1. What the process entails
2. I seek more information, or I want to transition. Who should I get in touch with?
3. If I am married in Slovakia, what are my rights after a sex reassignment?

What the process entails

Currently, the transition process is not comprehensively regulated in the Slovak Republic. The procedure for changing a person's data (first name, surname, birth number, sex identification) as a result of a sex reassignment is partly regulated by Act no. 300/1993 Coll. on name and surname and Act no. 301/1995 Coll. on birth number. The Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic is developing standards for the provision of health care to transgender people.

The transition process can be simply divided into several steps:

• diagnosis by a doctor according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

1. According to the currently effective ICD-10, this is a diagnosis of F64.0 (Transsexualism), which belongs to the section "Mental and behavioural disorders". It must be diagnosed by a psychiatrist for the purpose of the transition. This classification should be applicable until 31.12.2021.
2. According to the newly proposed ICD-11, which should enter into force on 1.1.2022, the diagnosis should be declassified as Gender incongruence (included in the section "Conditions related to sexual health " codes: HA60, HA61, HA6Z).

• The decision-making process and the consent of the person to the initiation of the therapeutic process;
• real life experience, real-life test - the person begins to live in the role of the opposite sex;
• hormone therapy (may be preceded by real life experience and real-life test);
• surgery to remove the uterus and ovaries in women and to remove the testicles in men (covered by the health insurance company);
• chest reconstruction and genital reconstruction (not covered by the health insurance company), on a voluntary basis - not every person decides to undergo subsequent reconstruction procedures (in the Slovak Republic they are not even performed);
• official confirmation of sex reassignment - issuance of new identity documents.

The diagnosis consists of (approximately monthly to bimonthly) repeated sessions with a psychiatrist/sexologist. This step is also necessary so the transition (only partly) can be reimbursed from health insurance.

As part of the transition process, examinations in the fields of endocrinology, genetics, psychology and often gynaecology / urology are required. A medical assessment is necessary to initiate the transition. The laws do not provide detailed specification of the medical report/assessment nor the transition (sex reassignment) process itself. Physicians in the Slovak Republic are bound by the Health Care Act, according to which they should provide appropriate health care, taking into account current knowledge of medical science and in accordance with standard procedures.

After completing the examinations, the hormonal therapy will be initiated and subsequently the recommendations for surgical procedures will be issued. After completing them, the process is completed by changing the name, birth number and registration and identification documents.

Upon request, the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic will change the birth number of Slovak citizens on the basis of a medical report on the person's sex reassignment. The change of name in the case of a transaction is made in the registry on the basis of a provided medical opinion, (without further detailed regulation).

I seek more information, or I want to transition. Who should I get in touch with?

There are several organisations in Slovakia that specialise in this area. Inakosť (Otherness) and TransFúzia (Transfusion) are organisations that offer guidance and are happy to recommend doctors who provide medical services to transgender people.

If I am married in Slovakia, what are my rights after a sex reassignment?

In Slovakia, same-sex couples cannot get married or enter into registered partnerships. Consequently, their rights and obligations are not covered by law and they are often denied access to certain rights. The Family Act does not contain specific provisions on transgender people. However, if they are married, healthcare providers usually insist that they get divorced, even though there is no direct legal obligation for them to do so. After a person’s sex reassignment has been legally recognised, it is possible for them to get married in accordance with regulations applicable in Slovakia, i.e. as a union between a man and a woman.

Explanatory laws:

Only in Slovak on SLOV-LEX portal

• Act no. 300/1993 Coll. on name and surname
• Act no. 301/1995 Coll. on birth number