Authentication and Certification Services
Pursuant to the applicable international treaties, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Hanoi is authorised to provide only the authentication of signatures of Czech citizens and the certification of copies of documents.
Authentication and certification services are provided during consular office hours by prior appointment. Appointments may be arranged by e-mail at hanoi.consulate@mzv.gov.cz.
Authentication of the Signature of a Czech Citizen
Pursuant to Article 37(c) of the Consular Convention between the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Ministry of Foreign Affairs Decree No. 15/1981 Coll.), the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Hanoi is authorised to authenticate only the signatures of Czech citizens.
Authentication is normally carried out on the same day, except where a larger number of notarial acts is involved.
The personal appearance of the applicant is mandatory. The applicant must present a valid identity document (passport or identity card), sign the document in the presence of a consular officer, and pay the applicable consular fee in accordance with the current consular fee schedule and exchange rate.
Authentication of the Signature of a Vietnamese Citizen
Pursuant to Article 13 of the Treaty between the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on Legal Assistance in Civil and Criminal Matters (Ministry of Foreign Affairs Decree No. 98/1984 Coll.), signatures of Vietnamese citizens authenticated in accordance with Vietnamese law may be used in the Czech Republic without any further authentication.
Vietnamese citizens may therefore have their signatures authenticated by a Vietnamese notary public. Should a Vietnamese notary public decline to authenticate a signature on a document drafted in a language other than Vietnamese, authentication may alternatively be obtained on a bilingual document or on a bilingual declaration confirming that the foreign-language document has been signed by the person whose signature is being authenticated.
Certification of a Copy as a True Copy of the Original
For the certification of a copy, the applicant must submit the original document together with the photocopy, present a valid identity document, and pay the applicable consular fee for each page certified, calculated in Vietnamese currency in accordance with the current exchange rate.
Please note that, pursuant to Czech legislation, the Embassy is not authorised to certify copies of passports, national identity cards, driving licences, firearms licences, or other documents whose unique character cannot be substituted by a certified copy.
The Embassy is likewise not authorised to certify copies of documents containing embossed text or embossed seals.
Certification of Translations
The Embassy of the Czech Republic in Hanoi does not provide translation services from Vietnamese into Czech or from Czech into Vietnamese, nor does it certify such translations.
The Embassy may certify an existing translation only where the translation is made in one of the Embassy's working languages, namely Czech or English. Appointments for the certification of translations may be arranged by e-mail at hanoi.consulate@mzv.gov.cz.
The translation into Vietnamese and certification thereof for submission to Vietnamese authorities (for example, the translation of a Czech driving licence) may be obtained through Vietnamese translation agencies.
Please note that, as a result of legislative changes effective from 1 January 2026, a substantial number of translators authorised to provide certified translations from Vietnamese into Czech ceased to hold the requisite authorisation to perform certified translation and interpreting activities. The validity of a translator’s authorisation may be verified through the Register of Experts, Interpreters and Translators.
Validity of Documents Without Further Legalisation
Pursuant to Article 13 of the Treaty between the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on Legal Assistance in Civil and Criminal Matters (Ministry of Foreign Affairs Decree No. 98/1984 Coll.), documents issued or legalised by the competent authorities of one Contracting Party in the prescribed form shall be recognised and accepted in the territory of the other Contracting Party without any further legalisation.
In practical terms, documents issued or legalized by the competent authorities of Vietnam may be used in the Czech Republic without any additional legalisation by the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Hanoi.
Conversely, the Embassy is not authorised to authenticate, legalise, certify, or otherwise endorse documents issued by the authorities of the Czech Republic, including civil status documents, for use in Vietnam.