Establishing a civil association or foundation in Slovakia

The establishment of civil associations is amended by the act 83/1990 of the Slovak legal code – associations of citizens. Members of such an association can be private as well as legal persons, whose rights and obligations are incorporated in the statutes of association.

After the establishment, the second phase of the process follows – registration of the civic association with the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic. The registration proposal must be submitted by at least three citizens forming a preparatory committee, with at least one member over 18 years old. The proposal must include the statutes in two copies.

If the ministry finds no reason to reject the registration, it will complete the registration within 10 days and send one copy of the statutes to the authorized representative, indicating the registration date. The ministry will notify the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic about the association’s establishment, name, and seat within 7 days of registration.

The process of establishing a foundation is governed by Act No. 34/2002 on Foundations. As with civic associations, it’s important to distinguish between the establishment and the creation of a foundation. A foundation is established through a founding deed signed by all founders and comes into existence only after successfully completing the registration process with the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic.

If the ministry finds no reason to reject the registration, it will register the foundation within 30 days and send one copy of the founding deed to the foundation’s administrator, indicating the registration date.