A Slovak citizen may marry a foreign national in Slovakia or in a foreign country in front of that country's authorities. It is also possible for two foreigners to get married in Slovakia. Marriages at Slovak diplomatic missions are currently possible only between Slovak citizens, i.e. Slovak citizens may not marry a foreign national at the Slovak embassy.
Marriage is entered into by a declaration of consent by the fiancés before a registry office (or another appropriate place) or before the authority of a registered church or religious society. The fiancés shall publicly and solemnly declare their marriage in the presence of two witnesses.
Before the marriage, the fiancés must fill in the prescribed form, which is given to them at the registry office.
A foreigner is obliged to submit the following documents to the locally competent Registry Office not later than 14 days prior to the wedding ceremony:
Documents issued abroad must be legalised for their use in Slovakia (apostille/consular legalisation) and documents issued in a language other than Slovak must be translated to Slovak by an official translator certified by the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. If any of the spouses does not speak or understand the Slovak language, the presence of an interpreter is required at the wedding ceremony.
A Slovak citizen shall submit:
A fiancé may apply for a waiver of the submission of the prescribed documents under the following conditions:
The form of marriage is governed by the law of the place where the marriage is celebrated. Therefore, if the fiancés wish to marry abroad, they will have to follow the laws of that country. The legal capacity to marry, as well as its validity, is governed by the law of the state of which the fiancé is a national - that is, in the case of a Slovak citizen, by Slovak law, and in the case of a foreigner, by the law of his or her home state.
Marriage between a Slovak citizen and a foreign national concluded with a competent authority in a foreign country is recognized in the Slovak Republic only if it is valid in the country where it was concluded and if there are no legal impediments regarding this marriage in the Slovak Republic (e.g. condition of age, monogamy issues, etc.).
In order for a marriage contracted abroad to be recognised in Slovakia, it is necessary to apply for registration with the Special Registry Office of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic, on the basis of which a Slovak marriage certificate will be issued.
Only after the marriage with a Slovak national has been registered with the Special Registry Office can the foreign spouse apply for permanent residence in Slovakia for 5 years.
An application for registration with the Special Registry Office is submitted by a Slovak citizen to the Slovak embassy abroad or to the registry office competent for their place of permanent residence in Slovakia (or the last permanent residence, or any registry office if he/she has never resided in the Slovak Republic). The application shall be made on the form available on the website of the Special Registry Office and must be accompanied by:
All documents issued abroad must be legalised in order to be recognised in Slovakia (by apostille or consular legalisation) and in the case they are issued in a foreign language, they must be accompanied by an official translation into Slovak.
Special Registry Office shall register the marriage and issue you a Slovak marriage certificate within three months from the date of application. In justified cases, this period may be extended by another three months
ADMINISTRATIVE FEES
(Individuals, whose life is under imminent threat, or who are holders of the certificate of a person with severe disability, are not obliged to pay these fees. Fee/s will be administered just from one fiancé.)