In order that various public documents prepared abroad for filing with Czech courts or other public administrative agencies be accepted as authentic documents, it is generally necessary that such documents be originals, or verified copies, which have been legalised according to the procedure below described. Such documents can include, for example, Certificates of Good Standing for corporations or notarised corporate resolutions, which generally have to be filed with the Czech Companies Register as part of the process of establishing a Czech company to be wholly or partly owned by a foreign corporation.
Public documents issued by notaries, courts or authorities abroad must generally be acknowledged (legalised) by a Czech consular officer in the relevant country, who may legalise documents only in case the document has been certified as authentic by Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Department of State of the respective country.
It is important to note that the Czech Republic is not party to Hague Convention of Oct. 5, 1961 on abolishing requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents. Therefore, an "apostille" made pursuant to this convention is insufficient as proof of legalisation for purposes of Czech law.
The Czech Republic has concluded bilateral agreements on regarding legal services, including recognition of acknowledgements, with Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Spain, Switzerland and Tunisia.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
Commercial Law - Legalisation of Foreign Documents
