Sworn translations in Czechia: the court translator, the seal and the rules

Many newcomers meet the phrase "official translation" when an immigration form says that every foreign document must be accompanied by one. They assume that a competent bilingual friend, or a professional translation agency, will do. For the Ministry of the Interior, the answer is neither. The Czech state keeps a register of court translators, and a translation counts as official when one of them has made and certified it.

Rules on translators are set in law and in the Ministry of Justice's guidance, and each office states what it accepts; ask the office before you order.

Who a court translator is

A court translator (soudní překladatel) is a person appointed by the Ministry of Justice, after meeting conditions on education, language ability, an entrance exam and integrity, to produce certified translations for official purposes. The status is regulated by Act No. 354/2019 Coll. on court interpreters and court translators, which took effect on 1 January 2021 and replaced a law from 1967. The Ministry of Justice keeps the public register in which each translator's languages and contact details appear.

Before 2021 one title, soudní tlumočník (court interpreter), covered both written and oral work, and many documents and offices still use it loosely. The 2019 Act split the profession into court translators and court interpreters (soudní tlumočník), and a person can hold both appointments. In everyday use, "soudní překlad" or "úřední překlad" means a certified translation, and "tlumočník" is an interpreter who works orally. The two roles are separate. For a document you want a translator; for an interview with an official who does not speak your language you may want an interpreter.

A translation agency may offer certified translations too, but the certifying act is performed by a court translator, either an employee or a freelancer the agency works with. The agency is a middleman; the translator signs. Ask whose seal will be on it.

What the certified translation looks like

A sworn translation is a short bundle, not a loose page. It contains the translation, the translator's certification clause (doložka) stating that the translation corresponds to the original, the translator's round seal and a record number in the translator's register of work. Where the translation is made from an original or a certified copy, the two are physically bound together, with the pages joined in a way that shows they belong together. That is why you may be asked to hand over the original, or a notarised copy, to the translator.

A translation of a copy that has not been verified is a weaker document. If an office requires the original or an official copy, say so when you order.

The clause also says what the translator saw. For instance, it can record that an apostille was attached or that the document contains stamps, handwritten notes or illegible passages, and it describes how they were treated. That matters for the office: it tells the clerk what is in the original, and what is the translator's own description.

When you need one

Offices ask for certified translations when a foreign public document is submitted as evidence. For residence procedures that usually means marriage and birth certificates, criminal-record extracts, court judgments, diplomas and transcripts, and sometimes company documents and powers of attorney. For property transactions it can cover foreign powers of attorney and company extracts. For citizenship it covers the civil-status documents in the file.

You do not need one for ordinary correspondence, a job offer in English that you sign yourself, or a personal letter. Offices vary in what they accept for the contract that supports an application, and some accept English-language documents without translation. Do not guess; ask what the office will accept. The Ministry of the Interior's checklist for your permit states it.

Slovak documents are treated differently from other foreign-language papers in many Czech procedures, because of the countries' shared history and the mutual intelligibility of the languages; ask the office whether it accepts a Slovak document without translation, since practice depends on the office.

How to find and brief a translator

Use the Ministry of Justice register of court translators, which lists translators by language. Translators for common pairs such as English or German into Czech are plentiful in Prague; rare languages may have only a handful in the country, and some work remotely. Ask for a quote: translators price per standard page of 1,800 characters including spaces, with a minimum charge, sometimes with surcharges for urgent work, difficult handwriting or a rare language. We do not quote prices here, because they vary and change.

Brief the translator clearly. Say which office the translation is for, because requirements can differ, and whether it must be bound to the original, a certified copy or a scan. Name spelling matters: give the translator the Czech spelling of any names that already appear in Czech documents and the passport spelling of your own, and ask how the translation will render place names, titles and degrees. Inconsistent names are a classic cause of rejection.

Delivery is a physical object. Many translators post the bundle or hand it over for collection; some also provide a scan for convenience, which is not a substitute for the original bundle unless the office says so.

Order and timing

The order of the steps is the same everywhere: original, authentication, translation, filing. Our guide to apostille and legalisation explains why. A translation dated before the apostille does not cover the apostille. Documents with an age limit, such as a criminal-record extract (generally no older than 180 days for residence applications; check MV), should be translated after you are sure of the filing date; see how to get a criminal-record certificate.

Allow time. A translator with a full diary may need several working days for a few pages, longer for large jobs, and urgent service costs more. Build the translation into the plan from the start, as in the schedule in how to get a long-term residence permit or bringing a spouse.

Names, titles and places

Proper names cause the most rejections, so settle them early. Foreign names are normally written as they appear in the passport, in Latin script, without translation; names in other scripts are transliterated by the translator according to a standard, and the passport transliteration should govern if there is one. Academic titles and degrees are not converted into Czech equivalents unless you ask, because an equivalence is a legal question for the recognition authority; the translator renders the title as written and may add a descriptive note. Place names with an established Czech form, such as the name of a capital, are given in the Czech form. If you spot an inconsistency, raise it with the translator before the bundle is sealed, because a corrected bundle is a new job.

What a good translation does not do

A certified translation is faithful, not corrective. If the original contains an error, a misspelt name or an outdated place name, the translator renders it, and may add a note. If the error matters, the fix is to get a corrected original from the issuing authority and translate that. Nor does the translator vouch for the document's genuineness; that is the job of the authentication.

Frequently asked questions

Can I translate my documents myself?

Not for official use. Czech offices accept certified translations by court translators for foreign public documents.

Do I need the apostille before the translation?

Yes. The translator should work from the authenticated document so the apostille is translated too.

Where do I find a court translator?

In the register kept by the Ministry of Justice, which lists translators by language.

Is an English document always accepted without translation?

No. Practice depends on the office and the procedure. Ask the receiving office before you decide.

This is a general explainer, not legal or tax advice.