Delivery time

What it means

Delivery time is the period within which the seller or supplier must deliver goods or provide a service. It can be set as a fixed date, a number of days from the order or payment, or a range. If it is not agreed, in business-to-business sales the supplier must perform within a reasonable time given the nature of the goods.

For sales to a consumer the law provides that, unless agreed otherwise, the seller must deliver without undue delay and at the latest within 30 days of the contract. If the seller fails to deliver even within an additional reasonable period set by the consumer, the consumer may withdraw from the contract.

Delivering after the deadline puts the supplier in default. For a material breach, for instance where the date was decisive for the buyer, the buyer can withdraw immediately. For a non-material breach it must first allow additional time.

How it works in practice

In purchase contracts and orders we recommend stating the delivery time unambiguously, such as “by 20 March 2027” rather than “within three weeks”, and defining what counts as delivery: dispatch, arrival at the address, installation or acceptance with a handover protocol.

If the date matters to the company, it is worth securing it with a contractual penalty for each day of delay, which applies without having to prove the amount of damage. Conversely, as a supplier it is wise to agree that the deadline extends by any time the customer fails to provide documents or cooperation.

For the accounts it is the actual delivery date that matters, not the agreed deadline: it sets the transaction date and the VAT tax point. We therefore recommend that delivery notes and invoices always show the actual date.

What to watch out for

Online stores often quote indicative delivery times they cannot meet, especially for items ordered in from a supplier. With consumers this leads to withdrawals and complaints to the Slovak Trade Inspection, which can fine traders for misleading information.

In business deals it is often forgotten that early delivery may be unwelcome, for example if the buyer has nowhere to store the goods. If the contract does not allow early delivery, the buyer may refuse it, so the contract should cover this situation too.