Almost never just one document. Alongside the franchise agreement, you sign acknowledgment of the operating manual, a lease or sublease of the premises and security documents, most commonly a blank promissory note with a completion agreement, personally guaranteed by a member of the franchisee company. Sometimes documents for a joint company with the franchisor are added. The package can only be assessed as a whole because the documents refer to one another.
Why there is more than one agreement
Franchising is not regulated as a specific contract type. It is agreed as an unnamed contract under Section 269(2) of the Slovak Commercial Code, or Section 1746(2) of the Czech Civil Code. The parties must therefore agree everything themselves; there is no specific statutory regime to fill the gaps. Established networks have gradually developed document packages in which each document addresses a different concern. Anyone signing only the main agreement and leaving the schedules to be ‘added later’ is usually committing to the essentials without seeing them.
The typical package
Franchise agreement. This covers licensing of the system, brand and know-how, territory, fees, operating standards and termination rules. It often prohibits sub-franchising and expressly states that the franchisee is an independent entrepreneur, rather than the franchisor’s representative or employee.
Operating manual. In most networks, this is a separate document that the agreement declares binding and confidential and that the franchisor may update unilaterally. If you have not seen it before signing, you have committed to unknown content. See whether the franchisor may change the manual without your consent for more detail.
Lease or sublease of the premises. Several structures are possible, and each affects who keeps the location after the relationship ends. If the franchisor holds the main lease and sublets the premises to you, the premises remain with the network. If you contract directly with the owner, you keep the lease on leaving, unless the franchisor has agreed a right to step into it or take an assignment.
Security. The most common instrument is a blank promissory note, signed while incomplete, together with an agreement governing its completion. That agreement specifies when and up to what amount the franchisor may complete it. Very often a member of the franchisee company also signs personally as an aval guarantor alongside the franchisee, so the security reaches beyond the company into private assets. Spousal consent is often attached.
Joint company documents. If you operate jointly with the franchisor, a memorandum of association and a members’ agreement are added.
What to ask before signing
Request the entire package at once and read it as a whole: the documents cross-refer and alter one another’s meaning. In particular, check when the security ends. The agreement should state that once all claims are paid, the note will be returned or cancelled. Otherwise, your signed note remains in circulation even after the relationship ends.
How we can help
We assess the complete package and explain what you are actually undertaking, including which commitments reach your private assets. If you are granting a franchise, we prepare franchise documentation that can withstand scrutiny by the other party’s lawyer. For an individual document, our contract review service can also help.
This answer provides general information on the law as at 11 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.
