They cannot buy it or receive it as a gift if they come from a state that does not allow Slovaks to acquire agricultural land and no exception applies to them. The prohibition does not apply to EU or EEA states, Switzerland or states covered by an international treaty to that effect, their citizens, or persons resident or having their registered office in those states. In 2024, ÚGKK concluded that reciprocity was absent for the United Kingdom, Russia and Ukraine. The prohibition does not cover inheritance or land that the Act does not classify as agricultural, such as a garden or land within a municipality’s built-up area.
A Ukrainian citizen wants to buy a field behind their house. An investor from the United Kingdom wants to buy arable land. Both cases are governed by Act No. 140/2014 Z. z. on the Acquisition of Ownership of Agricultural Land. Following the Constitutional Court’s judgment PL. ÚS 20/2014, the Act no longer contains the provisions on publishing offers and giving priority to local prospective buyers (Sections 4 to 6). The Constitutional Court did not grant the applications in the remaining respects. The prohibition affecting foreign nationals from states without reciprocity in Section 7 therefore remained. The question restrictions on buying agricultural land explains which of the original restrictions no longer apply.
The prohibition affecting states without reciprocity
The following quotation is reproduced in its original language:
Nadobúdať poľnohospodársky pozemok do vlastníctva nemôže štát, občan štátu, fyzická osoba s pobytom alebo právnická osoba so sídlom v štáte, ktorého právny poriadok neumožňuje občanom Slovenskej republiky, fyzickým osobám s pobytom v Slovenskej republike ani právnickým osobám so sídlom v Slovenskej republike nadobúdať vlastníctvo k poľnohospodárskemu pozemku […]
The prohibition does not apply to inheritance. Nor does it apply to European Union or European Economic Area states, Switzerland or states covered by an international treaty to that effect, their citizens, or persons resident or having their registered office in those states (Section 7(2)). The Act defines acquisition as including purchase, exchange and gift, as well as a transfer through enforcement of a security interest or enforcement of a transfer of title by way of security. Among other exclusions, it does not include an exchange of agricultural plots whose values differ by no more than 10 % (Section 3(1)).
How ÚGKK assessed Ukraine, Russia and the United Kingdom
The Act does not list the states concerned. In Cadastral Bulletin 1/2024, the Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre Authority (ÚGKK) assessed acquirers from three countries and concluded that the prohibition applied to all of them. It relied on the information available to it. It does not identify the specific foreign legislation:
- Ukraine. According to ÚGKK, Ukrainian law does not allow foreign nationals to buy agricultural land and requires them to transfer inherited land to another person.
- Russia. According to ÚGKK, Russian law makes the acquisition of land conditional on conducting an agricultural business and obtaining a concession, and Slovakia has no bilateral treaty with Russia governing this matter.
- United Kingdom. ÚGKK referred to the mandatory registration of foreign property owners in a special register, failure to comply with which is a criminal offence, and assessed this as a restriction that Slovakia does not impose on foreign nationals.
This is an assessment of foreign law as at 2024 and an interpretation by the authority, rather than a court decision. If a state’s law changes, the conclusion may also change. Reciprocity must be assessed separately for other states.
When land is not agricultural
The prohibition applies only to agricultural land under Section 2(1), meaning agricultural land or land occupied by a structure built for agricultural purposes by 24 June 1991. The Act excludes the following from this definition (Section 2(2)):
- a garden,
- land within a municipality’s built-up area,
- land outside the built-up area that is designated for non-agricultural use, whose agricultural use is restricted by specific legislation, that has an area of less than 2 000 m², or that adjoins a structure and forms a functional whole with it.
A foreign national can therefore generally buy a family house with a garden in a municipality. For plots on the outskirts of a municipality, the land classification and location should be checked in the land registry before negotiating the price.
How we can help
Before the purchase, we will check whether the land is agricultural within the meaning of the Act and whether the prohibition applies to the buyer. We will prepare the agreement as part of our agricultural land transfers service. For land outside the scope of the Act, we can assist with buying and selling land, including a review of the title sheet.
This answer provides general information on the law as at 3 October 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.
