Generally, these duties apply. A company website is an information society service even without sales if it promotes the business. The Electronic Commerce Act requires the business name and registered office, email and phone, register and entry number, tax identification number if VAT-registered, and the supervisory authority's name and address. The Commercial Code adds the company identification number and legal form. Details must be easily and permanently accessible, not supplied only on request. GDPR transparency and cookie rules also apply.
A brochure website with references, service descriptions and a phone number may seem legally straightforward: no sales means nothing to regulate. But the Electronic Commerce Act ties duties to whether a website is an information society service, and company websites generally are.
Sales are not a prerequisite
Act No. 22/2004 Coll. on Electronic Commerce imposes information duties on information society service providers, meaning services provided remotely “normally for remuneration” (Section 2(a)). The visitor need not make that payment. A site funded by advertising or referral commissions has an economic character, as does one promoting its operator’s business. A private blog without an economic purpose has an arguable exemption; a company website does not. General information duties under Section 4 also stand separately from electronic ordering rules under Section 5 and apply even if no contract is ever concluded through the site.
What must appear on the website
A service provider shall provide the recipient electronically with, in particular: (a) its name, business name and registered office if a legal entity, or first name, surname, place of business and residential address if an individual; (b) tax identification number if registered for value added tax; […] (c) email address and telephone number; (d) the register in which it is entered and entry number; (e) the name and address of the authority supervising its activities.
— Section 4(1) of Act No. 22/2004 Coll. (unofficial English translation)
Three details commonly go wrong. Sole traders must state their residential address alongside their place of business; a virtual office does not solve this. The supervisory authority needs its name and address, not merely “SOI”. Regulated professions also require the professional chamber, title and a reference to professional rules (Section 4(2)). Finally, details must remain available:
Information under paragraphs 1 and 2 must be easily and permanently accessible to the recipient and distinguishable from commercial communications.
— Section 4(3) of Act No. 22/2004 Coll. (unofficial English translation)
In practice, use a dedicated page linked from the footer, rather than information “on request”.
The company identification number (IČO) requirement comes from the Commercial Code (Act No. 513/1991 Coll.), not the Electronic Commerce Act. It requires business documents to state the business name, registered office or place of business, legal form, IČO and register details (Section 3a(1)), adding:
An entrepreneur must also state the particulars under paragraph 1 on its website, if it has one.
— Section 3a(3) of the Commercial Code (unofficial English translation)
If you state share capital on the website, include the amount paid up.
Footer and About us checklist
- Business name, legal form and registered office; for individuals, first name, surname, place of business and residential address.
- IČO and tax identification number if VAT-registered.
- Email and telephone number.
- Register and entry number, including the Commercial Register section and file number or Trade Register number.
- Supervisory authority’s name and address, generally the Slovak Trade Inspection for an ordinary website.
- A privacy notice under Article 13 GDPR and a cookie banner if non-essential cookies are used. We explain why this also concerns websites without forms in does a website without forms need to address the GDPR?.
What are the consequences?
The Slovak Trade Inspection supervises compliance (Section 7). A breach can attract a fine from EUR 50 to 1% of turnover for the preceding accounting period, capped at EUR 50,000. Repeating the same breach within 12 months carries EUR 100 to 2% of turnover, capped at EUR 100,000 (Section 7a(1) and (2)).
Where a website becomes an online shop
Accepting orders through the site adds electronic contracting duties, including error correction before submission and order confirmation, plus consumer information and withdrawal rights under Act No. 108/2024 Coll. We discuss these in mandatory online shop information and ordering. This article addresses only the first layer applicable to every company website.
How we can help
We review and complete your footer, About us page and website documents through our e-commerce legal services; for a site without sales, this is a one-off review. Our GDPR and personal data protection service prepares privacy notices, and our cookies and website configuration service configures banners and scripts. Simply send the website address.
This answer provides general information on the law as at 5 September 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.
