Legal Q&A · Property Transfer

We are applying for registration of title electronically, but our agreement was signed on paper. What must we do with it?

Law as at 3 October 2026

Answered by , Czech and Slovak attorney, admitted to the Slovak and Czech Bars (SAK 300422 · ČAK 19654).

Short answer

The paper agreement must be converted into electronic form by guaranteed conversion, which in Slovakia may be performed, for example, by an attorney, a notary or a postal operator providing the universal service. A scan is insufficient, and the same applies to the application for registration of title if you signed it on paper. According to ÚGKK’s interpretation, the Slovak land registry is not required to accept a conversion performed under Czech or other foreign law.

You signed the agreement on paper and had the signatures certified. You want to apply for registration of title electronically, whether for the lower administrative fee or because an attorney is filing it for you. A scanned agreement is insufficient for electronic filing. This also applies to clients from Czechia who signed the agreement and had it converted into electronic form there.

What an electronic filing must contain

An electronic filing must meet the same requirements as a paper filing and must include one copy of the application and one copy of the attachments (Section 23(1) of the Cadastral Act).

The following quotation is reproduced in its original language:

Pri elektronickom podaní musia byť všetky prílohy podané v elektronickej podobe a autorizované podľa osobitného predpisu.

§ 23 ods. 2 katastrálneho zákona

The special legislation is the e-Government Act (Act No. 305/2013 Z. z.). To preserve its legal effects, a document created on paper must be converted into electronic form by guaranteed conversion. The output, inseparably linked to its certification clause, has the same effects as a certified copy of the original document (Section 39(1) of Act No. 305/2013 Z. z.). Only an original or an officially certified copy may be converted (Section 38(2)).

The application itself also needs conversion

In Cadastral Bulletin 2/2025, the Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre Authority of the Slovak Republic (ÚGKK) considered a filing in which the purchase agreement had a guaranteed conversion certification clause, but the application for registration of title, signed on paper, had been transferred into electronic form without guaranteed conversion. According to ÚGKK, such a filing does not have the effects of a duly made electronic filing. Therefore, either authorise the application electronically, typically using a qualified electronic signature, or have it converted in the same way as the agreement.

You can avoid conversion if all parties sign the agreement electronically from the outset using qualified electronic signatures with timestamps. Such a signature does not require certification of its authenticity (Section 40(5) of the Civil Code, which still uses the older term “guaranteed electronic signature”). We provide further details in the question on certified signatures or attorney authorisation.

Who can perform the conversion and what the certification clause must contain

Guaranteed conversion may be performed by a public authority, an attorney, a notary or a postal operator providing the universal service, and, to a limited extent, by other persons (Section 35(3)). The certification clause currently contains, among other things, information about the original document and the security features used (Section 37(1)). In Cadastral Bulletin 1/2023, ÚGKK stated that the land registry may insist that all security features of the original document be listed, and recommended assessing this according to the circumstances. As an example of a potential concern, it cited a clause that does not show that all parties signed the agreement. You should therefore check the clause before filing.

An amendment to the e-Government Act scheduled to take effect on 1. January 2027 moves the information on security features to the conversion record in the central register. The clause will contain, in particular, information identifying that record, and the conversion output will have the effects of a certified copy only if a corresponding record exists in the register.

Conversion by a Czech attorney

In Cadastral Bulletin 2/2023, ÚGKK adopted the view of the ministry responsible for the e-Government Act that guaranteed conversion having legal effects in Slovak administrative proceedings may only be performed under Slovak law. Under this interpretation, Slovak authorities are not required to accept the output of a conversion performed under Czech or other foreign legislation. A client from Czechia does not need to travel for this purpose. It is sufficient to post the original agreement to a Slovak attorney who will perform the conversion and file the application, or to apply for registration of title in paper form. We describe the differences compared with the Czech land registry in the question on buying property in Czechia and registering title.

How we can help

We can apply for registration of title electronically and perform the guaranteed conversion of the necessary documents as part of our application for registration of title service. If the agreement has not yet been prepared, we will draft it to suit the chosen filing method as part of our drafting agreements and applications for registration of title service.

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.

More legal questions

All questions and answers
  1. The ownership record prohibits dealings without the tax authority’s consent. Can a bank sell the property as a secured creditor? Yes, if the bank is the first-ranking secured creditor and notifies the tax authority in advance of enforcement of its lien. The authority’s consent is then unnecessary. However, the bank may sell by direct sale, without an auction, only if the lien does not secure a consumer loan. If the bank sells in the owner’s name, according to ÚGKK, the Cadastre checks whether the tax authority received the notification before the sale agreement was concluded. If the bank does not rank first, or the owner sells the property themselves, the tax authority’s prior consent is required.
  2. The previous owner built a garage in the courtyard, but it does not appear on the title sheet. Did we buy it together with the house? If the garage is a separate building and was not covered by the registration of the transfer, ÚGKK’s interpretation is that you did not acquire it when buying the house, because ownership of immovable property under a contract arises only upon registration. It can first be registered in the name of the person who had it built, namely the seller, who can then transfer it to you under a new contract. For a building dating from 1976 to 1989 without an occupancy approval document, ÚGKK considers it an obstacle if the seller transferred the land before 1 April 2024 and held no other right to it. In that situation, the solution must be assessed individually and may sometimes require court proceedings.
  3. We built our house during our marriage, but only my husband is listed on the title deed. How can I have my name registered too? If the house came into existence during the marriage and no exception or restriction of the scope of BSM applies, it forms part of the spouses’ community property regardless of who is listed on the title deed. According to ÚGKK’s interpretation, the land registry will amend the registration by a record entry based on an application, the marriage certificate and a solemn declaration by both spouses. ÚGKK does not consider a gift agreement between the spouses an appropriate route. If your husband will not sign the declaration, the court will decide, on a claim being brought, whether the house forms part of BSM.
  4. When gifting a house, can we also register an obligation to care for a parent as an encumbrance? According to ÚGKK’s interpretation, yes. The law allows an encumbrance to require the owner to take positive action, and ÚGKK considers this to include providing personal care to a specifically identified person. Once registered, the obligation is borne by every subsequent owner of the house, not just the child receiving the gift. The scope of care must be described in the contract with sufficient precision for the Land Registry to register it and to make clear what care the owner must provide.

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Mgr. Patrik Tulinský, LL.M. Czech and Slovak attorney · SAK 300422 · ČAK 19654

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