How to set up a trade in Slovakia? What are the requirements?

If you are interested in Sole trader registration in Slovakia, don’t hesitate to contact our Law Office in Bratislava. We will prepare you all the necessary documents, provide complex legal services, and advice about the whole process. 

Business conditions vary according to the type of business. If you decide to run a free – unregulated trade, which is the most common case, we recommend looking at the current list of free trades made by the Ministry of the Interior, from which you choose the ones that best suits you (please send us a message and we will send you the list in English). For the unregulated trades, it is sufficient to meet just the general conditions.  

The general conditions for the operation of a Sole trader registration in Slovakia by individuals are they must be 18 years of age, capable of legal acts and without a criminal record. In the case of a Slovak legal person, the general conditions for setting up a trade must be fulfilled by the natural person or persons who are its statutory body, and the legal person must also fulfill the condition of probity. 

If you are interested to set up a regulated or notifiable trades, besides the general conditions, you will also have to meet the special conditions, which are either professional or other capability, under the Trade Licensing Act. For legal entities, these terms must be met by their responsible representative. 

The trade license set up is a simple process that usually takes a few days. The natural person shall report the operation of the trade to the local trade office in Slovakia, according to his domicile, a legal person based on his registered office. 

You can submit the application for setting up a trade license in person – it is a personal visit of the Trade Licensing Office, or electronically through the Central Public Administration Portal. If you will order our services related to Sole trader registration in Slovakia, our Law Office will submit the application electronically, without the need of the personal visit of the client. 

If you are setting up a new trade license, you will need to have a registration seat – address in Slovakia. Therefore an authorization to use the property referred to as the place of business is required. Most of our new clients are using first the virtual office as a starting point. If you are interested in the virtual office services in Bratislava, don’t hesitate to contact us. 

A newly established legal entity must also attach a notarized copy of the foundation deed. 

The authorization to operate a trade, unless you have entered another date as a start of the trade, arises from the date of the trade notification to the relevant trade licensing office. As a legal entity that has not yet been incorporated, the right to do business is not established until its registration in the Commercial Register.