The standard prospectus approval period is 10 working days from submission of the application. For an issuer with no securities admitted to trading on a regulated market that has never offered securities to the public, the first draft has a 20-working-day period. A prospectus supplement is approved within 5 working days. Crucially, deficiencies restart the period when remedied: the quality of the initial submission determines the overall time, rather than the statutory period alone.
Statutory periods
The National Bank of Slovakia approves prospectuses within the periods laid down in the Prospectus Regulation. It summarises its procedure in guidance on prospectus scrutiny and approval:
| Document | Period |
|---|---|
| Prospectus, including a registration document or universal registration document | 10 working days |
| First draft prospectus of an issuer with no securities on a regulated market that has never made a public offer | 20 working days |
| Subsequent rounds for such an issuer, following supplementation or a revised draft | 10 working days |
| Prospectus supplement | 5 working days |
| Frequent issuer’s prospectus consisting of separate documents | 5 working days |
| Cross-border prospectus notification | 1 working day |
Where time is actually lost
The period runs from submission of the application. However, if the draft prospectus fails to meet the standards of completeness, comprehensibility and consistency, or changes are needed, it restarts when the revised draft or requested additional information is submitted. There is no limit on the number of rounds.
In practice, the actual time to approval therefore depends on how many rounds of comments the prospectus requires. This makes an informal pre-application consultation worthwhile. The NBS allows these for specific questions only: it does not assess the entire prospectus in that consultation, and expects the applicant’s own analysis of the question.
Two things that must be ready before filing
The timetable must also allow for two administrative steps that cannot be left until the last minute:
- An LEI code is mandatory information in the prospectus, registration document and universal registration document. The issuer must obtain it before applying.
- Access to the Central Register of Regulated Information (CERI) must be requested online in advance. The NBS sends login details by post to the issuer’s address, or electronically with an electronic signature.
Without CERI access, after approval the issuer cannot fulfil its duty to upload the prospectus and notify the NBS of the date and time of upload and the assigned file name.
How to streamline the application
If the draft is substantially similar to a prospectus previously approved by the NBS for the issuer, a comparison version of both documents may be submitted, or all changes against the approved prospectus may be marked. The application must confirm that the information is current and complete. The draft is submitted electronically in an editable text format, not as a locked PDF.
See also when you need a prospectus and our bond issuance in Slovakia service.
This answer provides general information on the law as at 9 August 2026. It does not constitute legal services or replace an assessment of an individual case. The details of your situation may differ. Book a consultation to discuss them.
