It was established on February 15, 1993, as a descendant of the Federálna bezpečnostná informačná služba (the domestic intelligence agency of Czechoslovakia).

Independent Slovak Republic was formed on January 1, 1993, after Czechoslovakia existence ended on 31 December 1992 and with it its domestic intelligence agency Federal Security Information Service (Federálna bezpečnostná informačná služba (FBIS)).

The government of Vladimír Mečiar then changed the law to give the permission to name the SIS director to itself, rather than the President of Slovakia.

Under Lexa, SIS became internationally known for numerous controversies including the kidnapping of President's son to Austria and his light torture in 1995, the Assassination of Róbert Remiáš in 1996 and many more.

3 days later Pčolinský resigned from his post as director and was removed from position, and employment of agency, by President Čaputová on 18 March 2021.