Estate planning · Slovakia
Estate planning lawyer in Slovakia for wills, succession and family assets
Wills, reserved shares, probate and Land Register questions all sit inside Slovakia’s written Civil Code. Tell us what you need to organise and we will match you with a lawyer who handles estate planning in Slovakia — clearly explained, at no cost to you.
- Wills checked against the reserved share
- Probate and Land Register handled in Slovak
- Matched within 24–48 hours
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Estate planning in Slovakia
How estate planning works in Slovakia
Planning what happens to your assets is a personal decision, but in Slovakia it operates inside a written civil-law system. The Civil Code (Act No 40/1964 Coll.) sets the framework for wills, succession and the community property of spouses, and succession itself is administered through court-supervised probate proceedings. If you own property, run a business or have family in the country — or if you live abroad and hold Slovak assets — the details matter: a reserved share limits how freely you can dispose of your estate, and real property changes hands only once the entry in the Land Register is made. An estate planning lawyer in Slovakia can review your will, explain the reserved share for your heirs and coordinate the Slovak side with advisers in your country of residence. Tell us your situation and we will match you with a lawyer who handles estate planning.
Local context
Estate planning in Slovakia: what the law actually says
Slovakia is a civil-law country where succession, matrimonial property and land registration are governed by written codes rather than by binding precedent. The points below summarise how the system treats an estate, what registration costs and which deadlines are most often missed.
A reserved share limits testamentary freedom
Slovak succession law does not allow you to dispose of your estate entirely as you wish. Descendants — and, where the law defines them, other forced heirs — are entitled to a reserved share: half of their legal share, and the full value of that share where the forced heir is a minor. Cross-border estates are also shaped by the election of applicable law under EU Regulation 650/2012.
Succession goes through court-supervised probate
In Slovakia succession is not simply a matter of the family distributing assets after a death. The estate is administered through probate proceedings supervised by the court under the Civil Code and the Code of Non-Contentious Civil Procedure, and the outcome is recorded in a formal decision. The wording of your will should therefore be prepared with Slovak practice in mind.
No inheritance, gift or property transfer tax
Slovakia abolished inheritance tax and gift tax with effect from 1 January 2004, and repealed the real-estate transfer tax from 1 January 2005. There is therefore no inheritance tax, estate tax, gift tax or stamp duty on transferring real property, whatever the amount involved and whatever the heir’s relationship to the deceased. Planning conversations tend to focus on entitlement and registration rather than on tax.
Matrimonial property is community property by default
The statutory regime is the community property of spouses (bezpodielové spoluvlastníctvo manželov, BSM) under Sections 143–151 of the Civil Code. Assets acquired during the marriage generally fall into the community, while inheritances, gifts, and items serving only one spouse’s personal needs or profession stay outside it. Spouses may adjust the scope or timing by a notarised agreement, but cannot exclude the community entirely.
Real property passes only on registration
The Land Register (kataster nehnuteľností) applies the constitutive principle: ownership and other rights to real property are acquired only on registration, not when the agreement is signed. The cadastre is run by district offices, and registration is what makes the transfer effective against third parties. Registering an ownership right costs a flat EUR 66, or EUR 33 for electronic filing.
Who may advise you, and in which language
Legal services are reserved to lawyers entered in the register of the Slovak Bar Association (Slovenská advokátska komora) under Act No 586/2003 Coll.; fees follow Decree No 655/2004 or a contract fee agreed case by case. Slovak is the language of judicial and administrative proceedings, and a party who does not command it is entitled to an interpreter — a practical point for owners living abroad.
Key time limit — Inheritance, Probate & Wills
Renunciation (refusal) of an inheritance — 1 month. An heir who does not wish to accept the estate must declare refusal within this period.
All country details above are taken from the official Slovak and European sources listed here, last reviewed in 2025.
- Slovak Civil Code (Act No 40/1964 Coll.) — succession and community property
- Notaries of Europe — successions in Slovakia (reserved share)
- Slovensko.sk — claiming an inheritance in Slovakia
- e-Justice — Land registers in Slovakia
- e-Justice — costs and legal aid in Slovakia
- e-Justice — national justice system of Slovakia
- Slovak Bar Association (SAK) — profile of the profession
- Constitution of the Slovak Republic (Act No 460/1992 Coll.)
Common situations
Why estate planning in Slovakia catches people out
Most problems we hear about start with a document written somewhere else, or with a conversation the family postponed.
A will that may not do what you expect
You have a will, or you have inherited one, and you are unsure how the Slovak reserved share affects it. Heirs may be entitled to more than the document suggests, and the answer depends on Slovak succession law, not on the law where you live.
Assets in Slovakia, life elsewhere
You own a flat or land in Slovakia but live elsewhere. Registration, matrimonial property and the language of proceedings all work differently from what you may expect at home, and small formal errors can cost months of correspondence with district offices and courts.
The conversation that comes too late
Families often delay until a parent is ill or a spouse has died. By then the one-month deadline for refusing an inheritance may be close, and the estate is already inside court-supervised probate. Early advice is cheaper and calmer than repairing documents later.
How we help
What the matching gives you
One short form, then a lawyer who actually practises in this field and this country.
Matched with a Slovak-qualified lawyer
Every lawyer in our network is entered in the register of the Slovak Bar Association, so the person reviewing your will is bound by Slovak professional rules and can appear before the Slovak courts where representation is required.
Wills checked against the reserved share
Your lawyer reviews the will against the reserved share rules in the Civil Code, so you know what your descendants and other forced heirs are entitled to before the document is signed.
Cross-border coordination
If you live abroad, the Slovak side is handled in Slovak while your lawyer explains the effect in English and works with your adviser at home, including on the election of applicable law under EU Regulation 650/2012.
Clear costs from the start
Fees follow Decree No 655/2004 or a contract fee agreed with you, and court fees and Land Register charges (a flat EUR 66, or EUR 33 electronically) are explained before anything is filed.
Cross-border estates
You hold Slovak assets but live in another country
Succession, matrimonial property and registration are handled under Slovak law, while your home country may claim a say over the estate as a whole. A lawyer who works across both sides keeps the two from contradicting each other. We regularly match clients living in:
Questions
Estate planning in Slovakia: frequently asked questions
Do I need an estate planning lawyer in Slovakia for a simple will?
Not strictly — Slovak law does not require a lawyer to draft a will, and a person may act in person in many first-instance civil matters. In practice, an estate planning lawyer in Slovakia checks the wording against the reserved share, the matrimonial property regime and the registration rules for real property, which is where most problems begin.
Can I leave my Slovak property to anyone I choose?
Only within limits. Descendants and, in defined cases, other forced heirs are entitled to a reserved share amounting to half of their legal share, or the full value of that share where the heir is a minor. A disposition that cuts into the reserved share may be reduced.
Is inheritance taxed in Slovakia?
No. Slovakia abolished inheritance tax and gift tax from 1 January 2004 and repealed the real-estate transfer tax from 1 January 2005, so there is no inheritance, estate, gift or stamp duty on property transfers, whatever the amount or the heir’s relationship to the deceased.
How is a Slovak estate actually administered?
Through court-supervised probate proceedings under the Civil Code and the Code of Non-Contentious Civil Procedure. The estate is not divided informally among the family; the process produces a formal decision, and an heir who does not wish to accept the inheritance has one month to refuse it.
Which law applies if I live abroad but own assets in Slovakia?
Under EU Regulation 650/2012 you may be able to elect the law of your nationality to govern the succession as a whole. That election interacts with the Slovak reserved share and with the formalities of the will, so it should be reviewed by a lawyer before it is signed.
In what language will the Slovak side be handled?
Slovak is the state language and the language of judicial and administrative proceedings. A party who does not command Slovak is entitled to an interpreter, and your lawyer can correspond with you in English while documents intended for Slovak authorities are prepared in Slovak.
Next step
Tell us about your estate and we will match you
Describe your situation in a few lines — where the assets are, who your heirs are and whether a will already exists. We will match you with a lawyer who handles estate planning in Slovakia. No cost, no obligation.