Accommodation for temporary refugees

Last Updated: 29 November 2024

Holders of the temporary refuge status are legally residing in Slovakia. Temporary refuge is granted for the purpose of protecting foreigners from war, endemic violence, the consequences of a humanitarian disaster or persistent or massive human rights violations in their country of origin. 

For the time being, it is granted with an expiry date of 4 March 2025.

Temporary refuge holders can find accommodation themselves directly through property owners or real estate agents, through their family or friends, or accommodation can be arranged by staff at assistance centres, NGOs, any municipal or city office, or on specialized accommodation websites. You can search for rental offers through various websites, such as:

When renting through a real estate agency, the tenant may be required to pay a commission of one month's rent, which must be agreed in advance and stipulated in the contract.

 

 Persons who are granted temporary refuge can be accommodated in an asylum facility:

1) for a maximum of 120 days from the first provision of temporary refuge in the territory of the Slovak Republic,

2) if they are considered a vulnerable person, which includes:

  1. person who has reached the age of 65,
  2. single parent caring for a child under five years old or an individual personally caring for a child under five years old based on a court decision,
  3. child under five years old of a person mentioned in point b).

All newly arriving refugees from Ukraine can apply for accommodation in the facilities of the Migration Office of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic (MV SR) through a written request addressed directly to the Migration Office. All persons, regardless of their age, gender, or vulnerability, can be accommodated for the first 120 days from the first provision of temporary refuge in the territory of the Slovak Republic.

A person who is granted temporary refuge and who belongs to the category of vulnerable persons can be accommodated in an asylum facility based on their written request submitted to the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic, for up to six months, and this can be extended repeatedly. Every person accommodated in an asylum facility must submit a written request for an extension of accommodation in the asylum facility no later than 15 days before the period for which they are accommodated in the asylum facility expires. The Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic, when assessing a request for accommodation in an asylum facility or for an extension of accommodation, considers the available accommodation capacity and prioritizes applicants for the first provision of temporary refuge. 

 

The Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic will provide an accommodation allowance for a person who is granted temporary refuge through the municipality in which the accommodation is provided. The allowance is provided for the accommodation of a person who is granted temporary refuge:

1) for a maximum of 120 days from the first provision of temporary refuge in the territory of the Slovak Republic,

2) if they are considered a vulnerable person, which includes:

  1. member of a household receiving material need assistance (a confirmation of provision of material need assistance is required),
  2. person with a severe disability receiving a grant for humanitarian aid (a notification of grant award is required),
  3. person who has reached the age of 65 (an identification document is required),
  4. one of the parents caring for a child under five years old or an individual personally caring for a child under five years old based on a court decision (an affidavit of the parent or court decision is required),
  5. child under five years old of a person mentioned in point d) (an affidavit of the parent or court decision is required).

 The allowance is provided to the entitled person, who can be:

  1. the owner of a residential property providing free of charge accommodation to a person who is granted temporary refuge,
  2. legal entity providing free of charge accommodation to a person who is granted temporary refuge in a non-residential building used for short-term accommodation, which it owns or manages, provided this accommodation is not offered based on a trade license,
  3. municipality or higher territorial unit providing free accommodation to a person who is granted temporary refuge directly or through a budgetary or contributory organization under its authority, except for state budgetary or state contributory organizations.

The entitled person under points b) and c) must notify the municipality of the total accommodation capacity before starting to provide accommodation. They must submit an accommodation agreement to the municipality and, within five working days after the end of each calendar month, submit a report. The contract and report templates are available on the website of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic.

A person who is granted temporary refuge and who is receiving accommodation from an entitled person must personally notify the municipality that the entitled person is providing them accommodation:

  1. within three working days from the start of accommodation provision; proof of vulnerability must be also submitted, if it is a vulnerable person, and
  2. twice a month during the accommodation provision, with at least 14 days between notifications.

In the event of any changes in circumstances relevant to assessing vulnerability, the person who is granted temporary refuge and who is receiving accommodation, must personally and without delay notify the municipality and the entitled person.

Amount of the allowance

The allowance is payable to the entitled person from 1 July 2024 in the following amount:

  1. the owner of a residential property providing free of charge accommodation to a person who is granted temporary refuge: EUR 5/person/day,
  2. legal entity providing free of charge accommodation to a person who is granted temporary refuge in a non-residential building used for short-term accommodation, which it owns or manages, provided this accommodation is not offered based on a trade license: EUR 6/person/day,
  3. municipality or higher territorial unit providing free accommodation to a person who is granted temporary refuge directly or through a budgetary or contributory organization under its authority, except for state budgetary or state contributory organizations: EUR 6/person/day.

The law sets limits of maximum allowance for the owner of a residential property providing free of charge accommodation to a person who is granted temporary refuge depending on the number of habitable rooms:

The allowance is not provided to an entitled person if:

  1. the entitled person is entitled to other financial benefits related to providing accommodation to a temporary refugee,
  2. if they accommodate a temporary refugee who is being provided accommodation in an asylum facility,
  3. if they accommodate a temporary refugee who is an owner or co-owner of property in the territory of the Slovak Republic, or
  4. if they provide accommodation to a close person (a relative in the direct line, a sibling, and a spouse; other persons, if the harm suffered by one of them would reasonably be felt by the other as their own).

ATTENTION: CHANGE as of March 1, 2025

A person who is granted temporary refuge from March 1, 2025, may be accommodated in an asylum facility for a maximum of 60 days from the first granting of temporary refuge in the territory of the Slovak Republic.

The Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic will provide a accommodation allowance for the person who is granted temporary refuge from March 1, 2025 through the municipality for a maximum of 60 days from the first granting of temporary refuge in the territory of the Slovak Republic.

The provision of accommodation in the asylum facility and the provision of the accommodation allowance for vulnerable individuals will remain unchanged.