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All You Need to Know About Document Superlegalization for Working in the Czech Replublic as a Canadian Citizen

Beautiful structures, magnificent castles, colourful buildings and cobblestone roads: The Czech Republic is known for being a picturesque medieval-styled country. A fine combination of its history, architectural designs and natural beauty is what puts this unique country on the map for tourism, business, and a keen interest by the working population to find employment and possibly make a life here. This bustling yet tranquil country, with Prague as its capital and the core for most commerce and tourist attractions, exuberates a sense of balance between 15th century romance, fairy-tale scenery and practical life. Whether you are visiting the country for work, education, or any other reason, a temporary residence here as a Canadian citizen may feel like a break from reality into a parallel universe filled with European history and magic.

If you are visiting the country for the purpose of work or study, you will find that you are required to meet documentation standards and requirements that may be slightly different from what you are used to within Canada. Document authentication and legalization are a standard practice any time you need to present official documents issued in one country for use in another. These processes basically allow your document to undergo validation that ensures that your documents are true, valid, and of the official/legal standard that matches the standard of the receiving country.

Here in Canada, official documents such as transcripts, identification documents, degrees, and professional licenses, etc. are authenticated by Global Affairs Canada (GAC), which is a government body responsible for ensuring that the signatures and stamps on your document are true and valid. Once GAC is satisfied, they place a red stamp on your document identifying that it has been authenticated by them. Once authentication is complete, the documents are then presented to the embassy of the country where you intend to use it. These embassies are typically located in Ottawa and once they receive your document and are satisfied of the trueness of the GAC stamp, they too will either affix their stamp or certificate identifying your document as having been legalized by them. Once your document has been authenticated and legalized, it is now ready to be used in the foreign country.

While the process of authentication and legalization are similar for Czech Republic as they are in Canada, there is a difference in the terminology used by the countries. Whereas in Canada we refer to the process of embassy verification as “legalization”, in the Czech Republic and within their Ottawa Embassy in Canada, the same process is recognized as “superlegalization”. This is because inside of Czech Republic, they allow documents to be “legalized” by any local superior government authority such as a ministry or finance authority, similar to how documents are “authenticated” by GAC in Canada. Only when a document is required to be verified by a Czech Embassy is the document said to be “superlegalized”. Hence, the Czech Republic Embassy in Ottawa recognizes the GAC authentication of your document as “legalization” and their own authentication process as “superlegalization”.

The process of getting your documents in order for the purpose of your travel, regardless of whether it is for an educational endeavor or work within the Czech Republic, can be daunting. Adding the hassles of document authentication and legalization/superlegalization can make it even more so, especially if you are familiar with the standard process in Canada and then have to deal with a slightly different one this time. Having professionals such as Legalization Service Centre can lessen your burden and help you complete the process hassle-free. When you trust us to authenticate and legalize/superlegalize your documents, you can rest assured that your documents will be ready in a timely manner and will often save you money and time that may be spent if you do not fully understand what is required by the embassy. Our office is located in Ottawa and close to all major embassies, making it easy for us to follow your documents to completion and keep the most up-to-date information on embassy requirements.

Visit us today at legalizationservicecentre.ca and contact us to have your questions answer or simply get more information. Let us take care of the official end while you pack your bags for a brand new adventure in a whole new world away from home!

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