_____ _____
Global Sourcebook for International Data Management
by Graham Rhind
For supplementary information, see links to post office home pages here , to postal code pages here and to other personal name and addressing issues pages here .
1 234,45
(where , indicates the decimal separator and a space the thousands separator)
The official language is Slovakian with 4 865 450 speakers. Speakers of Slovakia’s 7 other languages are given scarce legal recognition. There are 597 400 Hungarian speakers in the south along the border with Hungary; 50 000 Polish -speakers; 100 000 Romani -speakers (in two forms); 100 000 Rusyn (Ruthenian) speakers in the northeast in the Preshov region and 100 000 Ukrainian -speakers. Serbo-Croatian is also spoken in three villages near Bratislava
A new language law came into effect on 1st September 2009 stipulating the use of Slovak in public and official communications in all places except where speakers of a minority language make up 20% or more of the population.
Children and female spouses usually take the name of the father/husband. Females usually take a feminized version of the name ending in -ová. For example, Miro Foltan is the son of Jozef Foltan and Anna Fontanová. Some women add their maiden name as a first surname followed by their husband’s name like this: Ann Petrová Foltanová. The abbreviation rod., short for rodená meaning “né” may be found in some names.
In some (very few) modern families, the wife may retain her maiden name, and the children may take her surname. In some cases the husband may take the wife’s maiden name as his new surname.
Personal names tend to follow the pattern:
Given name(s)[ ]Surname
The preposition z ("of") may be used before the surname.
Diminutives as nick names may be used: Petruska instead of Petra.
Tables of names can be acquired: given names , surnames/family names , family name prefixes , forms of address , job titles
Words indicating company type usually follow company names, but there are some exceptions, for example:
Chemické závody J. Dimitrova
Company names are often followed by the name of the town where they are based, for example:
Slovnaft Bratislava
The following company types may be found in Slovak databases:
a.s. (akciová spoločnosť – joint stock company) družstvo (Co-operative) k.s. (komanditná spoločnosť) spol. s.r.o. or s.r.o. (spoločnosť s ručením obmedzeným) v.o.s. (verjná obchodná spoločnosť)
Comprehensive tables of these strings can be acquired – see http:www.grcdi.nl/addresses.htm
Note: This section last updated 24th September 2020
Addresses are formatted as follows:
Form of address Name thoroughfare type[ ]Thoroughfare name[ ]number postal code[ ]SETTLEMENT{[ ]sorting code}
For example:
Where the address is in a locality without a postal delivery office, the name of the locality will be written on the line above that containing the postal code. In small villages without named thoroughfares, the thoroughfare name will be replaced by the name of the village.
A sorting code (following the city name) may be used for larger cities.
In the larger urban areas two building numbers may be used in addresses in this way:
ul. Bratislava 273/42
The first is the číslo popisné (č.p.) (descriptive number), a land registry number with each building within a district having a unique number. The second is the building number, číslo orientační (č.o.) showing its street address. A building on a corner or with more than one front may have more than one building number. Using both numbers improve delivery rates as the building number may change if other buildings in the street are demolished or new ones built.
Temporary housing, holiday homes and so on may have an evidenční číslo (ev. č.) (registration number).
The číslo popisné is shown here in red and the číslo orientační in blue.
A table containing information about the relevant position of elements within address blocks can be acquired
Slovak | Abbreviation | English |
alej | Alley | |
brána | Gate | |
centrum | centr. | Centre |
cesta | Drive, Drove, Road, Route, Track, Way | |
chodnick, chodník | Lane, Path, Track | |
dvor | Court, Yard | |
haj | Grove | |
hradska | Highway | |
kopec | Hill | |
korzo | Parade | |
nábrežie | nábr. | Quay |
nadvorie | Court, Yard | |
námestie | nám. | Place, Square |
park | Park | |
pole | Field | |
promenada | Parade | |
mólo | Quay | |
sidlisko | Estate | |
stredisko | stred. | Centre |
terasa | Terrace | |
trať | Route | |
trh | Market | |
trieda | tr. | Avenue, Road |
ulica | ul. | Street, Way |
ulička | Lane | |
vrch | Hill |
Thoroughfare types are written commencing with a lower-case letter.
Comprehensive tables of these strings can be acquired – see http:www.grcdi.nl/addresses.htm
NB: (m) = masculine, (f) = feminine, (n) = neuter, (pl) = plural
Prepositions begin with a lower case letter. Prepositions do not have gendered forms.
Slovakian | English |
a | and |
do | till, until |
(po)nad | up to |
pre | for |
zod, z | from |
do, ku | to |
k, ku, na | towards |
bližko, vedĺa | near |
okolo, vedĺa, cez, po, pri, k, ku | by |
na, popri, o | on |
v, u, na | at |
v, vo | in |
oproti, naproti | opposite |
vedĺa | next to |
za | behind |
pred | in front of |
medzi | between |
cez, (po)nad | over |
pod | under |
za, (po)nad, mimo | beyond |
smerom | facing |
pod | beneath, under |
s, so | with |
nový (m), nová (f), nové (n) | new |
starý (m), stará (f), staré (n) | old |
krátky (m), krátka (f), krátke (n) | short |
dlhý (m), dlhá (f), dlhé (n) | long |
malý (m), malá (f), malé (n) | little |
veĺký (m), veĺká (f), veĺké (n) | great |
východ | east |
východný (m), východná (f), východné (n) | eastern |
západ | west |
západný (m), západná (f), západné (n) | western |
juh | south |
južný (m), južná (f), južné (n) | southern |
sever | north |
severný (m), severná (f), severné (n) | northern |
Svätý (m), Svätá (f) (both abbreviated to Sv.). This may become Svatej in a house name. | Saint |
Post office box is written postova schranka. “P.O. Box” and “box” are also often seen.
Note: This section last updated 24th September 2020
Postal codes (Poštovnié Smerovacie Čísla v SR, or PSC) have five digits and are written in the format:
999[ ]99
The postal codes used are still those used before the breakup of Czechoslovakia on 1st January 1993. Slovakian postal codes commence with the numbers 0, 8 or 9.
Metadata containing postal code formatting rules, exceptions and regular expressions can be acquired
\A((0|8|9)\d{2,2}( )\d{2,2})\Z
Note: This section last updated 19th June 2017
A law has been passed stating that a place containing more than 20% non-Slovakian speakers (for example Hungarian-speakers near to the border with Hungary) is allowed to have a second name, but this name is to be used only locally by Hungarian-speakers and not in any official form or mass media. This is a hot issue and causes friction between Hungarian- and Slovakian-speakers.
Bilingual sign and street names (Slovak/Hungarian) in Komárne. © Bernd Kueck, http://www.grenzen.150m.com
Refer to Exonyms in Slovakia for full lists of place names in Slovakia in other languages.
Alternate place name forms/postal code tables can be acquired at http://www.grcdi.nl/settlements.htm
Other language place name data can be acquired at http://www.grcdi.nl/otherlanguageplace.htm
Slovakia consists of the following regions, which are not used in addresses:
Středoslovenský Východoslovenský Západoslovensky
It is further split into 8 departments (kraje, singular - kraj), also not used in addresses. These are:
Banskobystrický Bratislavský Košický Nitriansky Prešovský Trenčiansky Trnavský Žilinský
Note: This section last updated 24th August 2023
Subscriber numbers have 10 digits when called from abroad. Mobile numbers have area codes commencing 90-95.
Every effort is made to keep this resource updated. If you find any errors, or have any questions or requests, please don't hesitate to contact the author.
All information copyright Graham Rhind 2024. Any information used should be acknowledged and referenced.