The timeline for a wedding abroad is dictated by the processing times for the required documents: you can’t get them all together too far in advance. By the wedding date, the confirmation from the Czech police regarding the legality of your stay must be no more than 7 business days old, and the document certifying your legal capacity to marry must be no more than 6 months old.
A Ukrainian couple from Slovakia can officially get married in Prague: the marriage is registered by the Czech matrika (civil registry office), and the fee for a couple without permanent residence in the Czech Republic is 5,000 Kč (≈ 205 €). The rest of the wedding budget is determined by the venue, catering, photography, and the wedding planner’s fee. You can plan remotely, with two trips to Prague, and entrust an agency with finding vendors and conducting negotiations in Czech.
A civil marriage in Prague or a symbolic ceremony—which is legally valid?
First, the couple from Slovakia needs to decide whether the celebration in Prague will also be an official marriage. Czech law recognizes only two forms of marriage. An Občanský sňatek (civil marriage) means that you declare your marriage before a government official in the presence of a registry office employee. A “Církevní sňatek” (church wedding with legal validity) is only possible with a certificate from the registry office (osvědčení): it costs 500 Kč and is valid for 6 months.
In both cases, two witnesses are required. A ceremony conducted by a master of ceremonies without a registry office employee does not constitute a marriage, no matter how beautiful it may be.
You can get married not only at city hall: the registry office has the authority to approve any suitable location and time within its district—such as a garden or a villa—for a fee of 3,000 Kč. The registry office of the district where the ceremony takes place registers the marriage; therefore, the Czech Ministry of the Interior advises choosing the location and date first and then contacting the registry office. There are 22 such registry offices in Prague, numbered from Praha 1 to Praha 22.
In Praha 1, the wedding hall at Staroměstská radnice (Old Town Hall) is free for all couples, but the 5,000 Kč government fee still applies to couples who do not have permanent residence in the Czech Republic.
Photo: Ricardalovesmonuments / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
If you don’t want to go through the hassle of obtaining Czech documents, make your ceremony in Prague a symbolic one and sign the marriage certificate separately. Two Ukrainian citizens legally residing abroad can have their marriage registered by a consul: they must submit an application in person at the Ukrainian embassy or consulate in their country of residence, and the marriage will be registered one month after the application is filed. In that case, neither translations nor the 5,000 Kč fee will be required for Prague.
What documents do Ukrainians need to register a marriage in the Czech Republic?
Both of you must fill out the “Dotazník k uzavření manželství” form and submit it to the registry office along with the documents specified in Section 35 of the Czech Registry Act. One of you may go to the registry office alone, but both must sign the form, and the documents must be originals. A complete list is available on the Czech Ministry of the Interior’s website, and Ukrainian citizens will need:
- birth certificate (rodný list);
- a foreign passport confirming both citizenship and identity;
- a document certifying legal capacity to marry (doklad o právní způsobilosti k uzavření manželství), if issued by the country of citizenship—not older than 6 months as of the wedding date;
- proof of marital status and place of residence, if issued by your country of citizenship; if you do not permanently reside in your country of citizenship, you’ll also need the same document from your country of residence;
- a divorce decree or a death certificate for a spouse, if you have been previously married;
- confirmation from the Policie ČR (Czech Police) of legal residence, issued no more than 7 business days prior to the wedding date; the police will send a copy directly to the registry office.
The law does not specify which Slovak document is acceptable for the residency requirement or whether temporary shelter is considered permanent residence. The registry office makes this determination, so please inquire in writing before requesting any certificates.
As explained by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, a notarized statement confirming that you are not married may serve as proof of marital status. You can have it prepared at a Ukrainian embassy or consulate; in Slovakia, this is the embassy in Bratislava and the Consulate General in Prešov. Check with the registry office directly to confirm whether they will accept such a statement.
An apostille is not required for Ukrainian documents in the Czech Republic: the agreement between the Czech Republic and Ukraine on legal assistance (No. 123/2002 Sb. m. s., Art. 18) exempts them from additional certification. A Czech translation is required for each document. It must be done by a court-certified translator (soudní překladatel), whom you can find in the SEZNAT state registry. Extracts from “Dii” are acceptable only as PDFs with a QR code and a qualified electronic signature; even then, if there are any doubts, the registry office may request a paper form.
An interpreter (tlumočník) is required at the ceremony only if you are submitting your marriage application in a language other than Czech or Slovak: the Czech Ministry of the Interior treats these two languages as equivalent. You are responsible for finding and paying the interpreter, though an agency can also assist in finding one.
The Trip from Bratislava and a Month-by-Month Preparation Plan
A direct train from Bratislava to Prague takes about 4–4.5 hours. Starting in late October 2026, a direct flight from Poprad to Prague will operate from eastern Slovakia: three times a week according to the current schedule, with a flight time of about one hour. If traveling by car, purchase an electronic vignette for Czech highways from the government’s online store, eDalnice.
Photo: Phil Richards / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
You can realistically handle the planning in two trips and handle the rest online. At Vélour Agency, for example, wedding planning in Prague for couples from abroad takes place primarily via video calls, while tastings and dress fittings are scheduled during a single trip.
- Within 12 months, decide on the format (a civil ceremony in the Czech Republic or a symbolic ceremony), the season, the number of guests, and your budget ceiling in euros. Start looking for a venue right away, because its address will determine which district registry office you need to contact next.
- Nine months in advance, once you have a venue and date, fill out the district form. Ask what Slovak documents are required, whether they’ll accept a marriage status declaration and translations done outside the Czech Republic, and whether you need permission to hold the ceremony at a different location.
- Six months in advance, send the date and travel options to your guests, and if necessary, arrange for an interpreter for the ceremony.
- Three months in advance, complete the civil status application, gather the remaining Ukrainian documents, and submit them to a court-certified translator. Don’t rush this process: on the wedding day, the document certifying legal capacity must be no older than 6 months.
- One to two months in advance, make your first visit: venue tour, tastings, dress fittings, questionnaire, and original documents with copies. At that time, provide the details of two witnesses: first name, last name, place of birth, and rodné číslo (personal identification number); if a witness does not have a rodné číslo, provide their date of birth instead.
- Obtain the confirmation from the Czech police no earlier than 7 business days before the wedding. It is issued by the Foreign Police Department (odbor cizinecké policie) upon your request. Find out in advance from the registry office how to submit an application from abroad: this will determine how many days in advance you need to arrive.
The law does not specify the “submit documents at least 30 days in advance” requirement mentioned in some guides. The Czech Ministry of the Interior states simply: “Lhůty nejsou stanoveny,” meaning the deadlines are not specified. Both bride and groom must be present in person at the ceremony, which usually lasts up to 30 minutes.
How much does a wedding in Prague cost in euros?
The official part of the budget consists solely of the registry office fee: a couple without permanent residence (trvalý pobyt) in the Czech Republic pays a fee of 5,000 Kč (≈ 205 €), and a ceremony held outside the designated location or time adds 3,000 Kč (≈ 123 €). A significantly larger portion of the budget will go toward the wedding planner’s fee and vendors’ bills for the venue, catering, photography, decor, guest accommodations, and transportation, and these amounts depend on the number of guests and the season. Euros are calculated at the ČNB (Czech National Bank) exchange rate as of November 2, 2026: 1 € = 24.350 Kč.
| Official Ceremony | Kč | ≈ € |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage license fee if neither partner is a permanent resident of the Czech Republic | 5,000 | 205 |
| Permission to get married at a different location or at a different time | 3,000 | 123 |
| First marriage certificate | 0 | 0 |
| Each additional copy of the certificate | 300 | 12 |
A wedding ceremony at the Staroměstská radnice town hall during hours designated by the district costs 5,000 Kč (≈ 205 €), and at a villa outside the city—5,000 + 3,000 = 8,000 Kč (≈ 329 €). The fee must be paid before the ceremony in cash or by postal money order (složenka). Include translation services and an interpreter for the ceremony as a separate line item.
Organizers’ fees vary in both amount and calculation method, so the published price list from a single agency is merely an example. Vélour Agency openly lists its prices for weddings in Prague: all-inclusive packages starting at 35,000, 50,000, or 65,000 Kč (≈ 1,437, 2,053, or 2,669 €), and assistance with marriage documentation in the Czech Republic starts at 15,000 Kč (≈ 616 €), with translations, the translator’s services, and the government fee at the registry office billed separately. This agency’s fee does not depend on the wedding budget; the couple pays contractors directly based on their invoices, with no markup. Be sure to clarify this with any wedding planner: whether it’s a fixed amount or a percentage of the budget.
If you earn in euros but pay in crowns, be sure to convert the amount using a currency converter before making any advance payments and set aside a buffer for exchange rate fluctuations.
What to Delegate to the Agency and What to Do Yourself
It makes sense to leave everything related to Prague and the Czech Republic to the agency: the venue, vendors, contracts, payment schedule, and coordination on the day of the event. You’ll handle the personal matters: decisions and documents from Ukraine, and after the wedding, you’ll also need to file a report with the police in Slovakia.
| Tasks | Who | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Format, date, guests, budget ceiling | You | Documents and the cost estimate depend on this |
| Documents from Ukraine and a declaration of marital status | You | These are issued or certified to you in person |
| Translations, application form, submission to the registry office, finding a translator for the ceremony | You or an agency | The agency can find a translator, but you are responsible for them and pay for them; translations and fees—too |
| Venue, contractors, contracts, payment schedule | Agency | On-site inspections and negotiations, in Czech |
| Coordination on the wedding day | Agency or coordinator | You won’t have to handle any work-related calls |
| Travel and accommodations for guests from Slovakia | you or the agency | Guests just need directions and accommodation options |
| Notifying the police in Slovakia | You | A foreigner’s personal responsibility |
If you speak Slovak or Czech fluently, you can handle negotiations with the venue and contractors on your own, and file the marriage application in Slovak without an interpreter.
How to use a Czech marriage certificate in Slovakia and Ukraine?
A Czech marriage certificate (oddací list), which corresponds to the Slovak sobášny list, is accepted in Slovakia without an apostille and without a translation. The requirement for an apostille on such documents between EU countries was abolished by EU Regulation 2016/1191, and the Slovak State Language Act requires institutions to accept documents in Czech that were issued or certified by Czech authorities. The first certificate is free of charge, and registration and issuance take up to 30 days, so make arrangements with the registry office in advance regarding when and how you will pick it up.
Two Ukrainian citizens do not need to register their marriage with the Slovak registry office: a special registry (osobitná matrika) records foreign marriages only for Slovak citizens. However, you must notify the police. Under the law on the residence of foreigners, a foreign national must report a change in marital status or last name to the police department for foreign nationals within 5 business days. This also applies to holders of temporary asylum. Notifications can be submitted in person, by mail, or electronically; details are provided in the article on moving, marriage, and obtaining a new passport.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Justice explains that such a marriage is valid in Ukraine if the requirements of the Family Code regarding age, voluntary consent, monogamy, and kinship are met. It is not mandatory to re-register the marriage in Ukraine. An agreement between Ukraine and the Czech Republic exempts the documents from the apostille requirement, but it is best to clarify the requirements of the specific Ukrainian agency in advance.
The five business days are counted from the date of the wedding, so set a reminder before the wedding. If you get married on a Saturday, the deadline falls on Friday of the following week, and any holidays during that period extend the deadline. If you’re leaving for your honeymoon right away, send the notification by mail or email before the deadline passes.
