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Tesla FSD (Supervised) Approved in Slovakia: 9th EU Country

White Tesla Model Y in a showroom beside the text FSD approved in Slovakia, 9th EU country
10/17/2026 | The RED Review |

Slovakia’s transport ministry formally recognized the Dutch approval of Tesla FSD (Supervised) on Oct. 16, and Tesla Europe posted “Now approved in Slovakia.” By our count it is the ninth EU country. Tesla gave no rollout date, and this is not an EU-wide approval.

Is Tesla FSD (Supervised) approved in Slovakia now? Yes. On Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, Slovakia’s Ministry of Transport said it “officially recognized” the provisional type approval that the Dutch regulator RDW issued in April, so drivers can use the system on Slovak roads. Tesla Europe followed at 14:04 UTC (10:04 a.m. ET, 16:04 CEST). That answers the question our Oct. 8 story left open, when the minister had promised a recognition letter within days and nothing was confirmed.

Tesla Europe’s post read:

Now approved in Slovakia 🇸🇰
Rollout begins soon

Tesla Europe gave no date, software build or list of eligible cars. Elon Musk quote-posted it at 16:25 UTC (12:25 p.m. ET): “Tesla supervised self-driving approved in Slovakia 🇸🇰.” Reuters carried a short item the same day, based on Tesla’s X post.

Bratislava Castle lit at night above the city, Slovakia
Photo: Jorge Láscar / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0

What Slovakia actually did

Slovakia did not run its own test or issue its own approval. The ministry’s Oct. 16 statement says the Dutch RDW issued the provisional approval in April and that other member states can recognize it on their own territory, “which Slovakia also did today.” Slovak outlets such as Pravda read it the same way: not a separate Slovak technical approval and not an EU-wide permit.

Two wording details matter. The ministry did not say “ninth.” It called Slovakia “one of the few European countries” to permit the system. And it still uses the name Full Self-Driving (Supervised), while Tesla’s European websites now say Tesla Assisted Driving, EV reported.

Minister Jozef Ráž said in the statement: “It is not a fully autonomous system, so you shouldn’t imagine that the driver’s seat in cars will be left empty. The driver is still fully responsible for driving.” He added that the system monitors the driver’s attention and, if the driver is not paying attention, warns them and switches off if necessary. That is a translation of the Slovak original.

The ministry statement was already out by about 12:00 CEST (10:00 UTC), according to Startitup.sk, about four hours before Tesla’s post. The government moved first, and Tesla confirmed.

The nine countries

Nine EU countries now allow the system, in this order:

  1. Netherlands, April 10, 2026, RDW type approval.
  2. Lithuania, May 20, 2026.
  3. Estonia, May 29, 2026.
  4. Denmark, June 9, 2026.
  5. Belgium, June 10, 2026.
  6. Slovenia, Sept. 7, 2026.
  7. Czechia, Sept. 21, 2026.
  8. Croatia, Sept. 29, 2026.
  9. Slovakia, Oct. 16, 2026, announced by the ministry and Tesla Europe.

Where does the number nine come from? Tesla said on Sept. 29 that FSD (Supervised) “has now been approved by 8 EU countries.” That eight counts the Netherlands, which issued the approval, plus seven that recognized it. We did not find a Tesla post that says “nine.” The count comes from Reuters, which said on Oct. 8 that Slovakia’s move would make it the ninth, and from outlets such as EV and Sawyer Merritt, who count the same list. Strictly, only the Netherlands approved the system through its own process. The other eight recognized that file.

What this is not

It is not EU-wide approval. That needs a qualified majority of the Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles: 15 of 27 member states representing 65% of the EU population, per Reuters. Nine is not 15. Slovakia is a small market and adds little population to the first eight, which EV put at under 13% of the EU. EV reports that Germany, France, Italy and Spain have not recognized the Dutch approval. The Oct. 6 committee meeting was discussion only, and Reuters says a vote could come as soon as December.

It is also not unsupervised driving. The ministry, Tesla’s own product name and the RDW all say the driver stays responsible. And the approvals are provisional, issued under Article 39 of Regulation (EU) 2018/858, the exemption route for new technology.

What Slovak owners should do

Here is the order to follow if you drive a Tesla in Slovakia:

  1. Watch the Tesla app and your car’s software screen for the update, because Tesla has said only “soon.” In Czechia and Croatia it used the same wording and gave no date either.
  2. Check that your car has Hardware 4 (AI4), because earlier reports say the European build covers only that hardware, and Tesla has not confirmed that for Slovakia. One X analyst, Roland Pircher, estimated that Slovakia adds only about 144 HW4 cars to Europe’s fleet. That is an unofficial estimate.
  3. Expect to accept a user agreement and finish Tesla’s in-car instructions before it turns on, because that is how it worked in other approved countries.
  4. Keep your hands ready and your eyes on the road once it arrives, because the ministry says you stay fully responsible.
  5. Ignore any seller offering to “unlock” it early, because a subscription does not override the national approval.

Tesla has not announced Slovak pricing. In the Netherlands, EV reports, it is sold only as a subscription at €99 a month.

Answers

Is Tesla FSD (Supervised) approved in Slovakia?

Yes. On Oct. 16, 2026, Slovakia’s Ministry of Transport officially recognized the Dutch RDW provisional type approval, and Tesla Europe posted “Now approved in Slovakia.”

Is Slovakia the ninth EU country?

By our count and Reuters’, yes: the Netherlands plus Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, Belgium, Slovenia, Czechia, Croatia and Slovakia. Tesla’s last published count was eight, on Sept. 29. Neither Tesla nor the ministry has said “ninth.”

Did Slovakia run its own approval?

No. It recognized the approval the Dutch RDW issued in April, which is valid in the Netherlands unless another member state admits it.

When does the rollout start in Slovakia?

Tesla said “soon” and gave no date.

Is this EU-wide approval?

No. An EU-wide decision needs 15 of 27 member states representing 65% of the EU population. Reuters says a vote could come as soon as December.

Do I still have to watch the road?

Yes. The minister said the driver remains fully responsible, and the system warns the driver and can switch off if they stop paying attention.

Sources

Also in The Brief: Slovakia Says Tesla FSD (Supervised) Within Days. You’re Still the Driver. · Tesla FSD (Supervised) Approved in Croatia: 8th EU Country · Germany Backs a 10% Speed Offset for FSD (Supervised). The EU Vote Is Still Not This Month.

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