Everyone who has ever registered a company or živnosť (sole-trader license — self-employment) in Slovakia gave their documents to the state with confidence that they would be kept under lock and key. This week it became clear: the lock is open. The new portal of the Commercial Register — Obchodný register SR — gives anyone with internet access full addresses, personal identification numbers, and signature samples of people connected to Slovak companies.
If you opened an s.r.o., živnosť (sole-trader license — self-employment) here or are part of the bodies of any company, your personal data is most likely also in this open list.
What exactly got into open access
The updated portal started working around August 17-18, 2026, and noticeably simplified access to the so-called Zbierka listín — the collection of company documents.
The documents that anyone can now download contain:
full home addresses of individuals — founders, konateľs (directors), members of supervisory boards;
rodné číslo (personal identification number used almost everywhere in Slovakia — from hospitals to banks);
identity card numbers;
handwritten signatures and signature samples.
The worst part here is the access mechanism. In the old system, for some documents, you had to authorize through an electronic ID card (eID) and send a request to an electronic mailbox. The new portal only asks to enter a four-digit CAPTCHA code. No identification — and no trace of who exactly downloaded whose information.
Why this is dangerous
The combination of “name + address + rodné číslo + ID card number + signature sample” is a ready set for fraudsters. With such data, one can try to get a loan, forge a power of attorney, sign a contract on your behalf, or pass verification where the personal number is checked. Experts quoted by HNonline warn directly: anyone who knows your rodné číslo can cause you serious problems.
Ukrainians in Slovakia massively register živnosť (sole-trader license — self-employment) and s.r.o. — and their data is fully indicated in the documents of these companies. If you have ever checked a counterparty through our company verification guide, you know: the Commercial Register is a basic tool. Now imagine a fraudster using the same tool.
The spicy part of the situation: the state violated its own law
The new law on the Commercial Register, effective from August 17, 2026, explicitly excludes rodné číslo from the list of data subject to publication. That means before placing documents in open access, they should have been anonymized — personal numbers, addresses, and signatures erased. This was not done.
The Office for Personal Data Protection (Úrad na ochranu osobných údajov SR) started proceedings against the Ministry of Justice and stated that such a level of access “is in no way acceptable.” The agency will check compliance with GDPR and find out why the data was published without anonymization.
Justice Minister Boris Susko initially reacted in a “I don’t see a problem” style: according to him, the law was not violated and no changes are planned. The opposition — parties KDH and SaS — demand an expert discussion and a technical solution that will preserve the transparency of the register while protecting sensitive data, as Estonia has done, for example.
What to do if your data is there
It is impossible to completely remove documents from the collection — this is a legal part of the register. But you can minimize risks now:
Check which documents of your company are available on the portal and whether they contain rodné číslo and address.
Be careful with calls and letters where the interlocutor names your personal number or address “for verification” — now this is in no way proof that you are talking to a bank or government agency.
If you notice suspicious activity (loan requests, contracts you did not sign), immediately contact the police and the bank.
The story is still developing: the Office for Personal Data Protection may require the ministry to close access or anonymize documents. We will follow the development — because judging by the minister’s initial reaction, this will not end quickly.
