What do EU citizens need to prepare before they ‘start dealing with authorities’ (equipment, documents, certificates, etc.) and where can they find/obtain what they need?

Proof of identity (this also applies to third-country nationals).

What the process entails

• The examining doctor is required to report a death to the registry office without undue delay (i.e. within three working days) after examining the deceased, regardless of whether the deceased is Slovak or a foreign national.
• The registry office in whose district a person has died is responsible for entering the death in the register of deaths. If the place of death is not established, the entry is made by the registry office in whose district the deceased was found. If a person dies in a vehicle, the death is recorded by the registry office in whose district the deceased was removed from the vehicle.
• The competent registry office issues the first death certificate free of charge.
• If a foreign national dies in Slovakia, the registry office prepares an official extract from the register of deaths and delivers it to the embassy operated by the country of the deceased person. If a country does not have an embassy in Slovakia, the registry office delivers an official extract via the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.

Who to contact if you’re unsure what to do

You can seek assistance from the registry office where the death is registered, the embassy of the deceased’s home country (if there is one in Slovakia), or the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic.