Conditions for granting Slovak Citizenship (Naturalization)

A foreigner may acquire Slovak citizenship by naturalization after fulfilling the conditions set by law.

A foreigner who wishes to apply for citizenship must first of all:

Permanent Residence

Slovak citizenship may be granted to an applicant who has had continuous permanent residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic for at least eight years immediately preceding the submission of the application for Slovak citizenship.

Exceptions

The law grants an exception to the length of residence requirement to an applicant who has been granted residence in Slovakia but has not had continuous permanent residence for eight years, for example, if:

The exception also applies to a person who has been granted the status of a Slovak living abroad and has either:

The condition is that the person holds a certificate of a Slovak living abroad at the time of applying for citizenship. The certificate loses its validity on the date of obtaining permanent residence (long-term residence) in the territory of the Slovak Republic. Therefore, if you wish to apply for citizenship, you must do so during a valid temporary stay. Otherwise, you will have to fulfil the general condition for granting citizenship.

An exemption from the eight-year permanent residence requirement also applies to an applicant who has lost Slovak citizenship by acquiring foreign citizenship in the period from 17 July 2010 to 31 March 2022, if he or she has acquired citizenship of the state in which he or she has been permitted or registered to reside for at least five years. 

Integrity

An applicant is considered to be of good repute:

Knowledge of the Slovak language and general knowledge of Slovakia

Compliance with this condition is verified directly when applying for citizenship by filling in the 'Applicant's Questionnaire'. According to the law, the authority responsible for examining the applicant is the one who receives his/her application, i.e. the district office in the seat of the region, the diplomatic mission or the consular office of the Slovak Republic. 

Proficiency in the Slovak language is verified in a manner appropriate to the applicant's state of health, the applicant's education and the applicant's age. In the case of a minor child, proficiency in the Slovak language is usually verified in the presence of a legal representative, guardian or custodian.

For this purpose, a three-member commission appointed by the head of the district office in the seat of the region, the ambassador or the consul shall be set up. At the interview, the applicant shall be asked questions concerning his/her person and persons close to him/her and questions of a general nature, in particular on the history, geography and socio-political development of the Slovak Republic. 

The applicant must read aloud a randomly selected Slovak-language press article of at least 500 words. After reading it, he/she has 30 minutes to write what he/she remembers about the article. 

The applicant's state of health shall be taken into account when verifying his/her knowledge of Slovak. A record of the process and outcome of the Slovak language proficiency test is made on the same day so that there is a written record of the outcome of the interview.

Exceptions

Knowledge of the Slovak language and general knowledge of the Slovak Republic does not have to be demonstrated by an applicant who:

Specific conditions

The following conditions must also be fulfilled in order for citizenship to be granted:

The applicant is also obliged to prove in the proceedings that he/she fulfils the obligations arising from the provisions of the legislation governing the residence of foreigners in the territory of the Slovak Republic, public health insurance, social insurance, old-age pension savings, taxes, levies, fees, employment of foreigners and other obligations arising for foreigners from the legal order of the Slovak Republic.

However, it should be borne in mind that there is no legal entitlement to be granted Slovak citizenship, even after the conditions laid down by law have been met, which means that the Ministry of the Interior may reject the application.