Imports & Customs — Slovakia

If you buy an antique or a folk-art piece in Slovakia you may need a Ministry of Culture permit to take it out - and Slovakia regulates export INSIDE the EU too, so driving it to Vienna counts. Many categories have no minimum value at all: any archaeological find, and any religious item or folk piece over 100 years old - folk costumes and embroidery, folk pottery, folk jewellery, shepherds'' axes and carved crpak cups. Others trigger on value, such as paintings over 50 years old worth more than EUR 10,000, or meteorites and fossils above EUR 3,000 at any age. Exporting a listed item without the permit can cost you up to EUR 100,000.

Documented in the Act. Para 10 ods. 1 pism. a) makes it an offence to export an object of cultural value from Slovakia without a valid permit, and para 10 ods. 2 provides: "Za priestupok podla odseku 1 pism. a), i) a k) ministerstvo kultury ulozi pokutu do 100 000 eur. Pokutu mozno ulozit aj opakovane." - a fine of up to EUR 100,000, and it may be imposed repeatedly. For a business or entrepreneur, para 11 ods. 1 pism. a) sets a range of EUR 10,000 to EUR 200,000.

Verified Sep 7, 2026