Selling at fairs, markets and craft days

At a market place in Slovakia — a fair (jarmok), a marketplace, an occasional market — only someone with a permit from the municipality may sell. The Act lists who may sell: businesses, growers of their own produce, people selling their own used items and authors of their own works. At the stall you must be able to show your authorisation, the permit and proof of identity.

Key points

You may sell at a market place only with the municipality’s permit (Section 3(3) of Act No. 178/1998 Coll.).

Sellers may be businesses, growers of their own produce, people with their own used items, and authors of originals and copies of their own works (Section 10).

The permit application includes a document relating to the eKasa cash register or a declaration that the seller does not need one (Section 3(5)).

When selling you must have your business authorisation, the permit, proof of identity and proof of how you acquired the goods (Section 11).

The municipality issues the market rules (trhový poriadok) as a generally binding regulation — they set the range of goods, selling hours and conditions.

Anyone who records sales must, from 1 May 2026, accept cashless payment above €1.

Who may sell

Section 10 of Act No. 178/1998 Coll. allows the following to sell at market places:

Who	Example	What they show
a) businesses with an authorisation	a craftsperson with a trade licence, a gingerbread maker	a copy of the trade licence
b) individuals selling their own plant and animal produce or forest produce	a gardener with fruit, a beekeeper	a declaration on the origin and proof of the right to use the land
c) individuals selling a reasonable quantity of their own used items	selling from a household	a declaration
d) individuals who are authors of the original or copy of the work being sold	an author of their own paintings, sculptures, eggs decorated to their own design	a declaration that they are originals or copies of their own work

Point (d) matters for folk artists: an author of their own works may sell at a market even without a trade licence. However, if you sell mass-produced items or other people’s products, you need an authorisation under point (a).

The permit and the application

The sales permit is issued by the municipality (obec) to a person who meets Section 10 and submits the documents under Section 3(5). The application must also include a document relating to the cash register (a copy of the page of the eKasa book with the tax code, a confirmation for the virtual cash register) or a declaration that the seller does not need to use a cash register.

Each marketplace has market rules (trhový poriadok), which the municipality issues as a generally binding regulation (všeobecne záväzné nariadenie). Among other things, they set the types of goods sold, selling days and hours, the rules for renting stalls and hygiene requirements. Read them before signing up for a fair — they are usually published on the municipality’s website.

What you must have at your stall

Under Section 11 of the Act, the seller must produce on inspection:

the business authorisation (if they are a business),
the sales permit,
proof of identity,
proof of payment of the rent or pitch fee,
where the goods require it, a health certificate and other specific documents,
proof of how the goods were acquired (except for a reasonable quantity of their own used items).

Inspections at the marketplace are carried out by the market operator and by supervisory bodies — the Slovak Trade Inspection (Slovenská obchodná inšpekcia), the municipality, for food the Regional Veterinary and Food Administration (RVPS), and for the cash register the Financial Administration (finančná správa).

Cash register and payments

Since 1 January 2026, the new Sales Recording Act (No. 384/2025 Coll.) has applied, and a stall at a fair is a point of sale. A business that takes cash or card payments there records them in eKasa and, from 1 May 2026, must allow cashless payment for amounts above €1. The only exception is a loss of signal or failure of the technical means at the time of payment. More in the guide eKasa for craftspeople.

Mobile selling outside a marketplace

The Act separately regulates mobile selling (ambulantný predaj) at places designated by the municipality. Among the goods that may be sold this way, it expressly lists small art objects and small craft products (Section 9(1)). This also requires the municipality’s permit.

What to do

Apply to the municipality or the market operator for a permit well in advance; find out the pitch fee.

Read the market rules of the municipality concerned — they may restrict the range of goods or selling hours.

Prepare the documents for your stall: authorisation, permit, ID card, documents on the origin of your goods.

Test eKasa and cashless payment (terminal or QR) in a place with a weaker signal.

For food, keep a list of allergens and the ingredients at the stall.