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Bulk import: M, N and O · JDV: according to the selected procedure

Vehicle import and approval in Slovakia

An overview of the procedures covered by this module and an interactive guide to bulk import of a vehicle type and to recognition or approval of an individually imported vehicle (JDV).

Module scope: the bulk-import route covers categories M, N and O under Regulation (EU) 2018/858. The individual route under § 21 to § 26 applies only to a vehicle and category permitted by the relevant specific regulatory acts. Decree No. 131/2018 Coll. also addresses categories L, T, C, R and S and a separate national type-approval route under § 3; this decision guide does not assess their complete type-approval process.
1. Summary overview

Administrative procedure for placing an imported vehicle on the market and entering it into road traffic in Slovakia

The source diagram covers bulk import and individual vehicle import. It is maintained in Slovak; open it full-screen to pan it at its original resolution.

Slovak source diagram of the administrative procedure for imported vehicles
Important condition for the diagram: the § 23 and § 24 routes are available only for a vehicle that has not been approved for operation in another country and has not been registered in another country. The interactive guide below verifies this condition explicitly.
2

Bulk import of a vehicle type

Placing a vehicle type on the market or putting it into service in the Slovak Republic.
Scope: categories M, N and O. The guide distinguishes the prior manufacturer or manufacturer representative certificate, recognition of an existing EU whole-vehicle type-approval and a new whole-vehicle type-approval under Regulation (EU) 2018/858.

1. In what capacity is the applicant acting?

For a vehicle type imported from a foreign manufacturer, the applicant is normally the manufacturer representative.

The bulk-import result will appear here.
First select the applicant’s capacity.
3

Individual vehicle import

Recognition or approval of an individually imported vehicle (JDV).
Answer the questions. The guide identifies the relevant § 21 to § 26 of Decree No. 131/2018 Coll. and shows the information and documents that the application must contain.

1. Where is the vehicle imported from?

The vehicle’s origin determines the main procedural route.

The result will appear here.
First select the vehicle’s country of origin.
4

Trial operation of a pre-production vehicle

Permission for test drives before approval is granted under Section 49(1)(a) of Act No. 106/2018 Coll.
§ 49

Specific permission from the type-approval authority

This route applies to a pre-production vehicle which meets the technical requirements for approval for operation in road traffic but has not yet been granted approval. The vehicle may be used only for test drives during the manufacture or approval of the vehicle, its systems, components or separate technical units.

Applicant and deciding authority

  • The application is filed by the manufacturer or the manufacturer's production plant.
  • The type-approval authority — the Slovak Ministry of Transport — decides. In addition to the applicant's identification details, the application must contain the information and documents prescribed by the implementing legislation.
  • The permission may be valid for no more than one year. The authority may specify conditions, restrictions, the permitted territory, route and time of trial operation.

Operation of the vehicle

  • The holder may operate the vehicle only for the permitted trial-operation purpose, must protect safety, the environment and public health, give the permission to the driver and maintain any required liability insurance.
  • Throughout the trial operation, the vehicle must carry a valid special registration plate or plates.
  • A change in the conditions on which the permission was based must be reported to the type-approval authority within 15 days.

Where operation outside Slovakia is also permitted

  • A basic technical description of the vehicle forms part of the permission.
  • Before the vehicle is operated abroad, the holder must ask the Police Force for registration certificate Part I and Part II.
Premature road use results in revocation: if the type-approval authority finds that the pre-production vehicle was operated in road traffic before the trial-operation permission was issued, it must revoke the permission. Revocation also applies in the cases specified by law, including false supporting information, a danger to safety, the environment or public health, and serious or repeated breach of the holder's duties or the permission conditions.
Section 49 of Act No. 106/2018 Coll. · version effective from 1 September 2026 ↗
5

Exemptions from technical requirements

A new exemption, recognition of a foreign exemption and the complete list of automatically recognised exemptions.
Section 161 boundary: a new exemption may not be granted for brakes, pollutants in exhaust gases, sound emissions, electromagnetic compatibility or a change in the colour of light emitted by vehicle lighting and light-signalling devices.

Select a new exemption or recognition of an exemption granted abroad.

Section 161 of the Act ↗Section 162 of the Act ↗Section 56 of the Decree ↗Application for an exemption ↗MP No 7/2018 – complete list ↗MP No 2/2019 – amendment ↗
6

Original VIN, third-country imports and a substitute VIN

Distinguish the manufacturer’s original VIN, the way it is marked and the conditions for assigning a new administrative VIN.
An original and a substitute VIN are not the same: the original VIN was assigned by the manufacturer and should remain with the vehicle throughout its life. A substitute VIN is a new administrative number assigned by the Slovak Ministry of Transport only if Sections 38 and 43 to 45 are satisfied.
Mark every additional bar found under Section 38(5)

Select your legal status and the exact VIN condition. The result separates the import procedure under Section 29 from possible assignment of a substitute VIN under Section 38.

Section 29 of the Act ↗Section 38 of the Act ↗Sections 43 to 45 of the Decree ↗Regulation (EU) 2018/858 ↗
7

Foreign vehicle registration certificates

Certificate structure, vehicle deregistration, export procedure and re-registration significance by state.
Two-part certificate: if two parts were issued, both are submitted. A separate deregistration document must not be confused with a certificate part; it is assessed according to the state and selected procedure.
States covered18
Information by stateCertificate · deregistration · re-registration
Links checked13 Aug 2026

Select a state. The model valid on the certificate’s issue date always controls.

European Commission model database ↗Directive 1999/37/EC ↗
8. Official sources

Verification and submission

The links lead to the legal act and its provisions on Slov-Lex, information from the Ministry of Transport and JISCD electronic services.

Check before filing

  • whether foreign-language documents require an official translation into Slovak,
  • for an electronic filing, the foreign registration certificate, deregistration document and COC must always also be submitted on paper; other paper attachments must be supplied after guaranteed conversion unless the authority can obtain them from an information system,
  • specific guidance for vehicles from the United Kingdom, right-hand-drive M1 vehicles and Italian registration documents,
  • the vehicle category, maximum permissible mass and whether the submitted document is a vehicle CoC rather than a machinery declaration of conformity.

Current practical guidance from the Ministry of Transport ↗ · Guaranteed conversion of documents ↗

Decree No. 131/2018 Coll.Slov-Lex – official legal act Act No. 145/1995 Coll.Slov-Lex – administrative fees Application forms and feesMinistry of Transport of the Slovak Republic Electronic JDV submissionJISCD – individual vehicle import
Working information tool checked as at 23 September 2026 against Act No. 106/2018 Coll. in the version effective from 1 September 2026 to 30 September 2026, Decree No. 131/2018 Coll. effective from 2 January 2023, and Act No. 145/1995 Coll. in the version effective from 1 September 2026. A further time version of Act No. 106/2018 Coll. under Act No. 77/2026 Coll. takes effect on 1 October 2026. For a specific procedure, the legally binding text and the assessment of the competent approval authority remain decisive. The information and national links for registration documents from 18 states were last checked individually on 13 August 2026.