What is an apostille?
Last checked: October 2026. Fees are estimates and change; confirm with the issuing office.
An apostille (say "a-po-steel") is an official certificate attached to a public document, such as a birth certificate or a criminal-record report, so that another country will accept it. It confirms that the signature and seal on your document are real. It does not confirm that what the document says is true.
It exists because of an international treaty, the Hague Apostille Convention. The US and Czechia are both members, so a US document with an apostille is accepted in Czechia without any extra stamp from an embassy.
Why would I need one?
When you apply for a visa, the foreign government cannot easily check whether a US document is genuine. The apostille does that check for them. For a Czech visa you usually need apostilles on your FBI background check, and on birth and marriage certificates for family members. After the apostille, the document and the apostille are translated into Czech by a court-certified translator.
Who issues it?
- State documents (birth, marriage and divorce certificates, state court papers): the Secretary of State of the state that issued the document, not the state you live in now. Example fees: about $10 in Florida and New York, $20 in California (California, New York, Florida).
- Federal documents (the FBI background check): the US Department of State Office of Authentications, $20 per document, and it can take several weeks by mail (US Department of State).
Apostille vs. notary: what's the difference?
| Notary | Apostille | |
|---|---|---|
| Who does it | A notary public (often at a bank or shipping store) | A government office (state Secretary of State or US Department of State) |
| What it confirms | That the person who signed in front of the notary is who they say they are | That the official signature or seal on the document is genuine |
| Accepted abroad on its own? | Usually not | Yes, in all treaty countries, including Czechia |
Notarise first, then apostille: an example
Some documents are private, not public: for example, a signed statement you write yourself. A foreign authority won't accept it on its own. So you sign it in front of a notary, and then send it to your state's Secretary of State, who puts an apostille on the notary's signature. Official documents like a birth certificate or the FBI report don't need a notary: they go straight to the apostille office.
Tips
- Order certified copies of birth and marriage certificates from the issuing state; photocopies can't be apostilled.
- Check how recent the document must be: Czech offices often ask for documents no older than 180 days.
- Start early: the FBI check plus the federal apostille can take weeks.
Back to the Czech guide.