A national visa can be granted:
The application for a national visa shall be lodged with the embassy. The application for a national visa in the interest of the Slovak Republic may be submitted also to the Foreigners' Police department - an appointment is required to make an application to the police. The application shall be accompanied by:
An administrative fee is payable for the submission of the application:
The embassy/consulate shall decide on the application within 30 days of its receipt.
The national visa entitles its holder to stay in Slovakia for the period for which it was issued. The holder of a valid national visa may travel to other Member States for up to three months within any 180-day period under the same conditions as the holder of a residence permit issued by one of the Member States of the Schengen area.
The visa is usually granted for a stay of more than three months, up to a maximum of one year. In connection with the residence in Slovakia, however, the visa is issued for 90 days only and the visa for language training is issued for the duration of language training, up to 31 July of the school year concerned.
A national visa shall also be granted to a family member of an asylum-seeker or an alien with subsidiary protection, for the necessary period of time.
In 2022, it is possible to grant a national visa in the interest of the Slovak Republic to citizens of Belarus, Serbia, Northern Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Georgia, Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine who will be employed as bus drivers or truck drivers (international and domestic transport), university graduates and scholarship holders of selected scholarship programmes.
A person who is granted a national visa in the interest of the Slovak Republic for the purpose of employment may work in Slovakia without the need for further permits. During the validity of the visa, the person may only work for the employer and in the employment for which the visa was granted (these details will be indicated on the visa), otherwise, the visa may be revoked.
An applicant for a national visa must not have been granted temporary residence for employment or have submitted an application for such residence at the time of applying for a national visa.
A document confirming the purpose of the stay shall be an employment contract and a relevant driving licence.
The national visa shall be granted for the duration of the employment, for a maximum period of one year. It cannot be reissued.
Graduates can apply for a national visa if they completed
The national visa is granted to graduates for the following purposes:
An applicant for a national visa who is a graduate of a Slovak, Czech school or other selected university or research institution must not have been granted temporary residence for the purpose of employment or study at the time of applying for the visa.
An applicant who is to be employed in selected occupations must not have been granted temporary residence for the purpose of employment at the time of applying for the visa.
The document confirming the purpose of stay is:
Foreign students, university teachers, researchers, artists and other university and R&D staff can apply for a national visa for a period of one year if coming to Slovakia with the support of a scholarship funded by one of the following programmes: