BASIC INFORMATION 

A marriage involving citizens of the Czech Republic (at least one of the spouses), conducted on foreign territory, must be registered in the Special Registry Office administered by the Office of Brno-City District, Brno-Center, Husova 3, Brno. 

The Czech marriage certificate can be processed through a Czech consular office abroad unless the spouses decide to obtain it directly from the aforementioned office in the Czech Republic. 

Czech citizenship cannot be acquired based on marriage to a Czech citizen. More information regarding residency in the Czech Republic can be found here: visas

 

CONSULAR JURISDICTION OF THE CONSULATE GENERAL IN NEW YORK 

Please note that applications can only be submitted to the Consulate General in New York if the applicant resides in one of the following states within its consular jurisdiction: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont. Residency in the consular jurisdiction must be proven with a copy of an ID showing the address or, for example, a utility bill from the place of residence. 

Applications are forwarded to the Czech Republic for processing. The decision is made by the Special Registry Office in Brno. The Consulate General does not decide on the application or the documents required. It only acts as an intermediary between the applicant and the relevant Czech authority. 

A list of Czech consular offices by territorial jurisdiction in the USA

 

MANDATORY REGISTRATION OF VITAL EVENTS 

Every Czech citizen is required to register all vital events in the order in which they occurred. This obligation applies to the registration of marriage, birth of a child, and death. 

A new marriage cannot be registered unless the divorce of a previous marriage (of the Czech citizen), conducted abroad, has been recognized by the Supreme Court of the Czech Republic. 

 

PROCESS FOR OBTAINING A CZECH MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE 

​1) Proof of Czech citizenship

To issue Czech vital records, it is necessary to prove the applicant's Czech citizenship first. 

Czech citizenship can be proven by: 

• - a valid Czech passport 
• - a valid Czech ID card 
• - a certificate of acquiring Czech citizenship “Listina” not older than 1 year from delivering to         the applicant
• - a valid proof of citizenship “Osvědčení” not older than 1 year  from its issuance

If you do not have a document proving your existing Czech citizenship, you must apply for a new certificate of Czech citizenship

 

2) Marriage registration application

1. COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING FORMS
 

• * Žádost o zápis manželství (DOCX, 13 KB) (Application for marriage registration)
• * PROHLÁŠENÍ (PDF, 274 KB) (Declaration – completed only by Czech citizens. If both spouses are Czech citizens, both must   complete the form separately)
• * Osobní údaje (PDF, 174 KB)  (Personal Information Form)

 

The following Czech/English GUIDES are only for your convenience. The application can be submitted strictly just with the Czech-only forms above.

• Marriage form GUIDE (DOCX, 43 KB)
• Declaration GUIDE (DOCX, 18 KB)

 

HOW TO COMPLETE THE FORMS – PRACTICAL GUIDE:

Filling out forms correctly and accurately can prevent unnecessary delays in the processing of your application: 

• * All sections must be legibly completed in Czech using a pen (or on computer)
• * The application must include the date, place, and your handwritten signature at       the end (a woman signs with her new surname after marriage). 
• * If forms are signed outside the Consulate, the signature must be notarized (a regular Notary       Public in the USA is sufficient). 
• * Dates should be in the European format: dd/mm/yyyy 
• * The place of birth / marriage should include the city or town and the country, not just        the country or county. 
• * Middle names must be fully written; initials are not acceptable. 
• * No abbreviations are allowed except "USA". 
• * If there were no witnesses at the ceremony, write “beze svědků” (= no witnesses) in the        witness field. 
• * Important: In case of a last name change due to marriage, the validity of Czech travel          documents or IDs automatically expires three months after the marriage date.
   

AGREEMENT ON LAST NAME

In the form “Žádost o zápis manželství” (Marriage Registration Form), a section called “Dohoda o příjmení” (Agreement on last name) section must be filled in properly as it determines the future last names of spouses as well as their future children. (fields 52-105 of the form)

Pay attention to whether the original foreign marriage certificate includes an agreement on the surname to be used after marriage. 

Possible scenarios:

• 1) If the marriage certificate includes an agreement on the last name: 
•    - Fill in sections 51–77 with the relevant information. Both spouses must sign at the end. 
• 2) If the marriage certificate does not include an agreement on the last name: 
•    - Fill in sections 78–105. Both spouses must sign at the end. 

 

2. VALID IDENTIFICATION DOCUMENTS

• - A Czech citizen without any Czech ID can use a foreign ID (passport, driver’s license, or U.S. Green Card). 
• - A citizen of another country must present a valid passport or other document proving their identity (e.g., U.S. driver’s license). 

If the application is not submitted in person at the consular office, original documents or notarized copies must be sent. 
 

 

3. VITAL DOCUMENTS TO INCLUDE WITH THE APPLICATION
 

3a) Original U.S. marriage certificate with an Apostille and certified Czech translation

• - The marriage certificate should provide detailed information about the spouses and their parents. If possible, request a "Long Form" or "Legal Form" of the document.
• - Obtain the Apostille from the Secretary of State in the same state where the marriage occurred.
• - Obtain the official Czech translation

The addresses of offices issuing the authentication certificate "Apostille" can be found on our website: Apostille 

An American marriage certificate with an Apostille must be accompanied by an official translation into the Czech language. The official translators in USA can be found here: Translation Services
Alternatively, you can request the translation from a translator in the Czech Republic listed in the Register of Experts and Interpreters maintained by the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic. 

Please note that the Special Registry Office in Brno retains the originals of foreign registry documents with an Apostille and translation, and issues Czech registry documents in their place. Therefore, we recommend obtaining duplicates of American documents for use in the USA. 

 

3b) Original birth certificates of both spouses 

• - A Czech citizen may submit an original or a notarized copy. 
• - A foreign citizen must submit the original foreign birth certificate. No translation or Apostille is required.  A notarized copy from the notary public is also sufficient.

 

3c) Original divorce certificate (if applicable)

• - Czech citizens must provide a divorce decree recognized by the Czech Supreme Court (if the divorce occurred abroad). 
• - Foreign citizens (spouses of the Czech citizens) can submit foreign divorce decree. No apostille or Czech translation is necessary. 

 

4) ORIGINAL NATURALIZATION CERTIFICATE(S) (if applicable) 

• The naturalization certificate doesn´t need an apostille or Czech translation.

 

COPIES

Submitting additional copies of original documents (e.g., IDs, birth certificates, marriage certificates with Apostille and translation, and recognized divorce documents) is recommended to expedite the processing. 

 

FEE 

The current fees change monthly based on the exchange rate. Check the Consular Fees, Item No. 163 of the Fee Schedule for updates. Payment methods: 

• - Cash 
• - Money order payable to “The Consulate General of the Czech Republic in New York, 321 East 73rd Street, New York, NY 10021” 
• - Card (except American Express) for in-person visits. 

 

PROCESSING TIME 

The completed application and all documents are forwarded to the relevant authorities in the Czech Republic. Processing takes approximately 2–3 months from the date the complete application is sent. 

If the application for marriage certificate follows after an application for the Czech citizenship certificate, both of these applications take 2-3 months each. Total processing time can then be 4-6 months.

Once the marriage certificate is issued, the applicants are contacted via email. The issued certificate can be mailed (the applicant needs to provide a prepaid envelope) or picked up in person during a pre-scheduled appointment (optionally applicants can schedule an appointment at the passport department on the same day via email as well).

 

For further inquiries, contact NewYork.Consulate@mzv.gov.cz. 

 

NOTE: Include your phone and email contact with the application to ensure effective communication. 

 

RECOMMENDATION 

Applicants who wish to apply for a Czech passport after obtaining Czech vital records should also apply for pre-validation of data in the Czech citizens register. (This allows us to see if the registry changes are already in the passport system.)

Form: Prevalidace (PDF, 206 KB)