On January 22, 2026, Najvyšší správny súd SR (Supreme Administrative Court of Slovakia) made a final decision that concerns every driver in the country: holding a phone in your hand while driving is already a violation of the law. Even if you are not talking, not texting, and not using any function of the device. The mere fact is enough: the phone is in your hand, not in a holder.
A dispute that lasted almost ten years
The story began on February 16, 2016, in Bratislava. The traffic police stopped a driver who was driving on the highway with a phone in his right hand with the screen on. He was fined 30 euros plus 16 euros in court costs. The amount was symbolic, but the driver decided to defend the principle: he claimed that he was just holding the device and not using it, so he did not violate the law.
Courts of all instances disagreed. As reported by SITA, the Supreme Administrative Court finally rejected the cassation complaint and explained: the ban covers any taking of the phone in hand, holding, or manipulating it while driving. The purpose of the law was simply formulated by the court: to remove from the driver's hands everything that distracts from the steering wheel. The decision is final and cannot be appealed.
How much it costs now
If the 2016 driver got away with thirty euros, today the numbers are different. Since August 1, 2022, fines for phone use while driving have increased significantly:
Up to 150 euros — on-the-spot fine in the form of blokové konanie (simplified procedure where police issue punishment immediately). Previously it was up to 100 euros.
Up to 300 euros — if the case goes to administrative proceedings at the district police station. Previously it was up to 200 euros.
Money, by the way, is not the worst part. Using a phone without hands-free is considered a serious violation, and Slovakia has a system called trikrát a dosť (three strikes and enough): three serious violations within 12 months lead not just to a fine but to the loss of the driver's license with additional courses or psychological examination.
The fine can come by mail, even if you were not stopped
A separate nuance worth knowing. Legislation expanded the principle of objective responsibility: a fine for phone use while driving can be issued automatically to the vehicle owner based on police technical equipment records, i.e., cameras. It is no longer necessary to stop the driver on the spot. Therefore, the absence of a patrol on the road no longer means no risk.
The scale of the problem explains why the rules are tightened. In the first nine months of 2020 alone, the police recorded over 11,600 such violations. And a 2026 survey showed that a quarter of active drivers in Slovakia regularly use their phones while driving, with 75% of them for calls, and only half do this via hands-free.
From September, pedestrians will also be fined
The changes do not only concern those behind the wheel. From September 1, 2026, new rules for pedestrians come into effect : it is forbidden to use a phone or other device in a way that prevents watching the road while crossing the roadway. The fine is from 50 to 100 euros. Practically, this means: if you step onto a crosswalk staring at the screen and do not see what is happening around, the police have grounds to fine you.
What to do
The simplest solution is to put the phone in a holder on the dashboard or even in the glove compartment or bag during the trip. Calls only through hands-free: the built-in car system, Bluetooth headset, or speakerphone from a fixed phone. The phrase “just to look who is calling” after the Supreme Court decision legally does not work at all: phone in hand equals a violation, regardless of what exactly you were doing with it.
And consider the point system perspective. One fine of 150 euros is unpleasant, but if three serious violations accumulate within a year, you will have to prove your fitness to drive again. A 15-euro holder looks like a good investment in this context.
