Under Section 27 of the Road Transport Act, a taxi service, including dispatching, may be operated only on the basis of a concession.

Under the Act, an applicant must meet the following conditions to be granted a concession:

  • they have their residence, place of business or registered office in the Slovak Republic or in another member state,
  • they have full legal capacity,
  • they have a clean record within the meaning of Section 27(4) and (5),
  • they have at least one vehicle that is owned, rented, leased or borrowed. Such a vehicle must meet the conditions under Section 27(17)

Under Section 27(7), the concession is granted for 10 years unless the applicant has requested a shorter period of validity.

Furthermore, the concession is permanently non-transferable to another person. “Where the concession holder is a natural person, the concession also expires on the date of the holder’s death, unless the taxi service is continued by the heirs, the surviving spouse or the administrator of the estate.” In that case, these persons must notify the transport administrative authority in writing within 30 calendar days of the concession holder’s death that they are continuing to operate the taxi service. The transport authority then has 15 days in which to raise objections. If, within 30 calendar days of the conclusion of the probate proceedings concerning the deceased holder’s business, these persons have not obtained a concession of their own, they may no longer operate the taxi service.

Transport businesses with vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes

Freight transport with vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes can be operated under an unregulated (free) trade, which must be notified to the trade licensing department of the relevant district office. The administrative fee for notifying a free trade is €5, and electronic notification is free of charge. Domestic road haulage requires a permit, and international road haulage requires a Community licence; however, neither the permit nor the licence applies to transport up to 3.5 tonnes. It follows that road transport up to 3.5 tonnes can be carried on solely on the basis of a trade licence.

How do you run a transport business with vehicles over 3.5 tonnes?

Unlike transport up to 3.5 tonnes, simply notifying a trade will not be enough. You will need a permit from the district office in the regional capital or, for international transport, the Community licence mentioned above.

The whole process can be summarised in a few steps:

  • if you want to operate only in domestic road transport, you must obtain a permit issued by the district office in the regional capital,
  • if you have decided to operate in international road transport, you must first obtain a Community licence
  • registration in the Slovak Commercial Register
  • payment of the related administrative fees

We will be glad to help you get your business off the ground

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  • comprehensive legal services in transport law
  • obtaining permits and licences