Slovakia refuses to recognise same-sex marriages performed abroad, defying EU court ruling

Slovakia's government declared on Friday that it will not register same-sex marriages or civil partnerships performed in other EU countries, directly rejecting a November 2025 ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union.

The government's announcement

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok published a video on social media on Friday stating he is bound by the Slovak constitution, "which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman." He argued in a statement to media that the conclusion is not altered by the fact that a union was validly concluded under another country's legal system. Prime Minister Robert Fico had already signalled the position in June during a visit to a special registry office, saying registration of same-sex partnerships was not possible under Slovak law.

“If someone wants such a fundamental change, the only path is through a revision of the constitution, not through its circumvention, nor through official forms and documents from abroad.”

“The definition of marriage is decided in Slovakia, not in Brussels.”

The EU court ruling

In November 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that every EU member state is required to recognise a same-sex union concluded in another member state. The case was brought by two Polish citizens, a Pole and a German-Pole who had married in Germany in 2018 and sought to have their marriage certificate transcribed into the Polish civil registry. Polish authorities refused, and the court found that non-recognition violated the couple's rights to free movement, residence, and respect for private and family life. In March 2026, Poland's Supreme Administrative Court also ruled that same-sex marriages concluded in another EU state must be recognised.

“Family law must remain in the hands of Slovakia, as has been the case for centuries.”

The affected couple

Metod Spacek and Ivan Novotny, a same-sex couple who married in Austria, attempted to register their marriage in the Slovak registry without success. In May they filed a complaint with the country's prosecutor general against the Interior Ministry for failing to register their foreign marriage. Following Friday's announcement, they declared their intention to take legal action against what they called "this illegal procedure, executed on the order of Robert Fico." The couple appealed to other homosexual pairs not to leave the country.

“If you are thinking of leaving Slovakia because of the hostile climate created by this government, please, if it is still possible, stay. Because we must stand up to the intimidators.”

Legal and political confrontation

The Slovak government's position sets up a direct confrontation with EU law. Sutaj Estok insisted that any fundamental change to marriage definition must come through a constitutional amendment, not through foreign documents or court rulings. The interior minister framed the issue as a matter of national sovereignty over family law, which he said should remain as it has been for centuries.

The couple's legal challenge, combined with the existing EU court precedent, creates a multi-layered legal dispute that may escalate to European institutions. The EU ruling from 2025 already established that member states cannot use national constitutional definitions to deny rights guaranteed under EU free movement and family life protections.