What Is Higher Verification of Documents?

Foreign documents submitted as part of a Czech visa application cannot simply be used as they are. Czech authorities would not recognize them without prior verification of their authenticity. This official process is called “higher verification”.

Higher Verification Applies Only to Public Documents

Important: higher verification applies only to public documents. These include diplomas, school certificates, birth certificates, marriage certificates, criminal record extracts, and similar documents issued by public institutions abroad. Such documents must undergo higher verification.

On the other hand, documents such as bank statements or employment contracts do not require verification, because they are not public documents, they are issued by private institutions.

There Are 3 Types of Higher Verification

1) No Verification Required

In some cases, foreign public documents do not need any further verification. This usually applies to countries that have signed an international agreement with the Czech Republic (bilateral agreements, consular conventions, EU regulations, etc.).

These countries include, for example, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia, Serbia, and dozens of others. A full list can be found here.

Please note that any document intended for official use in the Czech Republic must be officially translated into Czech, disregard the type of higher verification.

2) Apostille

An Apostille is a verification sticker attached to a foreign document. Through this process, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the issuing country verifies the authenticity of the signature and stamp on the public document.

This is a simple, one-step verification process that usually takes only a few days at maximum. It is often issued on the spot. In recent years, many countries have also started issuing electronic Apostilles, which has significantly accelerated the verification process.

An Apostille replaces the more complicated process of "superlegalization".

You can read here which countries use the Apostille.

3) Superlegalization

The Superlegalization is the most time-consuming and administratively demanding verification process.

While Apostille is considered a “one-step” verification, Superlegalization involves two steps:

• Step 1: The public document must first be verified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country that issued the document.
• Step 2: The verified document must then also be authenticated by the Czech embassy or consulate in that country.

It is not unusual for the superlegalization process to take up to two months, mainly due to the availability (or unavailability) of the relevant authorities.

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Why Is “Higher Verification” Important?

Whether a document requires verification, and which type of verification applies (Apostille, Superlegalization, or no verification), has a major impact on the overall duration of the visa process.

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An Unpleasant Surprise Before the Employee Even Starts

Particularly in the case of work visas, employers often underestimate this aspect of the process. A Czech company may unknowingly select the most suitable candidate from a professional perspective, only to later discover how demanding the verification and visa process actually is.

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How to Handle It in Practice

A good practice is therefore to consider the administrative and time requirements of the visa and verification process already during the recruitment phase, before selecting the candidate and signing the job offer.

This can save everyone involved a great deal of time, effort, and frustration. After all, there is a big difference between obtaining a Czech work visa in three months versus six months. That alone makes this topic worth paying attention to, wouldn’t you agree?

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