How to get residence in Slovakia?

There are two types of residence in Slovakia such as temporary residence and permanent residence. Temporary residence can be granted to any foreigner, who applies for a residence permit, if conditions will be met for granting the residence. Permanent residence will be granted, if foreigner e.g. has residence in Slovakia for more than five years or he/she enters into a marriage with a Slovak citizen. This article is about granting temporary residence.

Purposes of temporary residence:

1. Business
2. Employment
3. Study
4. Special activity
5. Research and development
6. Family reunification
7. Performing service obligations by civil units of armed forces
8. Slovak living abroad
9. Person with long term residence in another EU member state

Most often temporary stay is granted for the purposes of business, employment, studies, family reunification and for persons who have the status of Slovak living abroad. In the following articles we are going to analyze various purposes of temporary residence.

Place where an application for granting temporary residence is filed

An application for the granting of temporary residence permit shall be filed by a third country national in person abroad at a consulate accredited for the state which has issued a travel document for him/her or at a consulate accredited for the state in which he/she has permanent residence.

A consulate which has received the application shall interview the temporary residence permit applicant to make a preliminary check of the application. The interview shall be conducted in the state language or in another language understood by both parties. The consulate shall produce a written record about the interview which is to be attached to the application for granting a temporary residence permit. The record shall be executed in the language of the interview and signed by the applicant; if the interview was not conducted in the state language, the consulate shall produce a translation into the state language and attest it with their attestation clause. If the applicant does not speak the state language he/she may arrange an interpreter, at his/her own cost, who shall be obliged to sign the record. Together with the record and the translation thereof the consulate shall send to the police department its position on granting the temporary residence permit, in which they shall recommend to grant or not to grant the temporary residence permit and the specific reasons for such position.

The consulate which has received the application shall issue a confirmation of receipt to the applicant on the date of its receipt.

After the interview consulate will send an application for granting a temporary residence together with all the particulars of the application to the relevant police department.

The temporary residence permit application may also be filed by the third country national in person at the police department, if:

1. Foreigner is staying in the SR territory based on a valid residence permit, which was issued in another EU member state
2. Foreigner is granted tolerated residence
3. Foreigner is granted national visa (D visa)
4. In the case of foreigner for whom no visa is required (e.g. Ukraine, Serbia, Mexico)
5. In the case of a holder of a certificate of a Slovak living abroad

In all other cases application shall be filed at a consulate. If application for the granting of temporary residence is filed at police department, interview is not required.

Particulars of the application for the granting of temporary residence

1. Filled in application form
2. Valid travel document
3. Two photos of size 3 x 3.5 cm
4. Purpose of residence – e.g. Commercial register extract, work contract, marriage certificate, birth certificate etc. Documents must not be older than 90 days, certificates of civil status are exception
5. Integrity. It is proved by criminal record certificate of the country he/she is a national to and the country where the third-country national has stayed during last three years for the period longer than 90 days within six consecutive months. It must not be older than 90 days. It must be with apostille or superlegalized and officially translated into Slovak by Slovak official translator. In some cases criminal record certificate is not required (e.g. if foreigner is younger than 14 year, if he/she is a student of full-time study secondary school and as of the day of filing the application for the granting of temporary residence is younger than 20 years, if he/she files an application for granting a temporary residence within 60 days from being issued a certificate of a Slovak living abroad)
6. Financial resources for residence. It is proved e.g. by work contract, which contains the amount of salary, confirmation of the account balance or personal bank account statement for the last three months, if foreigner has bank account in a foreign bank. Document must not be older than 90 days. Slovak living abroad and person, who performs service obligations by civil units of armed forces, must not prove financial resources for residence.
7. Financial resources for conducting business activities. It is proved by confirmation of the account balance or personal bank account statement for the last three months, if foreigner has bank account in a foreign bank. Account must be opened for the purpose of business. Document must not be older than 90 days.
8. Documents on accommodation. Document must not be older than 90 days. Accommodation is proved by these documents:
   1. statutory declaration of the foreigner on ownership of the real estate – signature must be legalized (verified)
   2. lease contract concluded with a real estate owner or user and a document proving the entitlement to use the real restate in the case of lease contract with a real estate user – all signatures must be legalized (verified)
   3. confirmation of the accommodation facility on the provision of accommodation or
   4. statutory declaration of all real estate owners on provision of accommodation – all signatures must be legalized (verified)
9. Administrative fee. The amount of fee is different for each purpose of residence.

All particulars of the application for granting temporary residence must be submitted; otherwise, application for granting a temporary residence will not be accepted. Documents issued in other state must be with apostille or superlegalized and officially translated into Slovak by Slovak official translator, police department does not accept other translations.

A police department shall decide on the application for the granting of temporary residence within 90 days from the date of delivery full application. In some cases police department shall decide within 30 days:

1. In case of temporary residence for the purpose of study, special activity, research and development, Slovak living abroad,
2. In case of temporary residence for the purpose of seasonal employment, if in the past 5 years he/she performed seasonal employment only with a work permit for a maximum period of 90 days (because the temporary residence is not required) or he/she was granted temporary residence for the purpose of seasonal employment,
3. Foreigner represents or works for a business services center or a technology center,
4. Represents or works for a foreign investor in the Slovak Republic and equally is a citizen of the member state of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (applies also to a spouse or a child younger than 18 years of age of this foreign national),
5. Represents or works for a significant foreign investor in the Slovak republic (applies also to a spouse or a child younger than 18 years of age of this foreign national),
6. In case temporary residence under Paragraph 22, section 1, item “b” on the basis of a business plan for the implementation of an innovative project and has submitted the application for this temporary residence at the embassy or a police department on the basis of a national visa.

After granting temporary residence police department will make ID card within 30 days. It is required to pay for collection ID card 4,50 EURO or 24,50 EURO (ID card will be prepared within two working days). It is required to pay 3 EURO for ID card delivery.

Temporary residence is granted for definite period of time and it is possible to renew it.

Within three working days from collecting ID card it is required to conclude health insurance. Public and commercial health insurance exists in Slovakia. In the following articles we are going to analyze, when public health insurance is required.

After granting temporary residence within 30 days from collecting ID card it is required to submit on the police department these documents:

1. Health insurance document. This document is submitted in case of temporary residence for the purpose of business, family reunification, special activity, research and development and person with long term residence in another EU member state
2. Medical report certifying that the foreign national does not suffer from an illness endangering public health. This shall not apply in case of person with long term residence in another EU member state, Slovak living abroad, person, who performs service obligations by civil units of armed forces, and person with residence in another EU member state. Medical report must not be older than 30 day. On request of the third country national, a police department may extend the period for submission of the medical report by 60 days.

Where is it possible to arrange medical report?

Medical facilities which are obliged to issue confirmations for police department exist in Slovakia. Police department does not accept foreign confirmations. It is required to pay 180 – 200 EURO for examination.

List of medical facilities, where you can make reservation for examination:

1. Poliklinika cudzokrajných chorôb, ZAMA s.r.o., Americké námestie 3, Bratislava, Tel: +421 2 52925688, Fax: +421 2 5296273,
2. Inštitút očkovania a cestovnej medicíny s.r.o., Teslova 33, Bratislava, Tel: +421 2 44635473, Mobil: +421 915 889054,
3. Medicínske zariadenie Mlynská Dolina s.r.o., Staré Grunty 56, 841 04 Bratislava, Tel: +421 2 3231 3025, +421 911 392 220,
4. Travel Health Clinic s.r.o., Tehelná 26, 831 03 Bratislava, Tel: +421 905742898
5. Špecializovaná infektologická ambulancia spoločnosti KARIBU s.r.o., ul. Hlavná 31/15, 917 01 Trnava, Mobil: +421 907 311127,
6. Infekčná klinika Fakultnej nemocnice Trnava, A. Žarnova 11, 917 75 Trnava, Tel.: +421 33 593811, Fax.: +421 033 5938768,
7. Infekčná klinika, ambulancia pre cudzokrajné choroby Fakultnej nemocnice Nitra, Špitálska 6, 950 01 Nitra, Tel: +421 37 6545955,
8. Nemocnica Komárno s.r.o., Mederčská č. 39, 945 05 Komárno, Tel: +421 35 7909579, Mobil: +421 948 350123,
9. Ambulancia infektológie a tropickej medicíny Spoločnosti INF TROP-MED s.r.o., Nábrežná 5, 971 01 Prievidza, +421 46 5113311,
10. TC Ambulancia s.r.o., Dolný Šianec 1013/1, 911 01 Trenčín, +421 915 992086,
11. Ambulancia cestovnej medicíny pri Infekčnom oddelení Fakultnej nemocnice s poliklinikou F. D. Roosevelta v Banskej Bystrici, Cesta k nemocnici 1, 975 17 Banská Bystrica, Tel: +421 48 4335315,
12. Nemocnica Zvolen, Kuzmányho nábrežie 28, 960 01 Zvolen, Tel: +421 45 5201515, Mobil: +421 948 350123,
13. Inštitút očkovania a cestovnej medicíny s.r.o., ŽILPO, s.r.o., Vysokoškolákov 31, Žilina, Mobil: +421 915 889 054,
14. Univerzitná nemocnica Martin, Klinika infektológie a cestovnej medicíny, Ambulancia pre cudzokrajné choroby, Kollárova 2, Martin, Tel: +421 43 4203637, +421 43 4203386,
15. Ambulancia tropickej medicíny, Krankas s.r.o., Bratislavská 1, 010 01 Žilina, Mobil : +421 905 742898,
16. Ambulancia tropickej medicíny pri Infektologickej ambulancii, Nemocnica arm. generála L. Svobodu Svidník a. s., ul. MUDr. Pribilu 412/4, 089 01 Svidník., Tel.: +421 54 7860564, Mobil: +421 917 556425,
17. Stredisko cestovnej medicíny – Infektologická ambulancia LV – Medical, s.r.o., Gemerská 3, Košice 040 11, Tel: +421 55 6250555, Mobil: +421 949 554187,
18. Univerzitná nemocnica L. Pasteura Košice, Klinika infektológie a cestovnej medicíny, Rastislavova 43, Košice, Tel: +421 55 6152204, +421 556152202,
19. Nemocnica s poliklinikou Štefana Kukuru Michalovce a.s., Špitálska 2, 071 01 Michalovce, Tel: +421 56 6416809