where the document was issued.
The authority competent to execute apostilles in the Czech Republic (for documents being used abroad) is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Apostilles for court documents issued by judical authorities (courts) are executed by public prosecutors, executors, notaries and the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic.
All authorities of signatory states of the Hague Convention can be found in the directory of signatory states.
The apostille is a square stamp or printed chart where those who signed the document and who authorized it with apostille are indicated. Apostille is generally issued in the official language of the state where the documents were issued. Sometimes it can be drawn up in bilingual format (most often the second language is English). For application in the country of destination, it is necessary to have the apostilled document have translated by the court translator.
