Property in Slovakia

Updated 6 October 2026

Apartments and houses in a eurozone country. We check the property in the cadastre, handle the deal and are honest about residence.

Slovakia is an EU and eurozone country with property that is inexpensive by European standards, especially outside Bratislava. Foreigners buy apartments and houses in Slovakia, and ownership arises on entry in the land register (cadastre). But buying property does not give residence: temporary residence in Slovakia is always tied to a specific purpose, and owning a home is not one of them.

Below: what a foreigner can buy, how property relates to residence, how a purchase works and why deals fall through.

What a foreigner can buy

• Apartments, houses and commercial premises are bought by foreigners under a purchase contract with entry in the cadastre.
• Legal restrictions. Certain property may only be owned by the state or by entities based in Slovakia: for example, property in military districts and state land with nature protection levels 3 to 5.
• Agricultural land is governed by a separate law with conditions for buyers, so we check plots with such land particularly carefully.

Property and residence

Temporary residence in Slovakia is granted for a specific purpose: business, employment, study, family reunification and others listed in the Act on Residence of Foreigners. For business, temporary residence can be granted for up to 3 years. Your own apartment is still useful: it proves the accommodation required for any residence permit, together with a cadastre extract showing ownership. But the purchase itself is not a ground, so we plan the property together with a real purpose of residence.

How a purchase works

1. Goal. We define the goal: a home for relocation, letting or a commercial property.
2. Shortlist. We select properties in Bratislava, Košice or other cities.
3. Cadastre checks. We check the owner, encumbrances, mortgages and use restrictions.
4. Contract. We prepare the purchase contract; signatures are certified and payment goes through a bank or a notary's deposit.
5. Cadastre entry. We file the application to enter ownership in the cadastre: you become the owner once the entry is made.
6. Ownership. We help with letting, local property tax and tax on rental income.

Buying through a company and documents

A property can also be bought through a Slovak company, which owns it as a legal person. This suits commercial property and letting but adds the company's bookkeeping and taxes. For the deal you will need a passport, marital status details if spouses buy together, proof of the source of money for the bank and a power of attorney if you do not sign in person.

Taxes

Owners pay local property tax, with rates set by the municipality. Rental income is subject to Slovak income tax, and a non-resident must also consider tax at home. We calculate the exact figures for the property and ownership structure before the deal.

Why deals fall through

• the buyer expected residence for the purchase, but there is no such ground;
• the cadastre shows a mortgage or other encumbrances;
• the plot is agricultural land with restrictions for the buyer;
• the bank will not accept funds without a verified source.

What registration and a later sale cost

Slovakia has no property transfer tax. The buyer pays a fee of €66 for registering ownership in the cadastre, about $74 at the 5 October 2026 rate, rounded up, plus legal fees and certification of signatures. If the property is new and sold by a developer, VAT is usually already included in the price.

On a sale, an individual's gain is exempt from tax if more than 5 years have passed since the purchase. If you sell earlier, the gain is subject to income tax. So we take the holding period into account at the purchase stage, especially if the property is bought for resale.

What we do

We select a property, check it in the cadastre, prepare the contract and support payment and registration, and help with letting. If the purchase is part of a move, we build a residence route on a real purpose in parallel, for example through your own business in Slovakia. A manager will calculate the cost in the chat.

What we do

• Property shortlist for your investment goal
• Legal due diligence on the property
• End-to-end transaction support
• Ownership structuring (company, trust)
• Property management and letting

See also

Company formation · Business account · Personal account

FAQ