A number of new requirements in the field of small trade have been introduced with effect from 1 October 2007, including:
- enabling District Trade Offices to act as a single point of contact for trade licence holders, using electronic communications to process their applications for tax registration and health insurance with the relevant authorities;
- enabling District Trade Offices in regional capitals to act as a single point of contact for applications for registration from foreign trade licence holders;
- requiring a separate trade licence and permit for each trade activity carried on, with administrative fees reduced to reflect this;
- using District Trade Offices to provide information (but not legal advice) on:
- general and specific conditions for operating a trade licence
- which services are considered trade activities and therefore require a trade licence
- the procedural requirements for obtaining a trade licence
- how to gain access to services from licensed trade
- how to contact other bodies offering practical assistance to providers or recipients of trade activities (such as via public registers or service provider databases)
- generally accessible methods of resolving disputes related to trade activities and the activities themselves;
- the information provided by District Trade Offices will be in the Slovak language and can be given in response to electronic communications;
- removing the requirement for legal entities registered in the Commercial Register to obtain a permit enabling them to use the property used as its official seat;
- removing the obligation for extracts from criminal records to be submitted with licence and permit applications, and instead requiring the relevant Trade Office to apply for the extracts in electronic form and, where it shows that the applicant has a conviction for a wilful criminal offence, seeking a valid judgment proving the conviction from the applicant.
Law: amendment to the Trade Act published in the Collection of Laws under no. 358/2007 Coll.
