As Slovak nationals living on a different continent, we do not plan to visit Slovakia soon. However, we need valid duplicates of our Slovak birth and marriage certificates for legal proceedings in our country of residence. We are curious about the speed of obtaining these duplicates if we were to visit Slovakia solely for this purpose. Additionally, we are exploring whether it is feasible to obtain these documents from Slovak authorities while abroad, especially for those unable to visit the Slovak Civil Registry offices in person.
Slovak nationals born or married in the Slovak Republic can usually obtain personal status certificates in person. However, remote acquisition is also an option. Obtaining a duplicate birth or marriage certificate in person is a swift process, usually completed within one working day, assuming the Civil Registry Office (matrika) is open:
i) The applicant has to visit the Slovak Civil Registry Office (matrika) in the place of their birth or in the place of their last residence in Slovakia. If the applicant was born abroad or their marriage occurred abroad, a Special Civil Registry Office (osobitná matrika) handles the issuance of duplicates. In such cases, the applicant should visit the Civil Registry Office of their last residence in Slovakia who will then arrange matters with the Special Civil Registry Office. If the address of the last residence is not known, any Civil Registry Office in Slovakia can be approached.
ii) The applicant has to complete an application for the issuance of a duplicate birth or marriage certificate. This application can be obtained from the Civil Registry Office during the visit or can be downloaded prior to the visit from the Internet.
iii) The applicant has to pay the required fee. Fees can be paid via a payment confirmation of an administrative fee (eKolok), available at selected Slovak Post branches or through the eKolok web application. There’s also a payment terminal at the Ministry of the Interior, Drieňová 22, Bratislava.
As mentioned, the duplicate of the certificate can be arranged in one working day. The Civil Registry Office will process the application during the applicant’s visit and issue a duplicate of the birth or marriage certificate without necessity to come back.
For applicants living abroad who cannot visit Slovakia, there are several methods to obtain the duplicate certificate remotely:
i) An attorney (or any other unrelated authorized representative) of the applicant can file the application to the Civil Registry Office and receive the original of the birth or marriage certificate on the applicant’s behalf. A qualified attorney or other authorized representative will need the Power of Attorney with the applicant’s signature officially verified. If the applicant resides abroad, obtaining the signature verification will usually take time. The applicant can either do it at the Slovak Embassy at the consular department (without the need of higher verification) or the applicant can have their signature verified by the notary of their country of current residence (in which case the higher verification is necessary). As mentioned, this will usually take time and depends on the proximity of the Slovak Embassy.
ii) Another option is that the applicant would ask their direct relatives who live in Slovakia to file the application and receive the original certificate in person on their behalf. In such case, there is no Power of Attorney necessary. The relatives should only prove that they are either siblings of the applicant, their children, or their parents. A qualified attorney can help with filing in the application and provide the instructions to the direct relative also in this case. Involving direct relatives is usually the fastest and less complicated option. Just to repeat – in this case, direct relatives must visit the Civil Registry Office personally and the process mentioned in the beginning of this article applies accordingly.
iii) If there are no direct relatives who can help, the third option (which should usually be pre-agreed with the respective Civil Registry Office) is that the applicant would fill-in the application in their country of residence electronically (again a qualified attorney can help with it), print it, sign it with their own hand and blue-ink pen and send the original application via courier (e.g. DHL) to the respective Civil Registry Office in Slovakia. The Civil Registry Office will issue the original certificate after processing the application and receiving the fee through eKolok application. However, the Civil Registry Office will not send the duplicate back to the applicant’s address or another address the applicant requests. Unfortunately, the authority can only send the original certificate to the Slovak Embassy (consular department) of the applicant’s residence, where the applicant has to personally pick it up.
