Data protection & privacy laws in Slovakia (2026)

Act No. 18/2018 Coll. on the Protection of Personal Data (adopted 29 November 2017, in force 25 May 2018) transposes the GDPR into Slovak law, sets out permissible national derogations, and defines the powers and structure of the UOOU. It replaced the prior Act No. 122/2013 Coll.

The Office for Personal Data Protection of the Slovak Republic (UOOU) is Slovakia's independent supervisory authority with nationwide competence. Its President, Zuzana Valková, represents Slovakia on the EDPB. The UOOU may impose fines up to €20 million or 4% of global annual turnover, whichever is higher.

Act 18/2018 introduces specific rules for the Slovak rodné číslo (birth identification number): it may only be processed where strictly necessary for the purpose; consent-based processing requires explicit (rather than standard) consent; and publication of the birth number is prohibited except when voluntarily disclosed by the data subject.

Workplace monitoring by employers is permitted only where serious reasons relating to the specific character of the employer's activities justify it — a stricter standard than the GDPR default. Employees must be notified in advance about the nature, method, and extent of any monitoring.

Controllers must carry out a Data Protection Impact Assessment for high-risk processing. The procedural requirements are governed by Decree of the UOOU No. 158/2018 Coll. on the procedure for data protection impact assessment, and the UOOU maintains the national list of processing operations requiring a mandatory DPIA.

In 2025 the UOOU's enforcement concentrated on public-sector entities unlawfully publishing birth numbers in the Central Register of Contracts; over 500 fines became final, totalling approximately €470,000. The highest single fine on record (€50,000) was imposed on the Social Insurance Company for inadequate processing security under Article 32 GDPR. Slovakia has low fine-disclosure transparency, limiting public visibility of individual decision details.