Documents issued by courts and authorities in the Slovak Republic that are valid in Slovakia as public documents hold the evidentiary power of public documents abroad if they are accompanied by the prescribed certifications. Exceptions are defined by multilateral and bilateral agreements to which the Slovak Republic is bound with individual states.
- Slovakia acceded to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents on October 5, 1961. The Convention entered into force for Slovakia on February 18, 2002. Slovakia’s accession to the convention simplifies the conditions for using public documents issued by the authorities of one contracting state in the territory of another contracting state. The public document of Slovakia is certified by the designated authority with an apostille stamp. This certification allows the document to be used directly in another contracting state.
- If you intend to use public documents issued in Slovakia in a country that is not a member state of the Hague Convention, each document must be legalized as the last state institution at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic. Subsequently, the document must undergo superlegalization at the embassy of the country where you intend to use the document.
The document certification office reserves the right to refuse certification if the documents are issued in violation of the valid legal regulations of the Slovak Republic or contradict the principles of international law.
Examples of public documents issued by institutions of the Slovak Republic:
- Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Death Certificate: The Registry Office issues the original document. If the document is to be used in a member state of the Hague Convention, the district office relevant to the registry that issued the document affixes an apostille certification, completing the document’s verification by Slovak authorities.
For other states, after verification by the district office, the document undergoes verification by the consular section of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, a judicial translator, a regional court, again by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, and finally at the embassy/consulate of the country where the document is to be used.
The Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, and Death Certificate issued by the Special Registry are certified by the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic. If the documents are to be presented in a country that has not signed the Hague Convention, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic subsequently certifies the documents.
Educational Documents.
Certificates, diplomas, and confirmations of school attendance issued by elementary, secondary, and tertiary educational institutions for use abroad are subject to certification by the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic (www.minedu.sk).
Without initial certification by the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic or another state institution, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic does not legalize documents.
For states under the Hague Convention, the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic grants an apostille.
For other states, the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic confirms documents for legalization by the consular section of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic. The document must be submitted to a court translator for translation, then certified by a regional court, again by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, and finally, for further use, it requires verification (superlegalization) by the embassy/consulate of the country where the document is intended for use.
Certifications and attestations issued by secondary medical schools undergo initial verification by the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic.
Certifications with a focus other than healthcare are verified by the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic.
Registration confirmation for nurses in chambers must always be an original with certification by the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic.
Educational documents issued by military schools undergo verification by the Ministry of Defense of the Slovak Republic.
The Slovak National Archive and other state archives provide complete reproductions of archival documents, including educational documents. For use abroad, the Slovak National Archive certifies these reproductions directly, followed by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic and the embassy of the destination country. Reproductions of educational documents issued by another state archive are verified by the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic, Archives and Registry Department at Križkova Street No. 7 in Bratislava, followed by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic and the respective embassy. If the reproduction is intended for a state that acceded to the Hague Convention, an apostille is granted by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic.
Criminal Record Extract.
The General Prosecutor’s Office of the Slovak Republic or branches of the Slovak Post issue a criminal record extract. If the criminal record extract is to be used abroad, certification for use abroad must be requested when applying for the extract. After certification by the director of the criminal record registry or their authorized staff (only in Bratislava), the extract is certified at the consular section of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic.
Judicial Public Documents.
Judicial public documents issued by courts, notaries, and executors within the jurisdiction of the regional court are verified by the respective regional courts. Valid divorce judgments, adoption decisions, notarial records, affidavits, and powers of attorney undergo initial certification by the regional courts. Documents issued by regional courts and the Supreme Court are verified by the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic.
Translation of Documents into Another Language
Translations of documents for use abroad must be prepared by a court translator (not an interpreter).
Translations can be done only after the certification of the Slovak Republic document (if the authenticity of the document is not confirmed, the translation itself cannot be certified).
Since most documents issued by Slovak authorities need to be retained in their original form for personal use (high school diploma, university degree), a copy can be made. As documents are often inseparably attached to the translated version, leading to potential damage, it is necessary to make a photocopy after the document has undergone initial certification. The first-level certification of translations is performed by the regional court.
The Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic and regional courts maintain a register of judicial translators. Subsequently, the document is submitted for verification to the consular section of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic and the embassy of the country accredited for the Slovak Republic.
Example:
A document certified with an apostille by the relevant authority does not undergo further verification and is ready for submission in the country where the document is intended for use. The original document and the translation of the original document must be first certified (apostille for translation is granted by the regional court).
The diploma is certified by the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic. After certification, it is possible to make a copy before a notary, whose authorization is confirmed by the relevant regional court, followed by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic. The document must be submitted to a court translator for translation into the official language of the country where the document will be used. After translation, the document translated by the court translator is submitted to the relevant regional court for certification of the translator’s authenticity. The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic verifies the authenticity of the court, and the document (original and translation) undergoes superlegalization at the relevant diplomatic mission of the country where the document will be used.
Photocopies of Documents.
The original document must undergo initial certification. For example, a diploma must be certified at the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic, and a valid divorce judgment must be certified at the respective regional court before a copy is submitted for notarization.
Registry offices issue a new registry document for use abroad upon request – copies are not certified.
The authenticity of the photocopy must be confirmed and signed only by a notary. The first-level certification, confirming the notary’s authorization, is done by the respective regional court (if documents are going to Hague Convention states, the regional court grants an apostille, if for other states, the regional court confirms the documents for further certification at the consular section of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic).
Extract from the Commercial Register of the Slovak Republic.
The Commercial Register is a public list of legally established data, comprising a collection of legally designated documents.
An extract from the Commercial Register of the Slovak Republic for use abroad can be obtained from the relevant district or regional courts or a notary, not from the post office. The respective regional courts confirm them for use abroad / for countries requiring legalization and superlegalization, verifying the authenticity of the document (the process proceeds to the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, as mentioned above); for countries under the Hague Convention, the document is authenticated with an apostille (the document can be translated, as mentioned above).
For more information on the Commercial Register, visit the Commercial Register agenda under the Law and Legal section at www.orsr.sk.
Trade Licensing Register.
A trade license for use abroad, issued by the relevant district office, is verified by the Public Administration Section of the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic.
Marriage Abroad.
In the case of a marriage involving a citizen of the Slovak Republic abroad, it is necessary to inquire about the required documents for obtaining permission to marry at a specific registry office, in a church, etc., in the country where the marriage is to take place.
In principle, Slovak citizens abroad are typically requested to provide:
- Birth certificate
- Confirmation of permanent residence
- For a church wedding, a baptismal certificate or a declaration of faith
- In the case of a divorced individual, a divorce decree, or in the case of a deceased spouse, a death certificate Slovakia has not issued a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry Abroad since February 1, 2006. Maternity offices issue confirmation of this. Usually, it is necessary to make an affidavit about the marital status, signed before a notary and subsequently certified by the relevant regional court.
Example.
I, XY, born on…, residing at…, passport number…, solemnly declare that I am single and have never been married, or – divorced (in this case, a valid divorce decree or divorce confirmation is attached), or – widowed (the death certificate of the spouse is attached).
Documents issued by the church in the Slovak Republic are not subject to higher authentication. In case of potential complications abroad, clients are recommended to request church documents in the Latin language – they are not subject to certification or translation.
Divorce.
A citizen of the Slovak Republic who is divorced, when marrying abroad, submits, among other things, a valid divorce decree. For use abroad, the relevant regional court confirms the document, which, for countries requiring legalization and superlegalization, verifies the authenticity of the document (the process proceeds to the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, as mentioned above); for countries under the Hague Convention, the document is authenticated with an apostille (the document can be translated, as mentioned above).
Clients who are divorced in Slovakia can request the issuance of a “Certificate of Divorce” (or Certificate of Divorce) from the relevant district court. Subsequently, the authenticity is verified by the regional court…
Slovak citizens who divorce abroad should contact the Bratislava Regional Court for further information, tel. no. central 02/888 101 111.
Power of Attorney, Agreement, Minutes, Declaration…
Legal entities, companies, agencies, etc., empower representatives, partners, to act on their behalf abroad (e.g., registration in the commercial register, opening bank accounts, etc.). If the power of attorney/agreement is to be used in a country that has signed the Hague Convention, the company’s statute signer signs the original document before a notary, the notary is certified by the relevant regional court with an apostille, SOPK confirms the existence of the business entity on the original document, a court translator translates, any regional court certifies the translation with an apostille. If the power of attorney/agreement is to be used in a country that has not signed the Hague Convention, the original document is signed by the company’s statute signer before a notary, the notary is certified by the relevant regional court for further verification, SOPK confirms the existence of the business entity on the original document, KONZ legalizes, a court translator translates, any regional court certifies the translator for further verification, KONZ legalizes the document.