Court translation in Prague: a case where a Russian notarised translation was not accepted

A client was arranging long-term residence in the Czech Republic. In Moscow, well in advance, he had notarised translations into Czech made: a birth certificate, a police record, a marriage certificate — all with an apostille on the originals. In Prague, at the appointment, the documents were turned away: the Czech authority accepts only a soudní překlad — a translation certified by a Czech court translator.

Why this happens

The Czech Republic has an institution of court translators (soudní tlumočník, soudní překladatel) entered on a state list at the regional courts. Only their translation, bound to the document and certified with a personal round seal, has the force of an official one for Czech authorities. A Russian notarised translation, however flawless in quality and with an apostille, is for them a foreign document that itself needs translating by their translator.

An apostille is still needed — but on the Russian original of the document. The correct scheme is: apostille the original in Russia → in the Czech Republic a court translator translates the document together with the apostille stamp and certifies it with their seal.

What it makes sense to do in advance in Russia

Useful preparation before departure: affix the apostille on all the originals — this is done only in the country of issue and takes a long time if you leave it to the last moment; obtain fresh new-format duplicate certificates; order a police record with an apostille, taking its validity period into account.

And the translation into Czech itself is more sensibly done on the spot with a soudní překladatel — or through a Russian agency that works in tandem with a Czech court translator and delivers a document ready for submission. Do not have a notarised translation into Czech made in Russia "to save money": for Czech authorities it will almost certainly have to be redone, and you will pay twice.