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Death and inheritance proceedings

The death of a loved one is a difficult life situation. This guide will give you an overview of the steps to manage inheritance proceedings and other obligations related to the death.

Help in difficult moments after losing a loved one

The loss of a loved one is a difficult life situation. Besides grief, it also brings a lot of administrative matters to deal with, for which a person is often not prepared. It is natural to feel helpless and to seek advice.

If you are struggling to cope with the loss, do not hesitate to seek professional help. You

You can contact: 

the Crisis Helpline, Opens in a new window

the Online Counselling Service.Opens in a new window

A guide to death and inheritance proceedings

  1. 1

    If a loved one died outside a healthcare facility, call 112 or 155. A doctor will confirm the death and send an electronic death report to the relevant authorities.

    If a loved one died in a healthcare facility, the healthcare provider will notify you of the death.

    Choose a funeral service according to where you want to bury the deceased.

  2. 2

    The death is reported to the registry office by the doctor who examined the body. They do so without delay, at the latest within 3 working days of the examination.

    Further necessary details are provided to the registry office by the person arranging the funeral. They must do so at the latest within 5 working days of learning of the death, through any registry office.

    To register the death, submit:

    • the deceased’s ID card,
    • your ID card.

    The registry office will issue the death certificate immediately and free of charge.

    The registry office will then notify of the death:

    • the relevant district court – for the purposes of inheritance proceedings,
    • the Social Insurance Agency – for the purposes of state-paid benefits,
    • the residence reporting office of the municipality where the deceased had permanent residence on the day of death.

    If it concerns a foreigner with a residence permit in the territory of the SR, information about the death is automatically sent to the foreign police by entering the death into the system.

  3. 3

    You can arrange the original death certificate electronically through the service Application for issuance of the original death certificateOpens in a new window. The service is free of charge.

    The electronic application can only be submitted by a close relative of the deceased:

    • a husband or wife,
    • a parent,
    • a child.

    If the applicant is another close person whom the system cannot verify, the electronic service cannot be used.

    The original death certificate will be delivered to the applicant’s electronic mailbox.

    If you need a paper version, you can:

    • collect it at the registry office, or

    request that it be sent by post.

  4. 4

    If a person died abroad and was a citizen of the Slovak Republic, you need to submit a notarized copy of the death certificate with an official translation into Slovak (a translation from Czech is not required) and, through the relevant registry office, apply for the death to be recorded in the special register in Bratislava, which will then issue a Slovak death certificate.

  5. 5

    On the day of death, most of the deceased’s personal documents lose validity. You do not need to report the death to the Police Force. It is enough to hand over these documents:

    • ID card – to the registry office or the district directorate of the Police Force,
    • driving licence – to the nearest Police Force unit,
    • passport – to the Police Force department that issued it,
    • firearms licence – within 7 days to the relevant Police Force department; you will then arrange for a dispatched patrol to collect the weapons,
    • medical records – to the healthcare provider.

     

    Good to know

    • The healthcare provider retains medical records for 20 years after the person’s death.
    • The electronic health record is automatically locked after death. Electronic health records are kept by the National Health Information Center in the national health information system for at least 20 years after the person’s death.
  6. 6

    The funeral allowance is a social benefit through which the state contributes towards the costs of arranging the deceased’s funeral.

    • The amount of the allowance is €200.00.
    • Entitlement to the funeral allowance expires 1 year after the deceased’s funeral.
    • Apply for the allowance at the Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family in person, by post, or electronicallyOpens in a new window.

     

    Conditions for claiming the funeral allowance

    • The applicant for the allowance must be an adult natural person.
    • The application must be confirmed by the funeral service.
    • The applicant must have permanent residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic (SR). If it concerns a foreigner, they must have at least temporary residence in the territory of the SR.
    • The deceased must have had permanent residence in the territory of the SR. If it concerns a foreigner, they must have had at least temporary residence in the territory of the SR at the time of death (burial of the deceased in the territory of the SR, if they had temporary residence in the territory of the SR at the time of death). The funeral allowance can be claimed by a family member of the deceased or another natural person (not a legal person). This also applies if the deceased was a citizen of another EU member state and worked in Slovakia or received a pension there.
  7. 7

    Under conditions set out in its generally binding regulation (VZN), a municipality may provide a funeral allowance and/or an allowance towards the costs of a grave site. The most common situations are:

    • a citizen who arranged the funeral of a deceased person with permanent residence in the municipality,
    • a survivor (husband, wife, child, or other close person) who paid the funeral costs,
    • a person who can prove payment of the funeral costs (an invoice or proof of payment),
    • an applicant meeting the conditions set out in the VZN (e.g. permanent residence, no debts to the municipality, submitting the application within the set deadline),
    • in selected municipalities, also socially dependent persons or persons in an unfavourable social situation.

    Note: The entitlement, amount of the allowance, application deadline, and required documents vary according to the VZN of the specific municipality. The eligibility of the application is therefore always assessed by the municipality according to its generally binding regulation.

    The application for the allowance can also be submitted electronically after logging in to the slovensko.sk portal and finding the electronic service “Provision of a funeral allowance and an allowance towards the costs of a grave site”, or through the specialized portal www.dcom.sk.Opens in a new window

  8. 8

    To receive a widow’s, widower’s, or orphan’s pension, you must submit an application at any branch of the Social Insurance Agency. You can book an appointment to draw up the application through the Social Insurance Agency’s Reservation SystemOpens in a new window, where you can choose a specific branch (workplace), date, and time that suits you.

    Details can be found on the page Pension Applicant.Opens in a new window

    Social insurance benefits in the case of death resulting from a workplace accident or occupational disease
     

    Survivors can apply to the Social Insurance Agency for these benefits:

    • Survivor’s accident annuity – a regular cash benefit from accident insurance. It is intended to support persons to whom the deceased had a court-ordered maintenance obligation at the time of death, and who at the time of death had not reached retirement age or had not been granted an early old-age pension.
    • One-off compensation – provided to the husband, wife, and dependent child of the deceased. A dependent child is entitled to the one-off compensation even if they did not live in the same household as the deceased.
    • Compensation for costs related to the funeral – provided to whoever paid the costs related to the funeral resulting from a workplace accident or occupational disease.

    Details can be found on the Social Insurance Agency’s websiteOpens in a new window.

  9. 9

    Inheritance proceedings are conducted by a notary appointed by the court. Heirs cannot choose the notary. For the preliminary inquiry, the notary will first summon the person who arranged the funeral. They will then also summon the heirs. The notary will contact you by letter or through your electronic mailbox on Slovensko.sk.

  10. 10

    If the deceased held a firearms licence and you lived together in the same household, you must report the death to the police. You must also allow Police Force officers to take the weapons and ammunition into custody until the inheritance proceedings are concluded.

    Don’t forget to notify these of the death of a loved one:

    • the deceased’s employer,
    • the deceased’s building administrator,
    • service providers – mobile operator, internet providers, television service providers,
    • financial institutions – banks or insurance companies,
    • energy suppliers.
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