[REVISION HISTORY]

Slovakia same‑sex marriage registration dispute

Updated 5 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-10 16:49 UTC → 2026-08-11 17:22 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The dispute over registering same‑sex marriages performed abroad intensified in late July 2026. After the General Prosecutor warned the Interior Ministry on July 22 for missing the statutory three‑month deadline on two Austrian‑married couples, the Christian Democratic Movement pressed for rejection, citing the Slovak Constitution’s definition of marriage as between a man and a woman. Prime Minister Robert Fico responded on July 26, reiterating that civil registries cannot record same‑sex marriages even when performed abroad and emphasizing that the prosecutor’s role was only to request a decision, not to compel registration. He again denied any Slovak participation in the “Coalition of the Willing” supporting Ukraine, dismissing media reports as unfounded and labeling them a “media duckling,” and said he had asked the French ambassador to refute the claims. On July 31 the Interior Ministry confirmed that, under the Constitution, the Family Act and the Registry Act, it cannot register such marriages and will inform applicants that registration is impossible. The ministry cited both domestic law and EU obligations, noting that any change to the marriage definition would require a constitutional amendment. Later that day Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok reiterated the refusal to implement the European Court of Justice ruling of November 2025 that obliges EU states to recognise foreign same‑sex marriages, arguing that only a constitutional amendment can alter the definition. ~~The Austrian‑married couple, Metod Spacek and Ivan Novotny, announced plans to sue the government, accusing Prime Minister Fico of ordering an “illegal procedure.”~~ On August 10, the Ministry of Interior formally refused to register the Austrian ~~marriage. Instead~~ marriage of ~~a standard registry office decision, the~~ Metod Spacek and Ivan Novotny. The couple received a tripartite letter personally signed by Minister Šutaj Eštok, ~~stating~~ rather than a standard administrative decision, which they criticized as a political intervention. They also noted the ministry ~~lacks~~ failed to act within the ~~legal basis~~ legally required 90-day period and announced plans to ~~record~~ file a lawsuit at the ~~union.~~ Administrative Court in Bratislava.

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