Every year, foreign suppliers, lenders and service providers are left with unpaid invoices issued to Slovak companies. The good news: Slovakia is an EU member state with a functioning court and enforcement system, and most commercial claims can be recovered without the creditor ever setting foot in the country. This guide explains the process step by step.
1. Act early — limitation periods matter
Under Slovak law, commercial claims are generally subject to a limitation period of four years, while civil claims are typically time-barred after three years. Once the period expires, the debtor can raise a limitation defence and the court will not award the claim. Interest and enforcement prospects also deteriorate as the debtor's financial position changes, so the earlier you act, the higher the recovery rate.
2. Check the debtor before you spend money
Slovakia has excellent public registers. Before starting recovery, a local law firm will verify the debtor in the Commercial Register, the insolvency register, the register of enforcement proceedings and public debt lists held by the tax and social-insurance authorities. This shows whether the debtor is active, already insolvent, in liquidation, or subject to other enforcement — and determines the right strategy: negotiation, court action, or filing a claim in insolvency.
3. An attorney's demand letter
The first formal step is usually a pre-action demand letter (predžalobná výzva) sent by a Slovak attorney. A letter from a local law firm signals that court action will genuinely follow, and in our experience a significant share of Slovak debtors pay or start negotiating at this stage — making it the fastest and cheapest outcome for the creditor.
4. Court proceedings: the payment order
If the debtor does not pay voluntarily, monetary claims supported by documents (contract, invoice, delivery notes) are typically enforced through a payment order. Slovakia operates a fast-track electronic payment order procedure (upomínacie konanie) with a reduced court fee, handled centrally by a dedicated court. If the debtor does not file a reasoned objection, the payment order becomes final and enforceable — often within weeks rather than years. Contested claims proceed to ordinary civil litigation.
5. EU instruments for cross-border creditors
Creditors from other EU member states can also use the European Payment Order (Regulation (EC) No 1896/2006) for uncontested claims and the European Small Claims Procedure for smaller cross-border claims. Judgments from other EU member states are directly enforceable in Slovakia under the Brussels I recast Regulation — so if you already hold a judgment against a Slovak debtor, it can be enforced here without re-litigating the case.
6. Interest and recovery costs
Slovak law entitles creditors to statutory default interest and, in commercial transactions, a flat compensation for recovery costs. Attorney's fees incurred in court proceedings are, as a rule, awarded against the unsuccessful debtor. In other words: a well-documented claim grows rather than shrinks while it is being enforced.
7. Enforcement (execution)
Once you hold an enforceable title — a Slovak payment order or judgment, a European Payment Order, a foreign EU judgment or an arbitral award — enforcement is carried out by a licensed court enforcement officer (súdny exekútor). The enforcement officer can seize bank accounts, receivables, movable assets, real estate and shares. Enforcement applications are filed electronically and assigned to enforcement officers by the court.
8. Insolvency of the debtor
If the debtor enters bankruptcy or restructuring, creditors must file their claims within statutory deadlines to participate in the distribution. Monitoring the insolvency register is therefore essential — a claim filed late may lose priority or be excluded entirely. We monitor our clients' debtors continuously and file insolvency claims on their behalf.
What does it cost?
KONFRERO works with foreign creditors on flexible fee models — hourly rates, fixed fees per stage, or success-based (contingency) arrangements for suitable claims. Because Slovak law allows recovery costs and attorney's fees to be claimed against the debtor, a substantial part of the costs is typically borne by the debtor, not by you.
How KONFRERO helps international clients
- Free initial assessment of your claim and of the debtor's solvency
- All communication in English; documents handled in Slovak for you
- Demand letters, payment orders, litigation, enforcement and insolvency filings
- One point of contact for debtors in both Slovakia and the Czech Republic
- Regular status reports — you always know where your case stands
Send us the invoice, contract and any correspondence with the debtor at office@konfrero.com, and we will come back to you with a recommended course of action.
This article provides general information about Slovak law and is not legal advice for a specific case. Legal position should always be assessed individually.