Electronic communication in business in Slovakia

 

Here we bring you some official info published at www.minv.sk and www.slovensko.sk Establisment of electronic mailboxes is governed  by the Act No. 305/2013 Coll. on e-Government. Under this Act it is an electronic storage intended for storing electronic messages and notifications.

Electronic mailboxes are located at the Central Government Portal at www.slovensko.sk and are established by The Government Office of the Slovak Republic for:

• public authorities (bodies),
• legal entities and registered branches of legal entities,
• natural persons (citizens of Slovak Republic),
• natural persons who are carrying out business activity (entrepreuners).

Electronic mailboxes for natural persons – citizens of Slovak Republic are set up automatically, once they reach the age of 18. Mailboxes of public authorities, legal entities and entrepreuners registered in Slovakia are established immediately after their formation. Upon request, the Government Office will also set up electronic mailboxes for foreign entities.

In order to use the electronic mailbox for communication with public authorities and for delivery of official documents the mailbox must be „activated“.

The activation enables the mailbox for electronic delivery from public authorities. Once the mailbox is activated, it is possible to deliver official decisions to the electronic mailboxes. A decision sent to the mailbox in an electronic form has the same legal consequences as a decision sent in a paper form.

The activation of electronic mailbox is not obligatory for slovak citizens and private individuals who carry out business activities (entrepreuners). They can activate their mailboxes on a voluntary basis.

However, the activation is obligatory for legal entities and registered branches of legal entities. The process of so-called “obligatory” activation of electronic mailboxes starts from 1st of August 2016 and will be done gradually over a transitional period expiring on 1st of January 2017.

The obligatory activation of electronic mailboxes will proceed as follows:

• The activation process starts on 1st August 2016 by an automatic act of the Government Office of the Slovak Republic (the application of the owner of the mailbox is NOT neccessary).
• The process of electronic mailbox activation completes when a person authorized to access the electronic mailbox logs in to his/her mailbox for the first time, however, by 1st January 2017 at the latest.

In order to access into the electronic mailbox established according to the Act No. 305/2013 Coll. on e-Government, an owner of the electronic mailbox needs:

• an identification card with an electronic chip (eID card) and personal security code (BOK),
• in case of foreigners – residence card with an electronic chip, or
• alternative authenticator.

A foreign person cannot obtain an eID card since it is bound to being a citizen of the Slovak Republic. If a legal entity has a foreign statutory representative, in order to have a full access to its electronic mailbox, he must authorize (entitle) a natural person – citizen of the Slovak Republic, with an  eID card, to have a full access to its electronic mailbox.