Changes to Residence and Employment of Foreigners in Slovakia from 15 July 2024
- Last Updated: 25 July 2024
From 15 July 2024, several changes will occur in Slovak immigration regulations. While many of these will only affect selected groups, some will impact most foreigners living in or planning to come to Slovakia.
Read about the most important changes and make sure you are prepared. If anything is unclear, please contact us by phone or email.
Contents of the Article
Single Permit for Residence and Employment (Temporary residence for the purpose of employment)
Temporary residence for the purpose of studies
Temporary residence for the purpose of business
Temporary residence for the purpose of family reunio
EU Blue Card
The main objective of this amendment is to adjust the conditions for obtaining the EU Blue Card, which is temporary residence for highly skilled employment. The required salary is being reduced to 1.2 times the average salary in the Slovak economy, or just the average salary for those who have completed university education in the last three years. The minimum required length of the employment contract is being shortened to six months. Managerial employees and specialists in information and communication technologies can replace university education with a certificate of advanced professional skills, and employees in regulated professions must present a qualification recognition document.
The process of obtaining the EU Blue Card is also changing. After reporting a job vacancy, the employer will apply for a confirmation of the possibility to fill the vacancy at the Labour office, which will decide on the application within 15 working days. Subsequently, the potential employee will have 90 days to submit a residence application and, if it is complete, can start working immediately.
A new feature is the ability for EU Blue Card holders to engage in business or be unemployed for up to six months if they have held the Blue Card for more than two years.
Single Permit for Residence and Employment (Temporary residence for the purpose of Employment)
Changes are also occurring in the process of obtaining temporary residence for the purpose of employment. The employer will apply for a confirmation of the possibility to fill the job vacancy- usually after 20 working days have passed since the job vacancy was reported. The Labour office will again decide within 15 working days, the candidate will have 90 days to submit the residence application, and can start working immediately if the application is complete. The Foreign police will decide on the applications within 60 days.
Holders of temporary residence for the purpose of employment will be unable to change the purpose of their residence to business for 12 months.
Temporary protection
All holders of temporary refuge (e.g. foreign citizens who needed a national visa to be able to apply for a residence at the Foreign Police) will be able to apply for temporary or permanent residence at the Foreign Police. They will also be allowed to do business.
Applications for temporary residence for the purpose of employment from temporary refuge holders, who have been working in the same position for at least six months, will be decided without assessing the labour market situation.
Temporary residence for the purpose of studies
Holders of temporary residence for the purpose of studies will not be able to apply for a change of the purpose of their residence if they do not successfully complete their studies.
Temporary residence for the purpose of business
Statutory officers of commercial companies that do not achieve the required profit and whose residence validity expires or who announce/report its termination, will not be able to apply for new temporary residence for 12 months.
Applicants for the renewal of temporary residence will have 20 days to pay off debts on taxes, customs duties, and health and social insurance contributions.
Temporary residence for the purpose of family reunion
Applications of family members of OECD citizens working for foreign investors, employees of significant foreign investors, corporate service centres, or technology centres will be decided on within 30 days.
Applications from family members of EU Blue Card applicants will also be decided on within 30 days if the Blue Card applicant and their family member submit their applications simultaneously
General rules on residence
Applications for residence can be submitted at the Foreign police by holders of Schengen visas for seasonal employment and temporary refuge holders. If a complete residence application is submitted, applicants will be able to stay in Slovakia until a decision is made. Instead of a bank confirmation of an account balance, bank statements for the last three months will be presented as proof of sufficient financial means for residence, and affidavits can be signed directly at the Foreign police without the need for official verification.
All persons with granted residence will be required to notify the Foreign police if they stay outside Slovakia for more than 180 continuous days.
In case of submitting an incomplete application for the renewal of temporary residence, applicants will have 30 days to complete it. The police may extend this period by 15 days. If the application is not completed, the process will be stopped without the possibility of an appeal.
Persons whose applications for the renewal of temporary residence are rejected will no longer have their residence automatically extended in connection with the emergency situation.
A general fee of €10 will be charged for issuing and delivering a residence document (if issued within 30 days), or €39 (if issued within two working days).
National visa
Applications for national visa can only be submitted at relevant institutions based on the applicant's place of residence. In addition to the Slovak embassies, it will be possible to submit applications at external service providers.
Visa for applying for residence in Slovakia will include information on the type of residence the foreigner wants to apply for, and if applying for employment purposes, it will contain information about the employer.
It will not be possible to obtain national visa to apply for temporary residence for purpose of business.
Notice – next year's change
The amendment to the law also introduces the obligation to demonstrate knowledge of Slovak at the A2 level when applying for long-term residence. This rule, however, will not be effective this year, but it will be effective as of 15 July 2025
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