The notification is submitted to the trade licensing office. The key attachments are evidence of the responsible representative's professional qualifications, their declarations and consent to appointment. Authorisation arises on the notification date, meaning the date on which the filing contains all required particulars. The office confirms a complete notification by issuing a certificate within three working days. If there are defects, it instead issues a request allowing at least fifteen days to correct them, delaying the start.
Regulated trades listed in Annex 2 to the Trade Licensing Act (Act No. 455/1991 Coll.) follow the standard route through the trade licensing office. The regime in which authorisation arises directly upon entry in the Commercial Register applies only to specified unregulated trades in Annex 4a. We discuss it in trade authorisation arises on entry in the Commercial Register. An existing s. r. o. therefore submits a notification, on paper or electronically through slovensko.sk, and demonstrates professional competence through a responsible representative.
The responsible representative is central to the notification
A limited liability company cannot demonstrate professional competence in its own person. It does so through a responsible representative, whom it must appoint for a regulated trade (Section 11(6) of Act No. 455/1991 Coll.). Annex 2 specifies exactly what must be evidenced for each trade: for some activities, an educational qualification suffices; others also require relevant experience. Who may be appointed and what relationship they must have with the company is discussed in responsible representatives: Slovakia and Czechia.
What is attached to the notification
Alongside information about the company and representative (Section 45(3) and (4)), the attachments form an exhaustive list (Section 46(2)):
- evidence of the responsible representative’s professional competence: a diploma, certificate or proof of experience;
- the representative’s declaration that they are not a member of the company’s supervisory board and are not subject to a ban on the activity;
- the representative’s consent to appointment;
- a declaration concerning impediments to the company’s operation of the trade;
- a criminal record extract only for persons who are not Slovak citizens; the office obtains extracts for Slovak citizens itself;
- payment of the administrative fee.
Neither an employment contract nor proof of membership in the company is attached. The company’s relationship with the representative is an ongoing condition that the office checks during a later inspection, rather than at notification.
When authorisation arises
For a legal entity entered in the Commercial Register, trade authorisation arises on the notification date, but that means only the date on which the filing contains all required particulars (Section 10(1)). Completeness therefore matters more than speed of submission. The office’s deadline also depends on it:
If the trade licensing office finds that the notification contains the particulars required by Section 45, Section 45a(1) to (4) and Section 46 and that the entrepreneur satisfies the conditions laid down by this Act, it shall issue a trade authorisation certificate no later than three working days after receiving the trade notification and criminal record extracts.
— Section 47(1) of Act No. 455/1991 Coll. (unofficial English translation)
After the certificate is issued, the new business activity must still be entered in the Commercial Register. Otherwise, counterparties and banks will not see it in the extract.
Common requests for correction and points to watch
Requests from the office most often arise for three reasons: the wording of the business activity does not match the item in Annex 2, proof of experience does not state what activity the representative performed and for how long, or a required declaration is missing. In such cases, the office sets a deadline of at least 15 days. If the defects are not corrected, it terminates the proceedings (Section 47(6) and (7)). Take care when adding activities later, too:
Notification of a new business activity is not a change to the information in the notification, but a new notification.
— Section 49(1) of Act No. 455/1991 Coll. (unofficial English translation)
Starting before authorisation arises is not worthwhile: operating a regulated trade without authorisation is unauthorised business activity carrying a fine of up to EUR 3,319 (Section 64). For an unregulated trade, the maximum is EUR 1,659 (Section 63).
How we can help
We prepare the notification to pass on the first attempt, including the wording of the activities, the representative’s evidence and the declarations. For a new company, this forms part of forming an s. r. o. in Slovakia. We handle the subsequent entry of the business activity through changes in the Commercial Register, while ongoing additions to activities are covered by our external legal department.
Send us the name of the activity you plan to carry on and the prospective representative’s education and experience documents. We will assess whether they satisfy the relevant item in Annex 2 before filing.
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.
