As of 1 September 2026, Slovakia has a new Act No. 78/2026 Coll. on the certification of documents and signatures on documents. It replaced Act No. 599/2001 Coll., which had been in force for more than 20 years.
For residents, this means that some documents that could previously be certified at a municipality or district office must now be certified by a notary. At the same time, the requirements for identification and the certification procedure itself have changed.
Which Documents Can Be Certified
Sale and Purchase Agreement. A signature on a sale and purchase agreement can still be certified at a municipality. However, the document must be completed in full: certifying a signature on a blank form or incomplete document is no longer permitted.
Sale and Purchase Agreement. A signature on a sale and purchase agreement can still be certified at a municipality. However, the document must be completed in full: certifying a signature on a blank form or incomplete document is no longer permitted.If an agreement consists of several pages, they must be joined together in a specific way during certification using a three-coloured cord. Documents should therefore not be stapled or otherwise fastened in advance in a way that prevents the cord from being threaded through them.
Birth Certificate. A copy of a birth certificate can generally still be certified at a municipality or district office, provided that the document does not fall under one of the exceptions established by the new law.
However, you must provide the original or an already certified copy. A certified copy cannot be made from an ordinary photocopy. In addition, a municipality or district office cannot certify a copy of a document if it is intended for use abroad.
Diplomas and School Certificates. This is where the most significant changes have occurred. Municipalities and district offices cannot certify copies of diplomas, school certificates and other certificates if the original contains a security feature whose function is lost when the document is copied.
In practice, this applies to many educational documents, for example those containing watermarks, embossed or relief seals, and holograms. In such cases, you must go to a notary to have the copy certified. Another option is to obtain a duplicate of the document directly from the educational institution.
Importantly, the law does not prohibit the certification of copies of all diplomas and school certificates as such. What matters is whether the specific document contains a relevant security feature.
What Has Changed for Foreigners
Previously, foreigners could prove their identity when applying for certification by presenting a valid residence permit.
As of 1 September, this is no longer sufficient. A foreigner must present a valid travel document.
Depending on the situation, this does not necessarily have to be a passport. In practice, an identity card issued by the person’s country of origin (ID card) may also be used if it has the status of a travel document.
Which Mistakes Can Lead to Refusal
After the new law came into force, it is particularly important to check your documents carefully before visiting a municipality or district office.
Certification may be refused, in particular, if:
- the identity document has expired — a valid document is now required;
- a military ID is presented, which is no longer used to prove identity for this procedure;
- a foreigner presents only a residence permit card;
- an ordinary copy is submitted instead of the original or an already certified copy;
- the document is intended for use abroad;
- a blank form or a signed blank page is submitted;
- the signature has been printed or scanned in advance — the document must be signed directly in front of the authorised official, or the person must confirm in front of the official that a previously placed signature is their own.
There is a separate exception for a proof-of-life certificate intended for use in the Czech Republic: a signature on such a document can be certified. However, this exception does not apply to the certification of copies of documents intended for use abroad.
Depending on the country and type of document, an apostille or consular legalisation may also be required after certification. At the same time, for a number of public documents used between EU countries — such as birth, marriage and death certificates and proofs of life — an apostille is not required under EU Regulation 2016/1191.
What Certification Actually Confirms
It is important to remember that a certified signature does not mean that the state has confirmed the contents of the document. When certifying a signature, the official does not check whether the agreement is legally valid, whether it is in your interest, or whether the information contained in it is accurate. The same applies to the certification of a copy: it confirms that the copy corresponds to the original, but not that the information in the document is correct or truthful.
Therefore, before signing important documents — such as a real estate sale and purchase agreement, loan agreement, gift agreement or property settlement agreement — you should check their contents in advance. Certification of a signature does not replace a legal review of the agreement.
The new law has expanded the list of grounds on which documents and signatures cannot be certified: for documents, the number has increased from 6 to 11, while for signatures it has increased from 6 to 8. The main fees have not changed:
- €2 — certification of one signature;
- €2 — certification of one page of a copy.
