Starting a business · Slovakia
Organisational unit in Slovakia
A Czech or other foreign company seeking a permanent Slovak presence need not form a new company. An organisational unit is a cheaper route without capital or its own governing bodies, but has two pitfalls: foreign documents must be provided in a form accepted by the register, and business may start only on registration. We handle both for you.
- Lawyer registered with ČAK and SAK
- Founder and unit handled by one firm
- Price agreed in advance
What we'll do for you
The challenge in establishing a unit is the foreign founder's formalities rather than the law itself. Those formalities delay proceedings, and we take full responsibility for handling them.
Select an item to see the details.
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Assessing the options
A unit is not a separate legal entity. Business is conducted through it directly in the founder's name, and the founder is liable for its obligations with all its assets. We explain the consequences and compare them with forming a subsidiary.
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Founder documentation
The establishment resolution, manager appointment and scope of authority, plus official translations and certifications of foreign documents in a form the register accepts.
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Trade licences
We notify trades for the unit's activities. If the founder is from the EU or EEA and the activity falls within unregulated trades, a simplified procedure limited by law to 15 selected activities is available (§ 21(6) of the Commercial Code). We assess eligibility or whether the standard route is preferable.
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Register entry
We submit the application and manage proceedings through registration. The unit is registered under the founder's name with an addition identifying its status and may trade from registration.
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Post-establishment obligations
We set out mandatory information for invoices, agreements, official dealings and the website, including the unit's registration and the founder's foreign register details (§ 21(8)–(10)). This is a small matter that inspectors check.
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Relations with headquarters
Manager authority, approval rules and internal allocation of responsibility between the unit and headquarters, enabling the unit to operate while the parent retains control.
Deliverablea registered organisational unit with an appointed manager, trade licences and rules governing relations with headquarters
How it works
Does this process fit your matter? Describe it to the attorney →
- Consultationday 0
Plans, activities and the appropriate option, plus an exact price and foreign document list.
- Documents
Founder resolutions, manager appointment, translations and certifications, and trade notifications.
- Registrationdepending on the register
Registry court application and monitoring through registration.
- Starting operations
Post-establishment registrations, mandatory document and website information, and headquarters arrangements.
An organisational unit is a foreign company’s shortest route to a permanent presence in the Slovak market. It has no separate share capital or governing bodies and is not formed through a new memorandum of association, yet it has a Slovak company identification number, trade licences and a Commercial Register entry on which partners and authorities can rely.
That simplicity comes at two costs. The unit is not a separate legal entity, so the foreign founder is directly liable for its obligations. It may trade only from registration, and the speed of registration depends on the foreign side of the file rather than the Slovak side. We therefore start with the list of documents to obtain in the founder’s country, rather than the registration form.
No-obligation enquiry
Ready to start?
Send us an enquiry. We usually reply within 24 hours with a price confirmation and next steps. The first 30-minute consultation is free and commits you to nothing.
- 1Send your enquiry via this form
- 2Usually within 24 h you get a price confirmation and plan
- 3We start work only after your approval
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Or email us about this matter.
What clients ask
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When may the unit start doing business?
Only from Commercial Register registration. A foreign legal entity's right to trade in Slovakia arises on registration of its enterprise or organisational unit, within the registered business activities (§ 21(4)(b) of the Commercial Code). The Slovak unit therefore cannot invoice before registration, and the first contract must be planned accordingly.
Organisational unit or subsidiary s. r. o.?
A unit is cheaper to establish and administer, has no separate capital or governing bodies and remains legally part of the founder, which is directly liable for its obligations. A subsidiary localises risk, appears more credible to Slovak partners and banks and is easier to sell, but carries full corporate administration. The choice depends on activity risk, your customers and whether you plan to make the Slovak operation independent later. This comparison is our first step, not a formality.
Who may manage the organisational unit?
An individual registered alongside the unit and authorised to act for the founder in unit matters. Defining authority is crucial: too broad exposes headquarters; too narrow paralyses operations. A person barred by a disqualification decision cannot hold the role, just as they cannot be a managing director (§ 13a of the Commercial Code).
What documents will the register require from the foreign founder?
Usually a foreign register extract, incorporation documents and the establishment resolution, plus manager documents. Form matters: official translations and prescribed certifications. We prepare the exact list based on the founder's country at the outset, because foreign document formalities are the most common delay and cannot be caught up later.
Does anything change from 17 August 2026?
Yes, and it is useful to know beforehand. From 17. 8. 2026, the new Commercial Register Act (Act No. 29/2026 Z. z.) calls this a branch of a foreign legal entity. Registered details are listed in § 21 of that Act, including the branch manager and commercial proxy holder if procuration is granted. Meanwhile, the Commercial Code continues to use 'enterprise' and 'organisational unit of an enterprise' for foreign business activity. These are two names for the same mechanism, not a new obligation; filings and agreements must use the designation appropriate to the relevant law.
Do requirements differ if the founder is outside the EU?
Yes, the register requires more information. For founders based outside Member States, additional entries include the governing country's law, business activities and share capital amount, if any (§ 21(2) of Act No. 29/2026 Z. z.). Such a founder cannot use simplified establishment.
Must the unit include information on invoices and its website?
Yes, and this is commonly missing. Business documents concerning the unit must state its Commercial Register registration details, as must the website if the company has one, together with the founder's foreign register and registration details (§ 21(8)–(10) of the Commercial Code). At handover, we provide ready-to-use invoice footer and website wording.
Can you also handle the Czech founder's side?
Yes, this is routine for us. With a lawyer registered with both the Czech and Slovak Bar Associations, we prepare the Czech founder's resolutions and Slovak unit registration without handing the file to another firm. We also handle the reverse direction: a Slovak company's registered branch in Czechia.
How much does establishment cost?
The price depends on the founder's country, trade licence numbers and how many documents need obtaining and translating. We confirm it in advance and honour the agreement. Prices are final; the firm is not VAT-registered.
Legal Q&A
Common questions on this topic
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Can a Czech national or a non-EU foreign national be the head of our organisational unit in Slovakia?
Yes. A foreign national may be the head of the organisational unit of a foreign company; the register will additionally check whether they hold a residence permit in Slovakia. No permit is required from citizens of EU, EEA and OECD states, so a Czech national does not need one. The head must not be subject to a disqualification and, if the unit carries on business under a trade authorisation, must also satisfy the requirements of age, legal capacity and integrity.
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The managing director of our Czech parent company has changed. Must this also be registered for the Slovak organisational unit?
Yes, the founder's statutory body is among the details registered for the unit. Where the change is notified by the Czech register through the system of interconnection of registers, the Slovak registry court enters it even without an application. Alongside this, the Act requires an application for registration of the change to be filed within 30 days, and the court may impose a procedural fine of up to EUR 4,000 for delay, so if the change is not reflected in the Slovak extract within that period of its own accord, an application must be filed.
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How do we wind up a foreign company's organisational unit in Slovakia and remove it from the Commercial Register?
The founder decides on the winding up, and the application to remove the unit from the Commercial Register is filed by the foreign legal entity, rather than by the head of the unit. The registry court carries out the deregistration within two working days, or as at the date stated in the application; a notary acting as registrar does not deregister a unit. Deregistration ends the authorisation to carry on business in Slovakia, but obligations under contracts and employment relationships remain with the parent company, so they need to be settled in advance.
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Further reading
An organisational unit in Slovakia and a branch establishment in Czechia: what they have in common and how they differ
A Slovak organisational unit and a Czech branch establishment are mirror solutions for a company that wants to operate in the other country without a new company. Both rest on entry in the Commercial Register, but the rules on the head of the unit, trade licences and post-registration duties are governed by different legislation in each country. This article is for Czech companies heading to Slovakia and Slovak companies heading to Czechia.
Read more →
A foreign company’s branch in the new Commercial Register: who files the application, what the time limits are and what happens on refusal
Since 17 August 2026, a foreign company’s organisational unit has been registered under the new Act on the Commercial Register as a branch of a foreign legal entity. The application is filed electronically, registration takes two business days, and a defective application cannot be supplemented before the court. This article explains the new procedure for Czech and other foreign companies establishing a unit in Slovakia.
Read more →
From an organisational unit to a Slovak s. r. o.: sale of the enterprise, employees and deletion in the right order
A foreign company’s organisational unit cannot simply be renamed a company. The new Slovak s. r. o. must take over the unit’s enterprise by agreement, the employees transfer by operation of law, and the unit is deleted only at the end. This article is for Czech and other foreign companies whose Slovak arm has grown into a business of its own.
Read more →