Relocating to Slovakia as same sex couple offers excitement and...
Relocation
Slovakia
Relocating to Slovakia as Same-Sex Couple
Date 30.06.2025
Denisa Samkova
Relocating can be a thrilling chapter in any couple’s life—new opportunities, fresh starts, and exciting possibilities. But for same-sex couples, moving to a new city, state, or country can bring additional layers of complexity that aren’t always obvious at first glance.
Moving abroad as same-sex couple
Whether the move is for a new job, to be closer to family, or simply for a change of scenery, it’s important for LGBTQ+ couples to plan ahead to ensure a smooth transition—not just in logistics but in legal rights, social support, and emotional well-being.
As a relocating same-sex couple you should firstly do a research about the legislation of the new country to see where you legally stand at as a same-sex couple as there are still quite a high number of the countries that do not recognise same-sex unions or marriages as an equal part to the different-sex marriages.
As a relocating same-sex couple you should firstly do a research about the legislation of the new country to see where you legally stand at as a same-sex couple as there are still quite a high number of the countries that do not recognise same-sex unions or marriages as an equal part to the different-sex marriages.
The LGBTQ rights in EU
There is a common understanding on the European level, but the EU states still have their own way how to implement different procedures and what they are going to implement as there is still no single European directive that would regulate the same-sex marriage across all EU countries on the same level.
There is Directive 2004/38/EC – Free Movement of Citizens that touches on same-sex marriages and talks about the free movement of citizens and also the free movement of families as each citizen can freely move and live in the EU states and shall not be discriminated when the family wants to reunite.
While same-sex marriage and registered partnerships are not recognised under Slovak law, foreign same-sex couples may, in specific situations, formalize their status and qualify for residence permits.
Different scenarios for EU and NON- EU Citizen
There are generally following scenarios that can occur – citizenship of the partners as well as the fact whether their home country recognizes same sex marriage will play a role.
If you are an EU citizen married to another EU citizen (same-sex marriage) and you got married in your home country which legally recognises same-sex marriage. In this scenario, you could freely move based on your EU citizenships status and your union could be recognized for „family reunification“ purpose based on the above mentioned directive. In this scenario though remember that each of the partners can also register independently for permanent residence of EU citizen.
Let´s consider a scenario where both people are coming from a NON-EU country and both of their countries recognize same sex marriage. In this case, Slovakia is not obliged and will not recognise their union legally, so you can not get the „family reunification“ purpose, but each person needs to have separate residence permit for any other purpose but not family reunification.
As there are also cross-national unions, let´s look at the scenario when an EU citizen got married to his same-sex partner who is a NON-EU and the marriage took place in one of the EU states who recognises same-sex marriages. Here, as the marriage was concluded in an EU country that recognises same-sex marriages, you can relocate with your partner as a couple and your NON-EU partner could be eligible for the residence permit linked to EU citizen = family member of EU citizen Relocating as a same-sex couple involves everything any other couple would face—plus a few extra hurdles that you should find out before taking the decision to relocate.
While it is possible for the same sex couple to register their partnership in any country where such ceremony is permitted their further status will be impacted by their respective countries legislation.
Contact us if you’d like to discuss your particular situation and need support with relocating to Slovakia as a same sex couple.
If you are an EU citizen married to another EU citizen (same-sex marriage) and you got married in your home country which legally recognises same-sex marriage. In this scenario, you could freely move based on your EU citizenships status and your union could be recognized for „family reunification“ purpose based on the above mentioned directive. In this scenario though remember that each of the partners can also register independently for permanent residence of EU citizen.
Let´s consider a scenario where both people are coming from a NON-EU country and both of their countries recognize same sex marriage. In this case, Slovakia is not obliged and will not recognise their union legally, so you can not get the „family reunification“ purpose, but each person needs to have separate residence permit for any other purpose but not family reunification.
As there are also cross-national unions, let´s look at the scenario when an EU citizen got married to his same-sex partner who is a NON-EU and the marriage took place in one of the EU states who recognises same-sex marriages. Here, as the marriage was concluded in an EU country that recognises same-sex marriages, you can relocate with your partner as a couple and your NON-EU partner could be eligible for the residence permit linked to EU citizen = family member of EU citizen Relocating as a same-sex couple involves everything any other couple would face—plus a few extra hurdles that you should find out before taking the decision to relocate.
While it is possible for the same sex couple to register their partnership in any country where such ceremony is permitted their further status will be impacted by their respective countries legislation.
Contact us if you’d like to discuss your particular situation and need support with relocating to Slovakia as a same sex couple.
We are ProRelo.
Your trusted Relocation and Immigration services provider in Slovakia and Poland.
Social media share
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod.