Selling across the EU

Selling across the EU in practice

Translating a website into Czech or German is a commercial decision, but it has legal consequences too. When an online shop deliberately targets another country, for example through language, currency, domain or delivery options, customers there keep the protection of their own national law. Slovak terms and conditions cannot change that, and a dispute may be heard by a court in the customer's country.

We assess which countries your shop targets within the meaning of the Rome I Regulation and prepare terms and notices for your main markets, working with a lawyer in the target country. We check redirects, blocking and payment conditions against the geo-blocking rules. For the tax side, meaning OSS and DAC7, we work with a partner tax adviser.

What we help with

Assessing which countries you target under Rome I
Localised terms and notices for target markets
Geo-blocking audit: redirects, access and payment conditions
Price indication, reviews and product ranking under the Omnibus Directive
OSS and DAC7 coordinated with a tax adviser
Cross-border disputes with a partner lawyer in the target country

Worth knowing

Geo-blocking

Regulation (EU) 2018/302 prohibits blocking customers from another EU country or giving them worse terms purely because of where they are. A shop does not have to deliver everywhere and may limit its delivery area.

VAT and OSS

Up to EUR 10,000 of annual cross-border sales to EU consumers, Slovak VAT is charged. Above that threshold, the VAT of the customer's country applies, which can be declared in one quarterly return through the OSS in Slovakia.

Applicable law

Where a business directs its activities to the consumer's country, a choice of law in the contract cannot deprive the consumer of that country's mandatory protections (Article 6 of the Rome I Regulation).

Jurisdiction

Under the Brussels I bis Regulation, a consumer may sue in their own country or in the country where the trader is established. The trader may sue the consumer only in the consumer's country.

Common questions

Generally not. You cannot block the purchase, redirect them to another version of the site without consent or charge different prices just because of their location. Some services, such as copyright-protected content, are exempt.
Selling a product that looks identical but has significantly different characteristics in different EU countries without an objective reason. It is treated as a deceptive commercial practice (Sections 10 and 11 of Act No. 108/2024 Coll.).
The European Consumer Centre Slovakia assists both customers and traders. If the dispute reaches a foreign court, we coordinate with a partner lawyer in that country.

Articles are in Slovak.

Preparing for the consultation

What to prepare for your consultation

Tick what you already have. You can print the list or save it as a PDF. Your ticks are remembered only in your browser.

For every matter

documents: contracts, decisions, demand letters, invoices
correspondence with the other party or the authority
a short timeline of what happened and when
the questions you want answered and what outcome you hope for

Also for this area

a Business Register extract and the articles of association
exactly what should change: director, registered office, shareholder, company name
identity documents of the people who will sign
contracts with partners that the matter concerns

0 of 8 ready

Discuss your matter with a lawyer

In a consultation we assess your situation, suggest a way forward and tell you what costs to expect.

€90 incl. VAT, 30 minutes, in person or online

This page is for general information, reflects Slovak law at the time of writing and is not a substitute for advice on your particular matter.

Selling across the EU