Getting Married in Prague as a US Citizen: Documents, Steps and Fees

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Legal & Paperwork
Getting Married in Prague as a US Citizen: Documents, Steps and Fees

Most guides to marrying in the Czech Republic assume you can get a “certificate of no impediment” from your home country. US citizens cannot, because no such document exists in the United States. That one gap causes most of the confusion. This guide explains what to bring instead, in the order you need to do it.

Everything below is based on the pages of the US Embassy in Prague, the US State Department, the Czech Ministry of the Interior and the Prague 1 registry office. Links are at the end.

The short version

Instead of a certificate of no impediment, you give a sworn statement that you are free to marry. You can swear it at the US Embassy in Prague or before a US notary.
US documents such as your birth certificate need an apostille from the state that issued them. The embassy in Prague cannot do this for you.
Everything except your passport must be translated into Czech by a Czech court translator.
Shortly before the wedding you need a confirmation of lawful stay from the Czech Police.
A marriage legally performed in Prague is generally recognised in the US without further steps.

Step by step

1. Choose the registry office and ask what it needs

Your paperwork goes to the registry office (matrika) for the district where you marry. For weddings in the Old Town Hall and most places in the historic centre, that is Prague 1. Write to them first and confirm that they will marry two non-residents and which documents they want. The US Embassy recommends this too, because offices can differ in the details.

2. Collect your US documents and get them apostilled

You will usually need:

a certified copy of your birth certificate,
if you were married before, the final divorce decree or the death certificate of your former spouse.

Each of these needs a Hague apostille. You can only get it in the US, from the Secretary of State (or equivalent office) of the state that issued the document. The US Embassy in Prague says clearly that it cannot produce an apostille. Order these early, because some states take several weeks.

3. Swear the statement that you are free to marry

The US Embassy in Prague says the Czech authorities generally accept a personal statement of your marital status. You have two options:

At the US Embassy in Prague. Book a notarial appointment online. Only the US citizen needs to attend. It takes about 30 minutes and costs $50, payable in dollars, crowns or by card. Bring your passport, your US address and current address, and your partner’s full name, citizenship and address.
Before a US notary public at home. Ask the registry office whether they also want an apostille on it, because this is not stated on the official pages.

The consular officer does not certify that you are free to marry. They only witness your sworn statement. On the wedding day the statement must be no older than six months.

4. Have everything translated into Czech

Prague 1 requires an official translation by a Czech court translator (soudní tlumočník). This applies to every document except your passport, including the apostilles. A translation made in the US is not enough.

5. Submit the papers and pay the fee

You fill in the registry office’s questionnaire and hand in the documents. At Prague 1 the fee is CZK 5,000 if neither of you has permanent residence in the Czech Republic, and CZK 3,000 if one of you does. Prague 1 charges another CZK 3,000 for a ceremony at a different place or outside its regular days and hours. Prague 1 does not set a fixed processing time, so submit as early as you can and ask them for a realistic date.

6. Get the confirmation of lawful stay

Partners from outside the EU need a confirmation that they are in the Czech Republic legally. It is issued by the Police of the Czech Republic (the foreign police), and it must be no older than seven working days on the wedding day. US citizens can usually stay visa-free for 90 days within any 180-day period, and the police issue the confirmation on that basis. Because of the seven-day limit, plan to be in Prague at least a few working days before the wedding. Ask the registry office which police office to use and whether they can request it for you.

7. Book an interpreter and arrange witnesses

If either of you does not speak Czech, an interpreter must attend the ceremony. You arrange and pay for the interpreter yourselves. An interpreter who is not court-appointed has to take an oath at the ceremony. You also need two witnesses with valid ID.

8. After the wedding: the marriage certificate

You receive a Czech marriage certificate (oddací list). To use it in the US, get an apostille from the legalisation office of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Hradčanské náměstí 5, Prague 1. The fee is CZK 600 per document, and it is often done the same day. Whether a US agency also wants an English translation depends on the agency, so ask the office you will deal with.

Will the marriage be valid in the US?

According to the US Embassy, marriages legally performed abroad are generally recognised in the US without further documentation. The State Department adds that questions about validity go to the attorney general of your home state. In practice, keep the apostilled certificate safe. You will need it for name changes, insurance and tax forms.

Same-sex couples

Since 1 January 2025, same-sex couples in the Czech Republic can enter a partnership (partnerství). The procedure and documents are the same as for marriage, and two foreigners can now enter one. It is a separate legal institution, not a marriage. How a US state or federal agency treats a Czech partnership is not clear from official sources, so please get legal advice before you decide.

A realistic timeline

3–4 months before: contact the registry office, order birth certificates and apostilles.
2 months before: book the embassy appointment or US notary, plan your arrival date.
4–6 weeks before: send documents to the court translator, submit to the registry office.
Wedding week: confirmation of lawful stay, final check with the interpreter and witnesses.

Want us to handle it?

The paperwork is the part couples find hardest from abroad. We can coordinate the registry office, translator, interpreter and witnesses, and plan the day itself. Tell us your date and where you would like to marry. For other nationalities, see our legal wedding guide for foreigners.