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What to do when wedding bells are ringing in England?

Would you like to have a wedding in England but you are turned off by the mountain of paper work and extra complications?

Don't worry; it is not as bad as you may think. We can offer you all the information necessary about Slovak and English weddings including all of the details so that you can manage your big day with ease.

If you are planning a wedding, the first step is to announce it to the vital records office. After making this notice, you have to wait 15 days and then the wedding can be held. Select the date of your wedding at the vital records office. If you are planning a Friday or Saturday wedding, start to arrange everything sufficiently in advance. The fee for the wedding varies depending on how „lucrative“ the wedding date is with Sunday being the most expensive day. If you are interested in leaving your big day to the hands of a professional, you can find the names of companies that focus on organising weddings at the vital records office.

Bring a document with your name and age (identification card or driving license) with you along with your passport. You will also need proof of address. This has to be a trustworthy document that includes your name and address (e.g. a rental agreement). If this is not your first wedding, make sure to include your divorce record or a death certificate.

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Legalisation of your marriage in Slovakia

Preparing for a wedding is of course the easy part. It starts to get a bit more complicated after the ceremony. Make sure to have a number of copies of your marriage certificate completed (you receive it right after the wedding). If you want to legalise the marriage in Slovakia, you will first need an apostille for the marriage license (a record that is attached to verify the document as valid). This can be done in person or via the post through the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

You then have to request the entry of the marriage in the Special Vital Records Office of the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic either at the vital records office of your residence or at an embassy of the Slovak Republic. The application must include the following details: a document proving Slovak citizenship, a “Marriage Record” form (can be found on the website of the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic in the special vital records office section), an original copy of the marriage license with an apostille, a translation of the marriage license into Slovak as well as a “Female Last Name Registration with Appropriate Ending” form, a birth certificate (if there are any difference in the first or last name on the foreign marriage certificate) a divorce decision from a previous marriage or a death certificate (if you have already been married) and a prepaid envelope made out for registered delivery (if you want this vital records document to be sent via post). It takes three months for the special vital records office to issue the Slovak marriage license. After this document is issued, your marriage is recognised in Slovakia.

Dual citizenship

If your husband or wife has British citizenship, dual citizenship can be requested. Dual citizenship is allowed in Britain. In Slovakia it is not officially allowed, but an exception applies for marriage (or birth).

The cancellation of dual citizenship is new in Slovakia. It was introduced in the amended citizenship act, which entered into force in July last year (2010). Before this legal change, it was only possible to lose citizenship by requesting that citizenship be revoked. Currently a Slovak citizen can lose citizenship if he or she voluntarily gains citizenship in another country. The act does not declare the need to announce such acquisition to any office and if you do not do so, it is practically impossible for officials to learn about such status.

This strict Slovak legislation is a response to a draft Hungarian law on citizenship that simplifies the award of dual citizenship to Hungarian abroad (allowing Hungarians in neighbouring states to gain Hungarian citizenship without the need to live in Hungary). Of course, in spite of the fact that the response of the Slovak Republic is an appropriate response to Hungary, the effects of the new amended citizenship act are much wider…

Royal wedding

The British royal family also recently has its hands full with the preparations for the wedding of the century. Prince William and Kate Middleton, who became the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after the wedding, said their vows on the 29th of April in Westminster Abbey. Nearly 2000 guests were invited and nearly 100 million watched around the world on television and on the internet.

As second in line to the throne, 28 year-old Prince William is the oldest son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. His bride, Kate Middleton, is not a blue blood however. The „People's Princess“ as she is known is the daughter of a wealthy businessman. Se became the first non-inheritance princess in the last 350 years.

Prince William and Kate met at St. Andrews University in Scotland. They began dating in 2003. They managed to hide their relationship from the public for four years. Be it pursuits such a hockey, skiing or rowing, the transparent dress she wore at a fashion show or her beauty and elegance, Kate Middleton won the heart of Prince William and he gave her his mother, Princess Diana's engagement ring in November 2010.

Kate had been waiting for a ring for seven years, the reason she was called „Waity Katie“. One hundred million viewers across the globe witnessed the wedding on 29 April as the fairytale of „Waity Katie“ finally came to a happy end as she can now say with satisfaction, she who laughs last…