Bratislava restricts operating hours for pawnshops

Despite repeated appeals from the capital city’s leadership – as well as from other local authorities and municipal associations – the state has not yet resolved the issue of pawnshop operations at a national level. As a result, the legislative vacuum regarding the regulation of pawnshops and businesses that purchase used goods persists. These operations at present operate without clear rules, which worsens the security situation and quality of life of residents in their immediate vicinity – especially near shopping centres, which are seeing an increased amount of theft. Stolen goods are often found in pawnshops, and the money paid for them is used to deal and take drugs directly outside the shops, right beneath residents’ windows.

In 2025 alone, the number of city police inspections in the vicinity of problematic pawnshops quadrupled. And although both the city and the police are investing in patrols, lighting and security measures in these areas, their efforts are ultimately undermined by the operation of pawnshops lacking clear rules.

Therefore, the capital city has decided to make use of a type of regulation – to date used only rarely by local governments – that allows municipalities, in the interest of public order, to restrict or completely ban specific activities at particular locations or during designated times. The result is the adoption of a generally binding ordinance under which pawnshops may purchase goods only between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., from Monday to Sunday.

The restricted operating hours for pawnshops – on weekdays in particular – were set based on the times when residents return home from work or school. Since pawnshops will no longer be permitted to purchase goods after 4:00 p.m., cases in which local residents witness disturbances of public order and the associated negative phenomena will be eliminated, and the potential for conflicts will also be minimised. This restriction on operating hours will furthermore improve the ability of state and municipal police to monitor problem areas, as such activity will be concentrated within a shorter timeframe.

Legal entities and individual entrepreneurs operating pawnshops will face a fine of €6,300 for violating the obligations established by the approved generally binding ordinance.

The new rules will acquire force on 1 November 2026. However, given that multiple pawnshops operate in the capital, the generally binding regulation includes a one-month transition period – starting from the date the regulation comes into force – during which pawnshop operators are required to bring their operations into compliance with the regulation.