Schengen visa

A uniform Schengen visa may be issued for one or more entries, for a maximum of 90 days within any 180-days period. Your stay in the Schengen Area based on this type of visa may not exceed the period for which it was granted. The Schengen visa cannot be used for employment or other similar profit-focused activity.

Where and how to apply

The application for a Schengen visa is filed at the Slovak embassy in the country of your citizenship or country of your residence. The application must be submitted in person, not earlier than three months prior to the planned trip to Slovakia.

The embassy will issue a decision within 15 calendar days from the date of delivery of your application. This period can be extended to a maximum of 30 calendar days, particularly if further assessment of the application is needed. In exceptional cases the period may be extended to a maximum of 60 calendar days.

The fee for applying for a Schengen visa is EUR 60.

Documents requires

To obtain a Schengen visa, you must submit the following documents:

• a completed and signed official application form;
• a passport valid for at least 3 months after the expiration date of the visa;
• one colour photograph (3 x 3.5 cm);
• documents proving the purpose of your business trip, e.g.:
  • an invitation letter issued by the business partner or institution, or invitation verified by the Foreign Police Department; for repeated business trips submit a contract of cooperation with a Slovak company;
  • in case of training seminars, trade fairs, conferences, symposium, congresses: an invitation letter issued by the event organizer, or an official letter from the sending organization requesting a visa for its employee, or entry tickets for the event.
• a travel ticket or other document: a return or round ticket, if travelling by car, submitting a driver’s license and vehicle registration certificate, a green card (third party liability insurance);
• proof of accommodation (if accommodated with the inviting person, it should be explicitly stated in the invitation letter), or proof of sufficient means to cover your accommodation;
• documents proving sufficient financial means for the duration of your intended stay and for the return to your country of origin or residence;
• international travel health insurance policy covering any expenses which might arise in connection with repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention or emergency hospital treatment. It must be valid throughout the territory of all Schengen Member States and cover the entire period of your intended stay. Minimum coverage must be EUR 30 000;
• other documents: for the purpose of granting a Schengen visa, the embassy is entitled to require any other document with the aim to verify the declared purpose of your business trip and the intention to return back to the country of origin or residence;
• visa fee EUR 60.

It is possible that together with your Schengen visa application you will need to submit an invitation verified by the Foreign Police Department. It is necessary to verify this obligation at the Slovak embassy in the country of your citizenship or country of your residence.

If the obligation to verify the invitation is applicable, the inviting person may be:

• an individual, who is a citizen of the Slovak Republic with permanent residence in Slovakia or a foreign national who has temporary or permanent residence in Slovakia; or
• a legal entity or a sole trader performing similar activities. A Commercial Register extract or a Trade License must be attached to the application.

The invitation verification must be applied for by the host at the competent Foreign Police Department according to their place of residence and submitted on the official application form.

The application for invitation verification must be submitted together with:

• documents proving the purpose of the invitation;
• documents on financial coverage by means of a confirmation of the bank account balance of the inviting person;
• documents proving the accommodation;
• if the inviting person is a legal entity or a sole trader: a commercial registry extract or a trade license;
• administrative fee EUR 33.

Further requirements:

All documents submitted with the application must not be older than 90 days. The Foreign Police Department will decide on the application within 15 days. An invitation verified by the Foreign Police Department is valid for 90 days from the date of verification.  Once the invitation is verified, the inviting person should send it to the applicant who will attach it to the Schengen visa application.

After obtaining the Schengen visa, you must report the beginning, the location and the estimated length of your residence at the Foreign Police Department within three working days from your arrival to Slovakia. In case you are accommodated in a hotel or other accommodation facility, the provider of accommodation bears this obligation.

Appeals

You can file an appeal with the embassy, if your application for a Schengen visa was rejected, or if your Schengen visa was annulled or revoked, within 15 days from the date the decision was delivered to you. A written decision is usually delivered within 60 days from the day of filing the appeal.

Conditions for extension

The extension of a Schengen visa in the territory of the Slovak Republic is basically not possible. In exceptional cases (e.g. force majeure, or serious personal reasons preventing you from leaving) the period of validity of your visa may be extended by a maximum of three months within one half-year. The application for a visa validity extension must be submitted at the competent Foreign Police Department.

Temporary residence for the purpose of employment

In specific cases stipulated by law, international service providers do not need temporary residence for the purpose of employment for a period of up to 90 days from the beginning of residence in Slovakia, if the foreign national resides in the country legally and fulfilled the reporting duty towards the Foreign Police (within 3 working days from entering the territory of the Slovak Republic). These cases include e.g. a foreign national, who:

• for a maximum period of 90 days in a calendar year secures delivery of goods or services based on a commercial contract and delivers such goods or services, or carries out installation works, warranty services and repairs, work related to system production facilities setup, programming work or professional trainings;
• for a maximum period of 90 days in a calendar year provides professional trainings for a strategic services centre.

In specific cases stipulated by law, international service providers also do not need a work permit or a confirmation on the possibility to fill a vacancy in order to work in Slovakia. These cases include e.g. a foreign national, who:

• for a maximum period of 90 days in a calendar year secures delivery of goods or services based on a commercial contract and delivers such goods or services, or carries out installation works, warranty services and repairs, work related to system production facilities setup, programming work or professional trainings;
• for a maximum period of 90 days in a calendar year provides professional trainings for a strategic services centre.

In other cases, you will in general need to obtain a temporary residence for the purpose of employment, issued upon a confirmation on the possibility to fill the vacancy (the so-called single permit to reside and work). You must apply only for the temporary residence for the purpose of employment and do not need to apply for a work permit. This type of temporary residence for the purpose of employment may be granted for a maximum period of two years.

Where and how to apply

Before you apply, your future employer must report the vacancy to the competent Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family at least 20 working days prior to your application for temporary residence.

The Labour Office will assess if the position can be filled by a candidate registered in the Register of Unemployed Job Seekers. If the vacant position is not filled within 20 working days of reporting the vacancy by a candidate listed in the Register of Job Seekers, your employer may issue you a written promise of employment or conclude a contract of employment.

In general, it is recommended to file the application for temporary residence at the Slovak embassy in the country of your citizenship or country of your residence. In specific cases stipulated by law (e.g. if you are not subject to visa requirements, if you already hold a valid residence permit in the country/in another MS), you may submit your application for residence at the competent Foreign Police Department in Slovakia. The application must be submitted in person.

After submitting your application for residence, the relevant Foreign Police Department in Slovakia will request the confirmation on the possibility to fill the vacancy by a foreigner directly from the Labour Office.

The fee for applying for a single permit to reside and work is EUR 165.50 (if the application is submitted at the Foreign Police Department) or EUR 170 (if the application is submitted at the Slovak embassy). Administrative fees at the Foreign Police are paid in form of electronic fee stamps (eKolok), which may be bought directly at the Foreign Police Department through a vending machine, or at a post office. Consular fees at Slovak embassies are paid in cash or via bank transfers. It is recommended to verify the possible means of payment with the specific embassy.

Documents required

To obtain temporary residence for the purpose of employment (or the so-called single permit to reside and work), you must submit:

• a completed and signed official application form in Slovak language;
• a valid passport and two colour photographs (3 x 3.5 cm);
• a contract of employment or a written promise of employment set out on the official form and in cases of regulated professions also the officially translated and authenticated (by apostille or superlegalisation) document proving the required education for the position, or decision on recognition of the education document;
• a criminal record statement from the country of your citizenship and other countries where you resided for more than 90 days during six consecutive months in the last three years;
• proof of financial means to cover the cost of your stay (either a confirmation from the employer on the height of the agreed salary or a bank account balance confirmation);
• a document on your accommodation in Slovakia for at least six months or for your entire stay;
• a document from the municipality confirming the accommodation meets criteria defined by the Ministry of Health;
• administrative fee of EUR 165.50 (if the application is submitted at the Foreign Police Department) or EUR 170 (if the application is submitted at the Slovak embassy);
• administrative fee of EUR 4.50 for issuance of the residence document.

Further requirements

All documents issued by official authorities abroad must be officially translated into Slovak by a certified translator and properly authenticated (apostille or superlegalisation). It is possible to submit documents issued or verified by official authorities of the Czech Republic in Czech language.

The documents must not be older than 90 days at the time of submitting the application.  

You must enter the territory of the Slovak Republic within 180 days from being granted the residence.

You must report the beginning of your residence at the Foreign Police Department within three working days from your arrival to Slovakia.

Within 30 days from collecting the residence document in Slovakia, you must submit at the Foreign Police a medical report not older than 30 days confirming you do not suffer from a disease constituting a threat to public health (this can be prolonged by 60 days, if requested).

Within three working days from collecting the residence document, you must get a health insurance.

Submitting an application for temporary residence does not entitle you to reside in Slovakia. Until you obtain the temporary residence, you are entitled to stay in Slovakia only on the basis of a valid visa, another residence permit, or within the visa-free regime.

You must reside in the territory of Slovakia for more than half of the length of the granted temporary residence in a calendar year.

Conditions for renewal

Temporary residence for the purpose of employment may be renewed repeatedly, for a maximum period of five years.

If you want to apply for renewal of temporary residence, you must do so in person at the competent Foreign Police Department no later than the last day of validity of the temporary residence. The temporary residence is considered legal in the territory of Slovakia until the decision on its renewal. It is required that your employment lasts, i.e. the purpose for which you obtained the temporary residence still lasts. At the same time, your employer must report the vacancy to the Labour Office at least 20 working days before submitting the application for temporary residence. The application for renewal of temporary residence must be accompanied by a valid passport, otherwise the Foreign Police will not accept the application.

The application must be submitted together with:

• a valid passport;
• one colour photograph (3 × 3.5 cm);
• a contract of employment or work permit;
• a document on accommodation in Slovakia (does not apply to a foreign national regularly commuting to work across state borders from a neighbouring state);
• a document on financial coverage of residence;
• administrative fee EUR 99.50;
• administrative fee EUR 4.50 (for issuing a residence document).

Administrative fees at the Foreign Police are paid in form of electronic fee stamps (eKolok), which may be bought directly at the Foreign Police Department through a vending machine, or at a post office.

Appeals

In the case of a positive decision on your application, the Foreign Police does not issue a written decision and will send you a written notification informing that the residence has been granted, stating the date of granting and date of expiry. The Foreign Police will send a written or electronic notification on granting of the residence to you, to the competent Slovak embassy, as well as to the self-governing region and to the municipality according to your place of residence in Slovakia.

You will obtain a written decision in case your application is rejected. You can file an administrative appeal to the Directorate of Foreign Police/Directorate of Border and Foreign Police. You can file a judicial appeal to the Regional Court.

Family members

If you hold a temporary residence for the purpose of employment in Slovakia and would like your family members to join you, they may apply for temporary residence for the purpose of family reunification.

Family members include your spouse of at least 18 years of age, your and your spouse’s unmarried children younger than 18 years of age, your unmarried children younger than 18 years of age, unmarried children of your spouse younger than 18 years of age, your dependent unmarried children older than 18 years of age or dependent unmarried children of your spouse who cannot provide for themselves due to a long-term unfavourable health condition, your dependent parent or parent of your spouse who lacks appropriate family support in the country of origin.

The Foreign Police Department can grant your family members residence until the validity of your residence expires, for a maximum period of 5 years.

Your family members may study, conduct business (does not apply to parents and children older than 18 years of age) and be employed during their stay in Slovakia. However, they need to obtain a work permit in the period of up to 12 months from being granted temporary residence. After the period of 12 months, they may work without further permits.

More on the procedures, required documents and other conditions related to the temporary residence for the purpose of employment.

Relevant laws

Act No. 404/2011 Coll. on Residence of Aliens and on amendment of some acts

Act No. 5/2004 Coll. on Employment Services and on amendment of certain acts