Moving to digital documents brings companies significant savings and efficiency gains. In Slovakia, however, they must meet specific legal requirements for records management and archiving. How do you make sure your digital archiving complies with the legislation?
Complete overview of archiving periods
Accounting documents and documentation
- Financial Statements and Annual Report: 10 years
- Accounting Documents, Ledgers, Lists of Accounting Books, Depreciation Plans, Inventory Lists, Chart of Accounts: 10 years
- Accounting Records Supporting the Maintenance of Accounting: 10 years
- Tax Documents: 10 years from the end of the tax period in which the transaction took place
- VAT Documents: 10 years from the end of the tax period to which they relate
Payroll and Personnel Documentation
- Payroll Sheets: 50 years
- Employee Personal Files: 70 years from the employee’s birth
- Pension Insurance Records: 10 years
- Records of Social Security Contributions: 10 years
- Documents on Temporary Work Incapacity: 10 years
- Health Insurance Records: 10 years
Tax Documents
- Tax Records: 10 years
- Documents Proving Entitlement to VAT Deduction: 10 years
- Tax Documents for VAT: 10 years
Mandatory elements of registry management
1. Registry Rules and Plan
Mandatory Elements:
- Approved by the relevant state archive
- Defined retention periods
- Specified method of document recording and processing
- Established procedures for the disposal process
2. Ensuring Document Integrity
Legal Requirements:
- Qualified electronic signature
- Qualified electronic seal
- Qualified timestamp
- Protection against unauthorized modifications
Technical Solution:
- Records management system complying with Regulation No. 525/2011 Coll.
- Secured document storage
- Audit log of all operations
3. Readability and Accessibility
Legal Requirements:
- Documents must remain readable throughout the entire archiving period
- Ability to convert documents into a readable format
- Accessibility for regulatory authorities
- Capability to perform the disposal process
Practical implementation procedure
Development of Registry Rules
Creation of the Registry Plan
Approval of Documentation by the State Archive
Designation of Responsible Person
Records Management System in Compliance with Regulation No. 525/2011 Coll.
Implementation of Qualified Electronic Signature
Setup of Backup and Archiving Processes
Ensuring Long-Term Preservation
Employee Training
Workflow Configuration
System Testing
Regular Monitoring and Review
Example from practice
Initial Situation:
- 5000+ invoices per year
- Paper-based archiving
- Complex document retrieval
Implemented Solution:
- Digital archiving system
- Automatic OCR processing
- Electronic approval
- Integration with the accounting system
Results:
- Compliance with legal requirements
- 90% time savings in document retrieval
- Elimination of the risk of document loss
The most common mistakes in digital archiving
1. Insufficient documentation
Risk:
- Missing registry rules
- Unapproved registry plan
- Non-compliance with legal procedures
Solution:
- Development of complete documentation
- Approval by the state archive
- Regular updates
2. Inappropriate formats
Risk:
- Document unreadability in the future
- Issues during audits
- Data loss during conversion
Solution:
- Use of standardized formats
- Regular readability checks
- Data migration when technology changes
3. Insufficient deposit
Risk:
- Data loss due to system failure
- Inaccessibility during audits
- Violation of legal obligations
Solution:
- Regular backups
- Geographically separated backups
- Data recovery testing
The most common mistakes in digital archiving
For Small Businesses:
- Start with a certified cloud solution for archiving
- Use electronic signatures
- Establish clear guidelines for employees
For Medium-Sized Businesses:
- Invest in a Document Management System (DMS)
- Implement an approval workflow
- Provide regular employee training
For Large Organizations:
- Deploy a comprehensive archiving system
- Utilize dedicated data storage infrastructure
- Assign a specialized document management team
Specific requirements for Slovak companies
Legal Requirements:
- Approved registry rules and plan
- Qualified electronic signature
- Disposal process approved by the state archive
- Compliance with electronic information system standards
Supervision and Oversight:
- Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic
- State Archives
- Tax Authority
- Social Insurance Agency
Conclusion
Digital archiving in Slovakia requires compliance with specific legal requirements.
Key to Success:
- Proper registry management setup
- Use of certified technologies
- Adherence to legal deadlines
- Regular monitoring and process updates
Milan Cák
