Soudní tlumočník — court interpreter, whose translation with a stamp is accepted by Czech authorities. For Ukrainian documents, this is the only required procedure — and this is where people regularly overpay.
Apostille is not needed for Ukrainian documents
There is a bilateral treaty č. 123/2002 Sb. m. s. (in force since 08.11.2002). Article 18 of this treaty directly states: documents are used without further certification. This means neither an apostille nor legalization through an embassy — only a translation by a soudní tlumočník (court interpreter).
Where the confusion comes from
The general page of MŠMT (Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports) requires certification through an embassy — but this rule is for countries with which there is no treaty. Ukraine is not in this category. People read the general instructions, do not see the disclaimer, and pay for a procedure that the law does not require them to do.
Where it is needed
- Nostrifikácia (recognition) of a diploma or certificate;
- a Ukrainian certificate of no criminal record for a živnosť (sole-trader licence);
- civil registry documents and other Ukrainian papers for Czech authorities.
