According the Monuments Act before commencing renovation (or restoration), the owner of a cultural heritage monument must submit an application to the Regional Monuments Board for a decision on the renovation (restoration) plan. The owner shall enclose the renovation plan with the application for a decision on the renovation (restoration) plan; it shall include the identification data of the cultural heritage monument, information on the ownership of the cultural heritage monument, the planned future use of the cultural heritage monument and a specification of the changes foreseen in the cultural heritage monument. Regional Monuments Board shall specify whether the proposed plan is acceptable in relation to the interests protected by this Act and specify conditions in which the anticipated renovation (restoration) plan can be prepared and implemented so as not to endanger, damage or destroy the cultural heritage monument, stating in particular whether the renovation (restoration) plan requires research and other preparatory documentation and project documentation. The Regional Monuments Board shall determine whether the proposed plan is acceptable with regard to the interests protected by this Act, and set conditions for the implementation of modifications to the immovable property in a historic site, in particular principles of spatial organisation, height and architectural solutions for the exterior of the immovable property. The Regional Monuments Board shall also determine whether the modifications require research and other preparatory documentation and project documentation and require the owner to notify the board in advance of the commencement of modification of the immovable property and the forecast end of work. Project documentation for renovation and project documentation for modification of immovable property in a historic site can be drawn up only by a person so authorised pursuant to the relevant legislation. The same applies also for the restoration process. Restoration can be carried out only by a natural person who has professional competence for it pursuant to relevant legislation.
The § 35a of Monuments Act is also dealing with the special professional competence for cultural heritage research.
(1) Cultural heritage research pursuant to this Act other than archaeological research can be carried out by a natural person who has a certificate of special professional competence for the performance of cultural heritage research (hereinafter referred to as a "certificate of professional competence") and by the Monuments Board through natural persons with a certificate of professional competence. The Ministry shall issue a certificate of professional competence with a validity period of five years; an extension of the validity period of a certificate of professional competence can be granted for an additional five-year period, also repeatedly, based on an application.
(2) A certificate of professional competence can be obtained in the following areas of cultural heritage research: a) art historical research, b) architectural-historical research, c) urban historical research, d) archaeological research.
(3) A certificate of professional competence can be obtained by a natural person who: a) has completed the second level of higher education in a relevant field of study, b) has passed an examination of his/her theoretical knowledge and professional skills in the area of cultural heritage monuments and historic sites, c) has at least three years of professional experience in cultural heritage research, d) has irreproachable character; a person is deemed to have irreproachable character if they have not been convicted with final effect of a deliberate crime.
(4) When submitting an application for issuing of a certificate of professional competence, the applicant shall enclose a copy of documentation of completed education, documentation of professional experience, a professional assessment by the Monuments Board or the Archaeological Institute of completion of professional experience and an extract from the criminal register no more than three months old. An application for extension of a certificate of professional competence shall be accompanied by an extract from the criminal register no more than three months old. The Ministry shall retain the submitted documents.
(5) The Ministry shall cancel the certificate of professional competence of a natural person if they do not comply with this Act in the performance of cultural heritage research or if they cause serious damage to cultural heritage value. The Ministry shall also cancel the certificate of professional competence of a person convicted of a deliberate crime with final effect.
(6) The Ministry shall publish a list of natural persons who have valid certificates of professional competence in a specific area of cultural heritage research on its website. The list shall include their names, surnames, academic titles and contact data.
(7) The particulars of acquiring and extending a certificate of professional competence shall be laid down in an act of general application issued by the Ministry.
However for the actual work on monuments and for the people – we can call them craftsmen at the moment – there are no legal minimum training requirements for craftsmen to work in the heritage sector. There are also very limited possibilities for training for the craftsmen working in the heritage sector. The professional restorers are educated and trained in the special university while for the craftsmen there is only one secondary school in Slovakia dealing a little with the education in the field of monuments. It is a school of Samuel Mikovíny in Banská Štiavnica which is offering the study programme Restoration and Conservation, with the focus on facades and stucco.
In Slovakia there is no secondary or university programme with the main focus on energy efficiency in historic buildings or on traditional crafts. There is also no non-formal education with the main focus on energy efficiency in historic buildings. There are only few non-formal courses on traditional crafts run by the Obnova company and NGO´s like Academia Istropolitana Nova and The National Trust of Slovakia or ArTUR civil association. The last one of the mentioned partly deals with natural insulations and theit proper use in the historic rural houses.
The Ministry of Culture has on its webpage the list of the craftsmen – however these people are mainly self-educated but skilled people who didn´t receive any special recognition by the state and authorities.
There is no pre-condition to be a director or a manager of a historical building or historical site in Slovakia. Nevertheless, all these sites or buildings are usually directed or managed by people with university degrees, Masters or even PhDs. However nowadays many heritage sites are managed also by private owners and volunteers.