Overview

We issue a wide range of legal documents for British nationals. An appointment must be made for each service.

Where local notaries can provide services, the British embassy will not provide them. In many cases, local notaries or lawyers can provide services more cheaply, quickly and conveniently.

You must make an appointment for each service that requires your personal attendance. Please use the links after each service to make an appointment.

Before booking, make sure you have selected the correct service and that the document will be accepted by the relevant authority. This could be the local town hall, registry office, tax authorities, immigration office or another authority either in Slovakia, the UK or a third country.

Consular fees for certificates or notarial services are non-refundable even if they are not accepted by the requesting authority; it is therefore important that our customers carry out all necessary checks before any services are applied for. Fees for consular certificates and documents are paid at the embassy on the day of the appointment and can be paid by credit card or in cash.

The services we provide in Slovakia:

Consular staff in Slovakia can:

• administer oaths, affirmations and affidavits
• witness a signature
• make certified copies of certain documents
• unite documents
• prepare a document in English or the local language

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What to bring to your appointment

See the individual services below for details of supporting documents to bring. Make sure you have acceptable proof of address and identity, and payment for any fees.

Payment

We accept payment by cash in EUR or embossed Visa and MasterCard cards.

Proof of address and identity

For all appointments for notarial services you will need to bring acceptable proof of your identity and address. We accept passports or national identity cards as proof of identity. We accept local residence cards, or letters such as utility bills or bank statements as proof of your address.

Administer an oath, affirmation or affidavit

This service is for people who need to swear an oath, make an affirmation or make an affidavit in front of a consular officer. The consulate will not draft documents for you. First check with the consulate what format they need and then have the document drawn up or checked by a professional.

What you will need to bring with you:

• the oath, affirmation or affidavit that you will swear or affirm
• the correct fee
• proof of identity/address – see what we will accept as proof

Witness a signature

This service is for customers who need to sign a document and have their signature witnessed by a consular officer. The document must be prepared before your appointment as we will not draft documents for you. We do not handle wills or probate, or witness deed polls. Please do not sign the document before your appointment.

What you will need to bring with you:

• the document that you will sign before a witness
• proof of identity/address – see what we will accept as proof
• the correct fee

Make a certified copy of a document

This service is for customers who need certified photocopies of British passports, Home Office registration/naturalisation certificates, UK educational documents (only those that have been issued in the UK by a recognised institution and are listed on the Legalisation Office website, British driving licences and British divorce decrees.

What you will need to bring with you:

• the document to be copied
• proof of identity/address – see what we will accept as proof
• the correct fee

Unite documents

This service joins documents together using ribbon and a seal and is usually only needed for legal reasons.

What you will need to bring with you:

• the documents to be united
• proof of identity/address – see what we will accept as proof
• the correct fee

Prepare a document in English or the local language

In a limited number of cases consular staff can write a statement of fact (‘preparing a certificate’) to help British nationals with various local authorities. The wording must be cleared with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, which means these documents will take longer to prepare. We can only provide this service if we have proof that the wording/content you require is correct and unambiguous. This service is provided at the discretion of consular staff and we can refuse to provide it. We can prepare these documents in English or in the local language. Please ensure you select the correct service and note the difference in fees.

What you will need to bring with you:

• the wording or content and proof it is correct and unambiguous
• proof of identity/address – see what we will accept as proof
• the correct fee

Services provided elsewhere

We no longer provide life certificates for British nationals claiming a British pension abroad.

Data protection

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office holds and uses data for purposes notified to the Information Commissioner under the Data Protection Act 1998. Such personal data may be disclosed to other UK government departments and public authorities.

Disclaimer

This information is provided as a general guide and is based upon information provided to the embassy by the relevant authorities and may be subject to change at any time with little or no notice. Accordingly the FCO and the British embassy will not be liable for any inaccuracies in this information. For all notarial and legalisation services it is the responsibility of the customer to ascertain the precise requirements of the person requesting the notarial or legalisation service and to satisfy themselves that the service provided by the embassy will be accepted.