WE are a foreign couple (New Zealand and Germany) and we would like to get married in Slovakia. Is it possible to do so? What do we need to do?
First of all, we recommend that you contact the town hall or respective church (bishop's office) where the wedding ceremony is to take place. In Slovakia you can get married either in a church or in a town hall, and both marriages will be valid, but you should find out if both are considered valid in your country (e.g. a church wedding is sometimes not considered binding by itself).
In addition to this, there will also be a pile of documents that will need to be processed and officially translated into Slovak - these documents will be required from both the bride and the groom:
- Birth Certificate
- Certificate of Baptism (this may be required from the bishop's office)
- Document stating one's legal ability to enter into marriage - a document that proves that a foreigner, according to the laws of his or her state, is able to marry
- Certificate of Citizenship (in the case of dual-citizenship you will need both)
- A document proving permanent residency in your home country - this should be issued by the local municipality
- Confirmation of marital status from your home country
You must submit these documents to the respective town hall (even in the case of a church wedding) no later than 14 days before the marriage - although we recommend you do it atleast one month before.
None of the above documents should be older than six months and they should not expire before the day of the marriage.
Apart from all of these documents you will also need your ID - however, there is no need to translate or process this.
If you would like to have a civil wedding in a town hall you will be required to pay the fee of Sk5,000 (€124). In the case of a church wedding, you may also be asked to pay a fee depending on the church of choice. The town hall will issue the marriage certificate once the ceremony is over.
For our other readers of The Slovak Spectator, please note that this procedure may be different in other countries. Before getting married make sure to find out the exact procedure for your specific case.
Ivona Telekiová,General Manager of the Bratislava-based company Relocation s.r.o. (www.relo.sk), awaits your questions at surviving.slovakia@gpp.sk
