Signature certification by a lawyer

What signature certification does and does not cover

Signature certification is a narrowly defined act. It confirms only that the person named in the document signed it. The document’s content is not examined. The Slovak Signature Certification Act expressly states this.

Certification of signature authenticity does not certify the content, accuracy or truth of the facts stated in the document.

§ 14(3) of Act No. 78/2026 Z. z. on certification of documents and signatures on documents

This is precisely why signature certification should not be confused with agreement authorisation. There are three distinct mechanisms:

Act	Who performs it	What it confirms	Where it applies
Certification of signature authenticity	a district office, municipality or notary in Slovakia; for documents for Czech proceedings, we perform it as a Czech lawyer	only that the person signed the document; nobody reviews the content	any proceedings requiring a certified signature
Authorisation of a real estate transfer agreement	a lawyer under § 1a of the Legal Profession Act	that the lawyer drafted the agreement, established the parties’ identities, assessed legal compliance and assumes responsibility	the cadastre; certification of the transferor’s signature is no longer required
Authorisation of corporate documents, from 17 August 2026	a lawyer under Act No. 29/2026 Z. z.	the same for formation documents, business interest transfer agreements and shareholders’ agreements	the Commercial Register; an equivalent alternative to a notarial deed

Authorisation is therefore more than stricter signature certification. The lawyer assumes greater responsibility, and the law gives it its own effects. It has dedicated pages on our website: authorisation of a real estate transfer agreement and authorisation of corporate documents.

Where signature certification by a lawyer applies

The Czech Legal Profession Act (Act No. 85/1996 Sb., § 25a) grants lawyers authority to certify signatures. The lawyer prepares a declaration of signature authenticity, and the law expressly gives it the same effects as official signature certification. The clause is placed on the document or a sheet firmly attached to it, and every certification is entered in a register maintained under the law.

This authority arises under Czech law. It therefore applies to documents intended for Czech proceedings — the Czech Commercial Register, cadastre, courts or authorities. Typical examples include specimen signatures, consent to a registered office address, resignations from office and powers of attorney.

We do not rely on it for a Slovak document. In Slovakia, signature authenticity is certified by a district office, municipality or notary. We therefore check upfront which form the particular Slovak authority requires. For an agreement, we often find that certification is unnecessary because authorisation covers the matter.

Why we present this as an advantage

Most matters we handle for clients conclude with a signature that cannot simply be an ordinary signature. Usually, this means another appointment, another journey and another fee. The client receives a completed document and instructions to go somewhere else.

With us, this step is not handled separately. We arrange signing at the same meeting at which we discuss the document, and where certification forms part of the service, it is included in the price, regardless of the number of signatures required. This is not a discount or promotion. It follows from our membership of both Bar Associations and the legal mechanism available to us in each country.

When to contact us

• Czech corporate documents and powers of attorney. Specimen signatures, consent to a registered office address, resignations from office and powers of attorney for Czech proceedings. Related service: forming an s.r.o. in Czechia.
• A Slovak real estate transfer agreement. You need agreement authorisation rather than signature certification.
• Slovak corporate documents from 17 August 2026. Formation documents, business interest transfers and shareholders’ agreements: see authorisation of corporate documents.
• Unsure which form is correct? Tell us the act involved and the intended authority. Assessing the form is our first step, before drafting the document.

Source: § 25a of Act No. 85/1996 Sb., on the legal profession (zakonyprolidi.cz); § 8 and § 14(3) of Act No. 78/2026 Z. z. on certification of documents and signatures on documents, effective from 1 September 2026 (slov-lex.sk); § 1a of Act No. 586/2003 Z. z. on the legal profession; Act No. 29/2026 Z. z. (slov-lex.sk).