Prostitution Prostitution laws in SlovakiaSlovensko
Slovakia does not criminalise selling or buying sex between adults and has no law regulating prostitution: there is no registration, licence or health-check regime. The Criminal Code defines prostitution as satisfying another's sexual needs by intercourse or similar sexual contact with an adult for reward (§ 132(1)) and punishes procuring (§ 367), including recruiting or offering a person for prostitution, profiting from another's prostitution and enabling it. Paying a child for sexual acts and trafficking are separate serious offences. Municipalities may regulate public order through generally binding ordinances, and some make offering sexual services in public spaces a minor offence. Police record very few procuring cases (two in 2024 and two in 2025). No pending legislation on prostitution was identified for this profile.
Legal model
Legal, organisation banned. Selling and buying are legal, but brothels, procuring and organising are criminal offences.
Selling and buying sex between adults are not offences and no statute regulates prostitution. The Criminal Code defines prostitution (§ 132(1)) and punishes procuring (kupliarstvo, § 367), which covers not only recruiting and profiting but also enabling another person's prostitution, so running a brothel or providing premises for it is a criminal offence. Municipalities can regulate public order by ordinance, but no national offence targets street soliciting.[1][2]
At a glance
| Question | Status | In short |
|---|---|---|
| Selling sexual services | Legal | Selling sexual services as an adult is not a criminal or administrative offence at national level. The Criminal Code defines prostitution only for the purpose of the offences committed by third parties. Local public-order ordinances and the general offence of causing public outrage can apply to conduct in public.[1][4][5] |
| Buying sexual services | Legal | Paying an adult for sex is not an offence. Sexual abuse of a child in the form of child prostitution, i.e. sexual contact with a person under 18 for a reward or its promise, is a criminal offence under § 202(1)(b) Criminal Code (one to five years).[1] |
| Brothels and managed venues | Illegal Criminal offence | Brothels cannot be licensed. § 367(1) Criminal Code punishes anyone who profits from prostitution carried on by another or enables it ('umožní jej vykonávanie'), so operating premises where others sell sex is procuring, punishable by up to three years and more in aggravated cases.[1][5][6] |
| Sex workers sharing premises | Restricted Breach: criminal offence | No provision addresses sex workers who share a flat. Because § 367 also punishes whoever 'enables' another person's prostitution, a sex worker who provides or sublets premises to another, or arranges clients for her, risks committing procuring even without taking a share of earnings.[1] |
| Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping) | Illegal Criminal offence | Procuring (kupliarstvo, § 367 Criminal Code) covers arranging, inducing, seducing, using, recruiting or offering another person for prostitution, profiting from another's prostitution and enabling it. Up to three years; one to five years for a more serious manner of commission; three to ten years against a protected person; seven to twelve years for substantial gain or in a dangerous group; ten to fifteen years for grievous bodily harm or death.[1][7] |
| Advertising sexual services | Restricted Breach: criminal offence | No law specifically bans advertising sexual services; sex workers can advertise their own services. Offering another person for prostitution is itself one of the acts listed in § 367(1), so advertising someone else's services can be procuring. The Advertising Act bars advertisements contrary to good morals (§ 3(5)).[1][8] |
| Online platforms and ad sites | Restricted Breach: criminal offence | There is no statute on ad sites for sexual services. A site operator could in principle fall under § 367 if it offers persons for prostitution, profits from it or enables it; no prosecution of a Slovak ad platform was found. Hosting liability and notice-and-action follow the EU Digital Services Act, supervised by the Council for Media Services (Rada pre mediálne služby).[1][5][9][10][11] |
| Street-based sex work and soliciting | Varies | No national offence targets soliciting in public, but municipalities set out by ordinance activities banned or restricted at certain times or places, and some make offering sexual services in public spaces an offence (e.g. Bratislava-Staré Mesto, VZN 3/1997). Breaching an ordinance is a minor offence (fine up to EUR 100 for individuals; up to EUR 6,638 for legal persons and entrepreneurs). Causing public outrage is a separate offence.[2][3][4] |
| Registration, licensing and health checks | Legal | There is no registration, licence or mandatory health check for sex workers. The Slovak Trade Licensing Act, unlike its Czech counterpart, does not mention sexual services at all. Slovakia is a party to the 1950 UN Convention, whose Article 6 requires states to abolish special registration of persons in prostitution.[12][13][14] |
| Tax and social security | Legal | The Income Tax Act (No. 595/2003 Coll.) taxes income generally and contains no provision on prostitution. No Slovak court ruling or Financial Administration guidance on taxing income from prostitution was located for this profile.[15] |
| Migrant sex workers | Legal | No immigration rule addresses prostitution. EU citizens are in the same position as Slovak nationals. Trafficking for prostitution or sexual exploitation is punished under § 179 Criminal Code.[1] |
The law in detail
Selling sexual services
Selling sexual services as an adult is not a criminal or administrative offence at national level. The Criminal Code defines prostitution only for the purpose of the offences committed by third parties. Local public-order ordinances and the general offence of causing public outrage can apply to conduct in public.[1][4][5]
- § 132(1) Criminal Code: "Prostitúciou sa na účely tohto zákona rozumie uspokojovanie sexuálnych potrieb iného súložou, iným spôsobom pohlavného styku alebo iným obdobným sexuálnym stykom s dospelou osobou za odmenu."
- No provision of the Criminal Code or of the Offences Act (No. 372/1990 Coll.) penalises the person who sells sex.
- Unlike Czechia (§ 190 of the Czech Criminal Code), Slovakia has no offence of prostitution near schools.
Checked 30 October 2026
Buying sexual services
Paying an adult for sex is not an offence. Sexual abuse of a child in the form of child prostitution, i.e. sexual contact with a person under 18 for a reward or its promise, is a criminal offence under § 202(1)(b) Criminal Code (one to five years).[1]
- § 132(2) Criminal Code defines child prostitution as satisfying another's sexual needs by intercourse or similar sexual contact with a child for a reward or its promise, whether the reward goes to the child or a third person.
- § 202(1)(b): whoever induces a child to extramarital intercourse or otherwise sexually abuses a child where it is child prostitution: one to five years; two to eight years if committed with coercion or jointly by at least two persons (§ 202(2)); three to ten years if it directly endangers the child's life (§ 202(3)).
Checked 30 October 2026
Brothels and managed venues
Brothels cannot be licensed. § 367(1) Criminal Code punishes anyone who profits from prostitution carried on by another or enables it ('umožní jej vykonávanie'), so operating premises where others sell sex is procuring, punishable by up to three years and more in aggravated cases.[1][5][6]
- The wording of § 367(1) has been the same since the Criminal Code took effect on 1 January 2006: "Kto iného zjedná, pohne, zvedie, využije, získa alebo ponúkne na vykonávanie prostitúcie, alebo kto koristí z prostitúcie vykonávanej iným, alebo umožní jej vykonávanie, potrestá sa odňatím slobody až na tri roky."
- Unlike the Czech § 189, which has no 'enabling' limb (there a landlord or operator commits procuring only by profiting), the Slovak § 367(1) also punishes whoever enables another person's prostitution.
Checked 30 October 2026
Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping)
Procuring (kupliarstvo, § 367 Criminal Code) covers arranging, inducing, seducing, using, recruiting or offering another person for prostitution, profiting from another's prostitution and enabling it. Up to three years; one to five years for a more serious manner of commission; three to ten years against a protected person; seven to twelve years for substantial gain or in a dangerous group; ten to fifteen years for grievous bodily harm or death.[1][7]
- § 367(2)–(5) set the aggravated ranges listed in the summary.
- § 179 (trafficking in human beings) separately punishes recruiting, transporting, harbouring or receiving a person, even with consent, by force, threats, deception, abuse of a position of vulnerability or similar means, for the purpose of prostitution or other sexual exploitation.
- Enforcement figures: see stats.
Checked 30 October 2026
Advertising sexual services
No law specifically bans advertising sexual services; sex workers can advertise their own services. Offering another person for prostitution is itself one of the acts listed in § 367(1), so advertising someone else's services can be procuring. The Advertising Act bars advertisements contrary to good morals (§ 3(5)).[1][8]
- § 367(1): "... alebo ponúkne na vykonávanie prostitúcie" (offers another for prostitution).
- Act No. 147/2001 Coll. on advertising, § 3(5): advertising may not be disseminated if it is contrary to good morals or presents products whose production, sale, provision or use is prohibited. It has no rule specific to sexual services.
Confidence: medium. How Slovak prosecutors and courts apply § 367 to advertising was not verified; no case law was located.
Checked 30 October 2026
Online platforms and ad sites
There is no statute on ad sites for sexual services. A site operator could in principle fall under § 367 if it offers persons for prostitution, profits from it or enables it; no prosecution of a Slovak ad platform was found. Hosting liability and notice-and-action follow the EU Digital Services Act, supervised by the Council for Media Services (Rada pre mediálne služby).[1][5][9][10][11]
- Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (DSA) applies directly; the Slovak Digital Services Coordinator is the Rada pre mediálne služby (Council for Media Services).
- For comparison, in neighbouring Czechia the Municipal Court in Prague discontinued the prosecution of the Sex.cz operators in August 2026, holding at first instance and not finally that selling advertising space for a fixed fee is not procuring; the Slovak § 367 additionally contains an 'offering' and an 'enabling' limb, which the Czech § 189 lacks.
Confidence: medium. No Slovak case law or prosecutorial guidance on ad platforms was located; the application of § 367 to platforms is an inference from its wording.
Checked 30 October 2026
Street-based sex work and soliciting
No national offence targets soliciting in public, but municipalities set out by ordinance activities banned or restricted at certain times or places, and some make offering sexual services in public spaces an offence (e.g. Bratislava-Staré Mesto, VZN 3/1997). Breaching an ordinance is a minor offence (fine up to EUR 100 for individuals; up to EUR 6,638 for legal persons and entrepreneurs). Causing public outrage is a separate offence.[2][3][4]
- Act No. 369/1990 Coll. on municipalities: the municipality secures public order (§ 4(3)(n)) and lays down by ordinance the activities that are banned or restricted at certain times or in certain places (§ 4(5)(a)(5)); it may issue ordinances in matters of self-government (§ 6). A legal person or entrepreneur who breaches an ordinance commits an administrative delict with a fine of up to EUR 6,638 (§ 27b).
- Act No. 372/1990 Coll. on offences: breaching duties set by municipal ordinances is an offence against public order if it endangers or disturbs public order (§ 48, fine up to EUR 100) or against order in administration (§ 46, up to EUR 100); causing public outrage is an offence under § 47(1)(c).
- Bratislava-Staré Mesto, VZN 3/1997 (in force from 1 December 1997, amended by VZN 3/2002): "Priestupkom proti verejnému poriadku podľa § 48 zákona … je na verejných priestranstvách mestskej časti Bratislava-Staré Mesto … aj ponúkanie a poskytovanie služieb smerujúcich bezprostredne k uspokojovaniu sexuálnych potrieb" (§ 1(1)). Public spaces include streets, squares, car parks, markets, parks and courtyards between blocks (§ 1(2)); the city police enforce it (§ 2).
- At least Bratislava-Staré Mesto has such an ordinance in force; a nationwide list of such ordinances was not compiled.
Confidence: medium. The statutory framework and the Staré Mesto ordinance are verified from their texts. Press reports (2007–2017) say Bratislava-Nové Mesto and Podunajské Biskupice had similar ordinances; whether those remain in force, which other municipalities have one, and how any of them are enforced was not verified.
Checked 30 October 2026
Registration, licensing and health checks
There is no registration, licence or mandatory health check for sex workers. The Slovak Trade Licensing Act, unlike its Czech counterpart, does not mention sexual services at all. Slovakia is a party to the 1950 UN Convention, whose Article 6 requires states to abolish special registration of persons in prostitution.[12][13][14]
- Act No. 455/1991 Coll. (Slovak version, in force from 17 August 2026) contains no reference to prostitution or sexual services; whether the activity can be carried on under a trade licence was not verified.
- Slovakia succeeded to the 1950 Convention on 28 May 1993; Czechoslovakia had acceded on 14 March 1958.
Confidence: medium. The absence of a registration regime is verified from the statutes; the trade-licence position is not settled in any source located.
Checked 30 October 2026
Tax and social security
The Income Tax Act (No. 595/2003 Coll.) taxes income generally and contains no provision on prostitution. No Slovak court ruling or Financial Administration guidance on taxing income from prostitution was located for this profile.[15]
- § 6 of the Income Tax Act covers income from business and from other self-employed activity, including activities that are neither a trade nor a business (§ 6(2)(b)); how income from prostitution is classified in practice was not verified.
Confidence: low. Statutory text only; no case law or administrative guidance was found, so the tax treatment in practice is uncertain.
Checked 30 October 2026
Migrant sex workers
No immigration rule addresses prostitution. EU citizens are in the same position as Slovak nationals. Trafficking for prostitution or sexual exploitation is punished under § 179 Criminal Code.[1]
Confidence: low. Residence and work-authorisation rules for third-country nationals who sell sex were not checked.
Checked 30 October 2026
Key legislation
| Law | What it does here | In force |
|---|---|---|
| Zákon č. 300/2005 Z. z. Trestný zákon Criminal Code (Act No. 300/2005 Coll.) § 132 · § 179 · § 202 · § 367 | Defines prostitution and child prostitution (§ 132) and punishes procuring (§ 367), trafficking (§ 179) and child prostitution (§ 202).[1] | 1 January 2006 |
| Zákon Slovenskej národnej rady č. 369/1990 Zb. o obecnom zriadení Municipalities Act (Act No. 369/1990 Coll.) § 4 ods. 3 písm. n) · § 6 · § 27b | Municipalities secure public order and may issue generally binding ordinances; breaches by legal persons and entrepreneurs are fined up to EUR 6,638.[2] | |
| Zákon Slovenskej národnej rady č. 372/1990 Zb. o priestupkoch Offences Act (Act No. 372/1990 Coll.) § 46 · § 47 · § 48 | Breaching municipal ordinances is a minor offence (§§ 46, 48; fine up to EUR 100); causing public outrage is an offence (§ 47). No prostitution-specific offence.[4] | |
| Zákon č. 147/2001 Z. z. o reklame Advertising Act (Act No. 147/2001 Coll.) § 3 ods. 5 | § 3(5) bars advertising contrary to good morals; there is no rule specific to sexual services.[8] | |
| Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services (Digital Services Act) Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (Digital Services Act) | Directly applicable rules on hosting liability and notice-and-action for ad platforms; supervised in Slovakia by the Council for Media Services.[9] | 17 February 2024 |
In numbers
Police-recorded offences ('zistené'), nationwide: 8 in 2023, 2 in 2024, 2 in 2025. Recorded crime, not a measure of prevalence.
Police statistics, 'celkom osôb' column (persons prosecuted or investigated in the year; may relate to offences recorded in earlier years): 6 in 2023, 5 in 2024, 0 in 2025.
Timeline
- 14 March 1958Czechoslovakia accedes to the 1950 UN Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others.[13]
- 28 May 1993Slovakia notifies its succession to the 1950 Convention.[13]
- 1 January 2006The new Criminal Code (Act No. 300/2005 Coll.) takes effect, with procuring in § 367 including the offering and enabling limbs.[6]
- 17 February 2024The EU Digital Services Act becomes fully applicable. Slovakia's Digital Services Coordinator is the Council for Media Services; the Commission opened infringement proceedings over Slovakia's designation and empowerment of its coordinator on 24 April 2024 and closed them on 3 October 2024.[9][10]
- 2025Police record two procuring offences under § 367 for the year, none of them solved by year end, after eight in 2023 and two in 2024.[7][16][17]
Sources
- Zákon č. 300/2005 Z. z. Trestný zákon (Act No. 300/2005 Coll., Criminal Code (version in force from 18 August 2026)). Ministerstvo spravodlivosti SR – Slov-Lex. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Zákon Slovenskej národnej rady č. 369/1990 Zb. o obecnom zriadení (Municipalities Act (version in force from 15 July 2026)). Ministerstvo spravodlivosti SR – Slov-Lex. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Všeobecne záväzné nariadenie mestskej časti Bratislava-Staré Mesto č. 3/1997, ktorým sa ustanovuje, že ponúkanie a poskytovanie služieb smerujúcich bezprostredne k uspokojovaniu sexuálnych potrieb na verejných priestranstvách mestskej časti Bratislava-Staré Mesto je priestupkom (Bratislava-Staré Mesto ordinance No. 3/1997 on offering and providing sexual services in public spaces (listed as in force)). Mestská časť Bratislava-Staré Mesto, 4 November 1997. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Zákon Slovenskej národnej rady č. 372/1990 Zb. o priestupkoch (Offences Act (version in force from 1 September 2026)). Ministerstvo spravodlivosti SR – Slov-Lex, 28 August 1990. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Zákon č. 40/2009 Sb., trestní zákoník (Czech Criminal Code (Act No. 40/2009 Coll.), for the comparisons with §§ 189–190). Zákony pro lidi (AION CS). legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Zákon č. 300/2005 Z. z. Trestný zákon (znenie účinné od 1. 1. 2006 do 31. 12. 2006) (Criminal Code, original version in force 1 January to 31 December 2006). Ministerstvo spravodlivosti SR – Slov-Lex. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Štatistika kriminality za obdobie 1.1. – 31.12.2024 podľa paragrafov (Crime statistics 2024 by section of the Criminal Code). Ministerstvo vnútra SR, 10 January 2025. statistics · accessed 30 October 2026
- Zákon č. 147/2001 Z. z. o reklame (Advertising Act). Ministerstvo spravodlivosti SR – Slov-Lex. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services (Digital Services Act). EUR-Lex, 19 October 2022. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Digital Services Coordinators. European Commission. intergovernmental · accessed 30 October 2026
- Inzerce není kuplířství. Soud smetl ze stolu žalobu kolem erotických webů Sex.cz (Advertising is not procuring: court throws out the Sex.cz indictment). Lupa.cz, 11 August 2026. news · accessed 30 October 2026
- Zákon č. 455/1991 Zb. o živnostenskom podnikaní (živnostenský zákon) (Trade Licensing Act (Slovak version in force from 17 August 2026)). Ministerstvo spravodlivosti SR – Slov-Lex. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others (status of treaty). United Nations Treaty Collection, 2 December 1949. intergovernmental · accessed 30 October 2026
- Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others (text). Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2 December 1949. intergovernmental · accessed 30 October 2026
- Zákon č. 595/2003 Z. z. o dani z príjmov (Income Tax Act). Ministerstvo spravodlivosti SR – Slov-Lex. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Štatistika kriminality za obdobie 1.1. – 31.12.2023 podľa paragrafov (Crime statistics 2023 by section of the Criminal Code). Ministerstvo vnútra SR. statistics · accessed 30 October 2026
- Štatistika kriminality za obdobie 1.1. – 31.12.2025 podľa paragrafov (Crime statistics 2025 by section of the Criminal Code). Ministerstvo vnútra SR. statistics · accessed 30 October 2026