Formal Requirements
Applications submitted outside the Czech Republic:
The documents attached to an application must meet the following requirements:
- The documents cannot be older than 180 days. This does not apply to a travel document, register office documents or your photograph if it is current.
- Documents in other than Czech or Slovak languages need to be provided in their original versions together with sworn translations into Czech.
- Travel documents, register office documents and documents proving the purpose of residence must be provided in their original versions.
- Documents issued by a court, notary or an authority outside of the Czech Republic must be certified with an apostille or a certification clause issued by a higher-level authority (so-called superlegalisation). For more information on the requirement of certification of foreign public documents by a higher-level authority please click here.
Applications submitted in the Czech Republic and extensions:
The documents attached to an application must meet the following requirements:
- The documents must be originals or certified copies.
- The Ministry of the Interior employees only make copies of the travel document and register office documents in the office. You must provide the originals of these documents, which will be returned to you.
- A document proving your purpose of residence may be provided in its original version or as a certified copy and the Ministry of the Interior will keep it. You may provide the Ministry with a certified copy of the original, but you must bring in the original with you.
- As for other documents (e.g. a lease agreement), the Ministry employees keep the documents and do not make copies. You may provide the Ministry with a certified copy of the original and you do not have to bring in the original with you.
- The documents cannot be older than 180 days. This does not apply to a travel document, register office documents or your photograph if it is current.
- The document proving you have no outstanding debts cannot be older than 30 days on the day of application.
- Documents in other than Czech or Slovak languages need to be provided in their original versions together with sworn translations into Czech.
- Documents issued by a court, notary or an authority outside of the Czech Republic must be certified with an apostille or a certification clause issued by a higher-level authority (so-called superlegalisation). For more information on the requirement of certification of foreign public documents by a higher-level authority please click here.