1. Obligation to take out insurance

For a motor vehicle registered in the Slovak Republic, you are obliged to take out insurance if you are the motor vehicle holder, owner or operator. This obligation must be met at the latest on the date the motor vehicle is used for the first time.

2. Taking out insurance

To take out compulsory contractual insurance, you need:

• vehicle registration documents;
• identity card (ID card or passport).

In addition to these documents, insurers may request other documents that they find necessary for concluding an insurance contract, e.g. a liability claims history statement (used for granting a discount or surcharge on the premium).

When concluding an insurance contract, follow the insurer's instructions and submit all the required documents necessary to determine the amount of the premium correctly.

3. The amount of premium

When determining the amount of premium, the insurer also takes into account the overall insurance claims history, either by granting a discount on the premium (BONUS) or imposing a surcharge (MALUS) on the premium as per the conditions of the particular insurer. This claims history is verified by a document on the loss course of liability insurance, which each insurer is obliged to issue to the policyholder within 15 days after the termination of liability insurance.

4. Traffic accident

In the event of a traffic accident, it is necessary together with the other traffic accident participants to complete the European Accident Statement (Accident Report - only in Slovak), if available, or to draw a sketch of the accident scene or take detailed photographs of the accident scene. We recommend that you have the accident report with you every time you drive a motor vehicle, as this will make documenting the accident for the insurer easier.

If an accident occurs, at the request of the injured party, the insured shall be obliged to provide the data necessary for claiming damages, in particular:

• the insured person's first name, last name and permanent address or trade name and registered office;
• the trade name and registered office of the insurer from which liability insurance was taken out;
• the insurance contract number. 

The insured shall be obliged to report any traffic accident to the police if

• one of the motor vehicles, including the transported goods or other property, suffers damage most likely exceeding the amount of EUR 3,990;
• a person is killed or injured;
• road or utility damage occurs;
• dangerous substances leak out.

All insurers have forms available to be filled in when reporting a claim by the insured (Notification of Claim Event by the Insured) as well as by the injured party (Notification of Claim Event by the Injured).

The insured shall be obliged to notify the insurance company in writing about the claim event

• within 15 days from its occurrence, if it occurred in Slovakia;
• within 30 days from its occurrence, if it occurred outside Slovakia.

Once the claim event has been notified, the insured shall be obliged to follow the insurer’s instructions and submit the required documents within an agreed deadline.

The injured is entitled to claim compensation for damages directly from the insurer and is obliged to document this claim. Once the investigation of the insured event is complete, the insurer shall pay compensation for the damage directly to the injured. The insurer shall cover damages up to the limit of coverage as set out in the insurance contract.

The limit of coverage is the maximum amount of coverage by the insurer per claim. The limits of coverage shall be defined in the insurance contract.

The limit of coverage per claim shall be at least:

• EUR 5 240 000 for personal injury and costs incurred in the event of death regardless of the number of injured or killed persons;
• EUR 1 050 000 for damages resulting from damage, destruction, theft or loss of property, lost profits and purposefully incurred costs in connection with legal representation, regardless of the number of injured persons.

If an uninsured motor vehicle causes a traffic accident, the injured shall be entitled to compensation from the Insurance Guarantee Fund managed by the Slovak Insurers’ Bureau.

5. List of insurers

If the obligation to take out compulsory motor insurance applies to you, you can choose an insurer to take out insurance from (List of Insurers - only in Slovak).

6. Which office should be contacted?

If you are involved in a traffic accident where a claim event occurs that may be covered by the compulsory motor vehicle insurance, first of all, contact your insurer or the Slovak Insurers’ Bureau.

If you are not satisfied with the way your insured event was handled, you are entitled to lodge a complaint regarding the insurer’s actions directly with the complaints department or contact the National Bank of Slovakia, which carries out supervision over insurers’ operation. If you are not satisfied with the way your complaint was dealt with, you can pursue your claims at the court with substantive jurisdiction.

7. Sanctions for non-compliance with obligations

If persons obliged to take out insurance failed to do so, they may incur a penalty. The amount of penalty ranges from EUR 16.60 to 3 320.

The insurer shall be authorised to refuse, in part or entirely, to pay out the coverage, if the insured acknowledges, without the insurer’s consent, the obligation to pay compensation for the damage above the limits of insurance coverage, which the insurer is otherwise obliged to provide or if the insured fails to cooperate with the insurer in judicial proceedings.

The insurer also has the right to reimbursement of the coverage or its part if the coverage was paid and it turns out that the motor vehicle which caused the damage was used improperly, without the required driving license, or that the damage was caused intentionally or under the influence of addictive substances. All cases when the insurer is entitled to reimbursement of the coverage shall be specified in the insurance contract or insurance conditions.

8. Frequently asked questions and answers

Why do car insurance costs vary so much between European countries?

It is because the costs are influenced by local conditions in each country.