Becoming a sole trader in Slovakia as a foreigner: residence, trade licence and insurance step by step

A citizen of the European Union registers a trade (živnosť) in Slovakia on the same terms as a Slovak. If you live in a country outside the EU, the European Economic Area and the OECD, for example in Ukraine, and have not yet been granted residence in Slovakia, your trade licence arises no earlier than the day your residence permit is granted.^⁠[1]

This guide covers which residence you need to do business, what applies under temporary protection, how to notify a trade, what the single contact point arranges for you, and from when you pay health and social insurance.

EU citizens: the same terms as Slovaks

A foreign person may run a trade in Slovakia on the same terms and to the same extent as a Slovak person, unless the law provides otherwise.^⁠[1] An EU citizen has the right to stay longer than three months also as a self-employed person here. If you stay in Slovakia longer than three months, you apply to register your residence in person at a police department or electronically, within 30 days after three months from your entry.^⁠[2]

Third-country nationals: residence for business first

A third-country national who wants to do business in Slovakia as an individual applies for temporary residence for the purpose of business. It is granted for three years.^⁠[2]

The application comes with documents no older than 90 days:^⁠[2]

• on the purpose of stay, for example a business plan on the template of the Slovak Ministry of Economy or a trade licence; a citizen of a country outside the OECD (Ukraine, for instance) also attaches registration in the commercial register as an enterprise of a foreign person,^⁠[3]
• on a clean criminal record: an extract from the criminal register of the country of citizenship and of each country where the applicant spent more than 90 days within six consecutive months in the last three years,^⁠[3]
• on funds for the stay equal to twelve times the subsistence minimum, which at the 295.22 € in force from 1 July 2026 makes 3,542.64 €,^⁠[2]⁠[4]
• on funds for the business equal to twenty times the subsistence minimum (5,904.40 €), held on an account opened for the business that must not be the personal account,^⁠[2]
• on accommodation for at least six months of the stay.^⁠[2]

The application is lodged in person at a Slovak embassy or consulate abroad, and the foreign police decide within 90 days of receiving a complete application. Within 30 days of collecting the residence document you hand in proof of health insurance and a medical certificate that you do not suffer from a disease threatening public health.^⁠[3]⁠[2]

Temporary protection and doing business

The Asylum Act applies to a displaced person, that is a foreigner under temporary protection (dočasné útočisko), also the rule that an asylum seeker must not do business, with appropriate modifications. Temporary protection on its own therefore does not entitle you to run a business; you need a residence that allows it, such as temporary residence for the purpose of business.^⁠[6]

Note, however, that temporary protection ends when you are granted temporary or permanent residence in Slovakia.^⁠[6]

Notifying the trade

The general conditions are the same for everyone: age 18, legal capacity and a clean criminal record.^⁠[1]

A foreigner attaches to the notification an extract from the criminal register of the country of citizenship, or of the country where they lived continuously for at least six months in the last five years. The extract must not be older than three months and comes with an officially certified Slovak translation; where a country does not issue one, an equivalent document or a certified affidavit replaces it.^⁠[1]

You notify the trade at the district office, department of trade licensing, which is also the single contact point, or electronically through slovensko.sk with a qualified electronic signature. The fee is 7 € for a free trade and 22 € for a craft or regulated trade; filed electronically, a free trade costs nothing and a craft or regulated trade 11 €.^⁠[7]

If the notification is complete and you meet the conditions, the office issues the certificate of trade authorisation within three working days.^⁠[1]

Tax office and insurers

Together with the trade notification, the single contact point registers you with the income tax administrator, signs you up with your health insurer and notifies the Social Insurance Agency.^⁠[7] If your permanent residence is outside the EU, according to the insurer VšZP you report the change to the health insurer yourself, for example on a form or through its online branch.^⁠[8]

A foreigner without permanent residence in Slovakia is covered by public health insurance as a self-employed person holding a residence permit, unless insured in another member state.^⁠[9]

You pay health insurance advances every month, at least 121.92 € in 2026. As a sole trader starting out, your social insurance begins on the first day of the sixth calendar month after the month in which you obtained the licence, and you pay a micro-contribution of 131.34 €.^{⁠[8]⁠[10]} Income thresholds and due dates are explained in Sole trader contributions in Slovakia 2026.

When you can issue your first invoice

You can invoice from the day your trade authorisation arises: for an individual on the day of notification or a later day stated in it, for a foreigner living outside the EU, the EEA and the OECD without granted residence no earlier than the day the residence permit is granted.^⁠[1]

An invoice may be in a foreign language; you provide a Slovak translation only if the tax office asks for one during an inspection.^{⁠[11]⁠[12]} What the invoice must contain is explained in How to issue an invoice in Slovakia; if you invoice clients abroad, see also Invoicing foreign clients from Slovakia.

If you work in Slovakia and set up the trade alongside your job, see also A sole trade alongside employment in Slovakia.

Checklist

• You know whether you do business as an EU citizen or need a residence permit for business.
• Under temporary protection, you have checked what a change of residence means for you.
• Your criminal record extract is no older than three months and has a certified translation.
• The trade is notified and you hold the certificate of trade authorisation.
• You pay health insurance advances and know from when social insurance applies.

vporiadku for foreigners

The vporiadku interface is fully available in Slovak, English and Ukrainian, so you issue invoices in a language you understand. Documents print in Slovak, Ukrainian, English, Czech, German or Russian; the document language does not depend on the interface language.

On the free Start plan you issue invoices with no monthly limit for up to five clients, and you can try the Profi plan for 30 days without a payment card. Open a free account; what vporiadku offers a sole trader is summed up on the page for sole traders.