When representing someone at a bank, we recommend requesting  power of attorney from the bank. Each bank has its own guidelines for power of attorney in the official language of that bank/country. There are many various situations where power of attorney may or may not be needed when dealing with a bank – so they will provide you with the correct guidelines.

When representing someone at the post office (picking up mail, taking over a consignment), you can fill in the power of attorney published by the Post Office online after creating a profile on their website.

The definition stated in § 116 of the Civil Code: “A close person is a relative, a sibling, or a spouse; other persons in a family or in similar relationship are considered to be close to each other if the harm suffered by one of them was reasonably felt by the other as their own harm. ” – the part marked in bold refers to the partner/significant other. When determining whether someone is a close person, what will be taken into account is: whether you share and take care of a common household, manage financial resources together, are aware of each other’s medical records, and whether you commonly represent each other in an official or common capacity. Based on these, the close relationship can be demonstrated. It’s also determined whether you would consider harm to the other a harm to yourself – it will be assessed whether this interest is mutual and that you help each other.

You can secure a copy of your power of attorney or affidavit in case the original is lost or damaged. This can be done in person (by getting a copy from a notary) or secure in electronic version. The electronic version can be converted by a public notary. Just ask the notary to convert the written power of attorney/affidavit into a digital formal and send it to your email or upload it to a USB key.

In practice, it is not necessary for the person granted power of attorney to assent. This is considered a unilateral legal action and therefore the document doesn’t need to be signed by the person accepting power of attorney. You can use this argument if challenged that the power of attorney was not accepted by the agent.

It’s also important to note that granting someone power of attorney does not deprive you of the right to take action yourself in regards to the scope of that particular power of attorney.

You must have the authenticity of documents and signatures confirmed by a notary. Remember that the person whose signature is being verified must always be present during the verification. No other person can sign for them. Don’t forget to always bring a valid ID to the notary.

To get a verified signature you’ll pay 1,99 EUR (tax not included). For certified copies of  contracts, deeds, etc., it will be 1,33 EUR per  page (tax not included).

It’s possible to request a name change at your district office. However, the approval ultimately depends on the subjective decision of the clerk the request is submitted to.

(see § 476 – § 480 of Act no. 40/1964 Coll. Civil Code 40/1964 Coll. – Civil Code – SLOV-LEX). Each will must state the day, month, and year it was signed – otherwise it’s invalid. A handwritten will must be written and signed by one’s own hand, otherwise it’s  invalid.