Slovakia: Refusal to recognise gay marriage heads to court
A key test for European legal precedents.
Slovak citizens Ivan Novotný and Metod Špaček married in Austria in 2020. According to European law, Slovakian authorities are obliges to recognise the marriage - even though same-sex couples cannot get married in Slovakia.
After being denied recognition by the Slovakian authorities - a decision that defied the precedence of European law - Novotný and Špaček continue to pursue recognition of their union.
Novotný and Špaček are relying on a ruling by the EU’s highest court in November 2025 in response to a case brought by a Polish same-sex couple who had married in Berlin.
Jakub Cupriak-Trojan and Mateusz Trojan had challenged the Mazovia provincial governor’s refusal to recognise their German marriage. The court ruled that member states must recognise such marriages where couples had exercised their right to move and reside in another EU country, and created or strengthened family life there.
The European court of justice ruling does not require member states to allow same-sex weddings at home.
What's life like for LGBTQ people in Slovakia?
What’s life like for LGBTQ people in Slovakia? Let’s take a look at some of the key equality indicators.
Is homosexuality legal in Slovakia?
Yes. Same-sex sexual activity was decriminalised in 1962.
The age of consent is 15 regardless of sexuality.
Are there anti-discrimination protections in place for LGBTQ people in Slovakia?
Yes. There are protections against discrimination on the basis of sexuality.
Is there Marriage Equality in Slovakia?
No. There are some limited legal protections available for same-sex relationships.
What’s life like for LGBTQ people in Slovakia?
Slovakia is a socially conservative country. Homosexuality is a taboo subject.
There is a small LGBTQ community in Bratislava.
Reports indicate that while acceptance of LGBTQ people is increasing across the general population, the current government is targeting the queer community as a scapegoat - deliberately rolling back equality measures.
In the recent ILGA report on LGBTQ Equality in Europe, Slovakia was ranked 35th overall. With a total score of 24.92%, Slovakia scored positively on Civil Society Space but lost points on all other criteria.
Gareth Johnson