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Personal documents / birth certificates
English to Slovak birth certificate translation
A birth certificate is often part of a larger application. Its issuing country matters: U.S., UK, and EU-issued public records can follow different authentication and translation routes in Slovakia.
Updated 4 October 2026
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Request a translation quote
Document: Birth Certificate. Include the approximate length, recipient, and deadline if you know them. We’ll review your request and may contact you by email about next steps.
Identify the issuing state or country
Check the receiving office’s translation rules
Mention seals, amendments, and attached pages
What to know
Prepare the complete record
A clear description of the certificate and its intended use makes the first review more useful.
What appears on it?
Names, dates, registration numbers, seals, and notes can matter. Mention handwriting, faint scans, or text on the reverse side.
Who will receive it?
Ask the receiving office whether it needs an official translation, apostille, original, or particular filing format. Share its written instructions.
Document guide
What to check before ordering
These notes help you describe your request. The receiving organization’s current instructions should guide the final requirements.
Start with the destination, not a generic certificate label
A Slovak registry office, embassy, university, or private organization may ask for different supporting material. Tell us the precise recipient and purpose. This lets us review your request against the instructions you actually have, rather than assume one standard applies everywhere.
Check the source document before requesting a quote
Use the most complete and legible version available. If the certificate has a back page, later annotation, embossed seal, or attached correction, mention it. If a name is spelled differently in your passport or another record, tell us which spelling the receiving office expects. Do not place the certificate or other sensitive personal data in the initial form.
If you are registering a U.S. birth with Slovakia
The Slovak Embassy in Washington lists an apostilled U.S. birth certificate with an official Slovak translation for entry in the Special Register. Its checklist also asks for proof that a parent was a Slovak citizen when the child was born and for relevant parental marriage or divorce records. If a U.S. marriage of the parents has not been entered in the Slovak Special Register, that registration may need to be requested too. The Embassy also flags a separate child citizenship-certificate step when its parental passport or ID condition is not met; ask the Embassy how that condition applies to your family before arranging the filing. This is a specific consular procedure, not a rule for every use of a birth certificate.
Find the U.S. birth-record apostille office
For a state-issued birth certificate, check the competent authority of the issuing state in the HCCH United States list linked below; it is generally the Secretary of State, but some jurisdictions designate another office. The Embassy separates this route from federal records such as FBI reports, whose apostille is handled by the U.S. Department of State. Its notary and county-clerk steps for notarized documents exclude vital records such as birth certificates. Check the state authority’s current instructions for the certificate version it accepts before ordering.
If you are requesting a Slovak criminal-register extract
This is a separate application from translating an FBI report or U.S. police clearance. Slovakia’s criminal-register law, section 12(5), generally identifies a birth certificate with an officially certified Slovak translation for an EU citizen or third-country national, together with the specified travel or identity document. Section 17(2) allows an applicant at a Slovak diplomatic mission to omit that certified birth-certificate translation if a mission employee sufficiently understands the certificate’s language. The Washington Embassy’s published instructions describe the standard translation requirement; the exception is not an automatic right to skip a document. Ask the Embassy whether it will apply to your English certificate before paying for translation.
If you are registering a UK birth through the London embassy
The Slovak Embassy in London lists an original British birth certificate with an apostille and an official Slovak translation prepared by a translator on the Slovak Ministry of Justice register. It also accepts an apostilled, notarized copy with that translation. The Embassy says the original foreign certificate is not returned after processing, so ask about the certified-copy route if you want to keep it. Other family and identity records are listed, so a translated certificate is not the entire filing. The UK Legalisation Office issues apostilles for eligible UK public records; GOV.UK says a birth certificate cannot receive an e-Apostille, so check the paper route and the Embassy’s current checklist before arranging translation. Do not apply the London checklist to another office or purpose automatically.
Check the London checklist’s child-citizenship evidence rule
The London Embassy says a separate certificate of the child’s Slovak citizenship is not required if the birth-registration application is filed within 180 days of birth and both parents are Slovak citizens who are neither foreign nationals nor multiple-citizenship holders. In that situation it still asks the parents for a duly certified declaration. Ask the Embassy whether your family meets the exact conditions and which declaration it accepts. This narrow exception concerns citizenship evidence; it does not remove the Embassy’s apostille or official Slovak translation requirement for the British birth certificate.
If the certificate was issued in another EU country
For a covered public birth certificate issued by an EU authority and presented to a Slovak authority, EU Regulation 2016/1191 removes the apostille requirement. Ask the issuing authority whether it can attach a multilingual standard form. If the Slovak authority finds the form sufficient, translation is unnecessary; it may exceptionally request a certified translation if it cannot fully understand the record. The rule does not apply to a U.S.- or UK-issued certificate and does not decide Slovak registration or citizenship.
Understand the formal steps
Translation, certification of a translation, and an apostille serve different purposes. An apostille relates to the public document; it does not replace a translation. Some Slovak public procedures specify an official Slovak translation. The receiving office should confirm the exact steps for your case before you order.
Compare the routes
Start with where the birth certificate was issued
These examples describe document preparation, not eligibility for Slovak citizenship or registration. Follow the receiving office’s current procedure.
U.S. birth entered through the Washington embassy
AuthenticationThe embassy’s Special Register checklist calls for an apostilled U.S. birth certificate; check the issuing state’s apostille office for a state vital record.
TranslationThe checklist calls for an official Slovak translation and additional evidence, including a parent’s Slovak citizenship at the time of birth.
UK birth entered through the London embassy
AuthenticationThe embassy lists an apostilled British birth certificate. GOV.UK says birth certificates cannot receive an e-Apostille.
TranslationThe embassy specifies an official Slovak translation by a translator on the Slovak Ministry of Justice register, plus other application records.
Public birth certificate issued in one EU country for a Slovak authority
AuthenticationEU public-document rules remove the apostille requirement for this covered certificate. The rule does not cover a U.S. or UK certificate.
TranslationAsk the issuing authority for a multilingual standard form. If the Slovak authority finds it sufficient, no translation is needed; it may exceptionally ask for a certified translation.
How it works
How to request a quote
Tell us what the document is, who needs the Slovak translation, and when you need it. The first form does not require a file.
Describe the document
Choose the type and tell us where the translation will be used.
Add your requirements
Include the approximate length, deadline, and any instructions from the recipient.
Review and next steps
We review the request and may contact you by email if more detail is needed.
Frequently asked
Common questions
Answers to common questions before you request a quote.
Do I need an apostille as well as a translation?
That depends on the receiving office and the document’s use. Ask it for the exact requirements; tell us what it says so we can review the translation request.
Where do I get an apostille for a U.S. birth certificate?
For a state-issued birth record used in the Washington Embassy’s Special Register procedure, find the issuing jurisdiction in the HCCH list of designated U.S. authorities linked below. Many states use the Secretary of State, but the designated office can differ. The federal U.S. Department of State route for FBI reports is separate. Ask the state authority which certificate version it can apostille and confirm the receiving office’s current instructions.
Does an English birth certificate from another EU country need an apostille in Slovakia?
For a covered public birth certificate issued by an EU authority and presented to a Slovak authority, EU rules remove the apostille requirement. A multilingual standard form may avoid translation if the authority finds it sufficient. This does not apply merely because a U.S. or UK certificate is written in English.
Can I get an electronic apostille for a UK birth certificate?
GOV.UK says birth certificates cannot receive its e-Apostille. If the London Embassy’s birth-registration checklist applies, ask about the paper apostille and its required official Slovak translation before ordering either step.
Can I keep my original UK birth certificate?
The London Embassy says an original foreign birth certificate is not returned after Special Register processing. Its checklist also accepts an apostilled, notarized copy with an official Slovak translation. Ask the Embassy how to prepare that copy before sending the record for translation.
Does the London birth-registration route always require a separate child citizenship certificate?
No. The Embassy lists a narrow exception when the application is filed within 180 days of birth and both parents meet its Slovak-citizenship conditions; it still asks for a certified parental declaration. Confirm the current rule with the Embassy. The British birth certificate still needs the apostille and official Slovak translation named in its checklist.
What if my parents’ U.S. marriage is not registered in Slovakia?
For a child’s birth entry in the Slovak Special Register, the Embassy says a married couple may also need to request registration of their U.S. marriage if it has not been entered there. Ask the Embassy how that applies to your case.
What if a parent lacks the Slovak passport or ID evidence named by the Washington Embassy?
The Embassy’s birth-registration note flags a child citizenship-certificate application before the Special Register entry when its parental passport or ID condition is unmet. Ask the Embassy which parent’s document and validity dates it needs to review for your family. Translating a birth certificate does not replace citizenship evidence.
Why would I translate my birth certificate for a Slovak criminal-record request?
Slovak law generally calls for an officially certified Slovak translation of an EU or third-country applicant’s birth certificate for identity verification. For an application at a Slovak diplomatic mission, section 17(2) permits omission if a mission employee sufficiently understands the certificate’s language. Ask the Washington Embassy whether that exception applies before ordering; this is separate from translating a foreign background check.
Can I use a photo of my certificate to ask for a quote?
Describe the record in the form first. We can then explain how to provide a legible copy for review.
Will the receiving office accept the translation?
Only that office can confirm acceptance. Share its requirements before work begins.
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