From 1 January 2026, cash payments exceeding EUR 5,000 are prohibited. The higher EUR 15,000 threshold applies only where both parties are individuals acting outside business. If even one party is a business, the lower limit applies. Splitting one payment into smaller amounts circumvents the prohibition.
Two limits, not one
Act No. 394/2012 Z. z. on Restrictions on Cash Payments distinguishes two situations:
- Section 4(1): cash payments exceeding EUR 5,000 are prohibited, unless subsection 2 provides otherwise;
- Section 4(2): cash payments exceeding EUR 15,000 are prohibited between individuals acting outside business.
The higher threshold therefore applies only where both parties are individuals not acting as business operators. If either the payer or recipient is a business entity, the lower threshold applies.
Between 1 July 2023 and 31 December 2025, a uniform EUR 15,000 threshold applied to everyone. An older transaction must be assessed under the legislation effective at the time of payment.
Splitting it does not work
The prohibition relates to the value of the payment, not each individual handover of banknotes. If the agreement shows that total payments over its duration exceed the limit, none of the individual instalments may be paid in cash. Dividing one price into several smaller handovers circumvents the prohibition rather than solving it.
Repeated separate transactions, each invoiced individually, are different: the limit applies to each invoice even if the monthly total exceeds the threshold.
Section 7 extends the prohibition to handing over and receiving cash abroad.
What this means when buying property or a company share
In practice, a property or company share purchase price is almost never paid in cash because the amounts are far above the limit.
Paying without cash means more than simply “sending it to an account”. The money transfer and ownership transfer do not happen at the same moment, and someone always bears the risk in between. Attorney escrow of the purchase price addresses this: funds are deposited in advance but released to the seller only once the agreed condition is met, typically registration of ownership in the land registry.
For a company share transfer, the logic is the same, but linked to a different event: the transfer taking effect against the company and its entry in the Commercial Register.
Breaching the prohibition does not invalidate the agreement
If the prohibition is breached, the validity of the legal acts underlying the payment is unaffected (Section 5). The purchase agreement therefore does not become invalid. However, the breach is penalised separately and creates an unnecessary problem in the transaction, particularly if actual payment later has to be proved.
Another rule often confused with this one
The cash payment limit is often confused with the threshold under the Act on Protection against the Legalisation of Proceeds of Crime. That is separate legislation with different figures and a different obligation: a cash transaction above the statutory amount makes you an obliged entity, carrying duties such as customer due diligence, an internal AML programme and reporting unusual transactions. Real estate brokers are directly affected.
These are two separate regimes. Compliance with one says nothing about compliance with the other.
Where we address this
We arrange the method and timing of purchase price payment as part of preparing the agreement. This is where the most frequent mistakes with the greatest impact occur. See attorney escrow of the purchase price or our complete property transfer 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.
