If you are looking for most recent news in English about the situation concerning the spread of COVID-19 in Slovakia and national and institutional measures generally, you can check the Slovak Spectator newspaper website - https://spectator.sme.sk/t/8282/coronavirus
October 26, 2020
All Foreign Police departments will be closed for the public during the lockdown, from October 26 to October 30.
Those foreigners who have their appointment during this time, will have to reschedule.
October 23, 2020
As of October 24, CURFEW for whole Slovakia will enter into force. The restrictions apply until November 1. After nation-wide mass testing the restrictions migh change.
Exceptions:
- commuting to work
- going to buy food/ going to pharmacy
- visisting a doctor
- walking in nature within your district
More info: https://spectator.sme.sk/c/22516817/curfew-and-closed-schools-slovakia-goes-into-a-mild-lockdown-this-weekend.html?ref=njctse
October 5, 2020
From OCTOBER 5 until further notice all the Foreign Police departments will deal ONLY with applicants who have booked an online appointment. We do not recommend to go there in person without an appointment for they will not deal with you.
Foreigners whose permit is to expire soon and they didn't manage to obtain an appointment to submit an application for renewal of residence on time they can book any next available date for applying for renewal of residence, even after its expiry date (Based on the amendment to Act on the Residence of Foreigners).
IMPORTANT NOTE: The extraordinary situation declared on 11 March 2020 remains in place. From 1 October 2020, the state of emergency was declared again.
September 2, 2020
From September 1, 2020, NEW COUNTRIES have been added to the RED list!
Belgium, Croatia, France, Malta, Netherlands and Spain (quarantine and COVID-19 test required upon return to Slovakia)
Quarantine shortened
Compulsory quarantine for people coming from a red list country will be 10 days instead of the 14 days required currently.
On the fifth day after their return at the earliest, arrivals from red list countries can take a COVID-19 test. If the test is negative, they can wrap up their quarantine even before the required 10 days elapse.
Exemption from the requirement of a negative test will apply to those who are unable to obtain a COVID-19 test appointment before their 10-day quarantine is over. If they are coming from a red list country that is an EU member state and they do not have any, not even mild, symptoms of COVID-19, they can resume their daily work and personal life. The authorities admit this situation might occur in the first weeks of September, when many Slovak tourists are expected to return from countries that have just been marked as red.
More information is available HERE.
August 18, 2020
NOTE:
The Embassy of the Slovak Republic in New Delhi is from 17 AUGUST 2020 resuming following services:
- national D visas with granted residence permits,
- national D visas for recipients of Slovak National Scholarships
- national D visas for researchers and PhD students
- national D visas for spouses and close family members of Slovak citizens
- national D visas and temporary residence permits for highly qualified employees
- renewals of temporary residence permits (expired during lockdown).
Due to novel coronavirus pandemic appointments are only given by e-mail.
Request for appointments should be only send to cons.delhi@mzv.sk
More info on https://www.mzv.sk/web/dilli-en
August 17, 2020
The winter term 2020/2021 is to start soon and the current Covid-19 pandemic is impacting study or research stays of most of the international PhD students and researchers coming to Slovakia. To help you prepare and not to forget something important when making travel plans to Slovakia, we have drawn up a concise guideline with the most important information concerning your travel plans, your duties upon arrival in Slovakia and about current public health protective measures applied in Slovakia:
NOTE: If you are coming from risky country you can register online.
July 3, 2020
- NOTICE for third-country students/researchers who have overstayed in Slovakia due to COVID 19 outbreak while their original purpose of stay have elapsed in the meantime and now they are planning to leave Slovakia transiting via other Schengen Countries (e.g., Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic) to return to their home destinations.
From March 2020 until the end of the crisis situation all EU Member States granted extensions of stay either in order to address Covid-19 related overstay of third-country nationals in Member States.
In order to avoid problems when third-country nationals having a (Covid-19) extended right to stay, cross internal or external borders or re-apply for legal entry in the future, Member States notified the European Comission of information on the ‘certificates’ or legal presumptions of Covid-19 related temporary extension of stays on their territory.
This information was compiled and published as new annex 41 to the Schengen Handbook for Border Guards and as Annex 2A of the Visa Handbook.
Member States are encouraged to consult this annex and not to consider as illegal stay in the EU the periods of stay in a Member State covered by the national measures listed therein.
The document can be found here: https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/20200529_commission-encourages-member-states-not-consider-illegal-stay-eu-third-country-nationals-member-state-caused-covid-related-measures_en.
In case you encounter any dificulty at a border/international airport you can refer to this document.
June 15, 2020
National emergency officially ended on June 13, the extraordinary situation declared on March 11 remains in place.
Since the extraordinary situation is still in place according to the amendment on the Act of Residence of Foreigners adopted on April 9, 2020, the stays of third country nationals in the territory of the Slovak Republic continue to be valid as it follows:
- temporary residence permit in Slovakia with an expiration date during the coronavirus outbreak or with an expiration date within one month after the crisis is over will remain valid up to two months after the crisis situation is over;
- third-country nationals who came to Slovakia legally, are eligible to remain in Slovakia up to one month after the end of the crisis;
- the Foreigners’ Police department will accept all documents, even if they are older than 90 days, if a third country national as a non-EU national has not left Slovakia from the end of the current crisis until he/she submits his/her application for a residence permit;
- All time limitations are extended for the entire duration of the current crisis situation.
* The crisis situation is understood as an extraordinary situation or a state of emergency declared in connection to the COVID-19 disease.
June 9, 2020
Slovakia opens the borders with other 16 countries: apart from the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary it is also Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland.
June 2, 2020
Starting on June 1, 2020, the Foreign Police Departments will provide usual services as before the coronavirus outbreak for all customers including proceeding temporary residence applications and applications for the change of the purpose of the residence permit.
- Opening hours for public have been extended as follows:
- Monday: 7:30-15:00
- Wednesday: 7:30-17:30
- Friday: 7:30-12:00 (up to 14:00 in Bratislava)
Hygiene measures such as face masks, social distancing are still in place.
Information available at the website of the Ministry of Interior of SR https://www.minv.sk/?vizova-info-typy-viz-1
NOTE:
- The crisis situation which is understood as an extraordinary situation or a state of emergency declared in connection to the COVID-19 disease has NOT been revoked yet.
According to the amendment on the Act of Residence of Foreigners adopted on April 9, 2020, the stays of third country nationals in the territory of the Slovak Republic continue to be valid as it follows:
- temporary residence permit in Slovakia with an expiration date during the coronavirus outbreak or with an expiration date within one month after the crisis is over will remain valid up to two months after the crisis situation is over;
- third-country nationals who came to Slovakia legally, are eligible to remain in Slovakia up to one month after the end of the crisis;
- the Foreigners’ Police department will accept all documents, even if they are older than 90 days, if a third country national as a non-EU national has not left Slovakia from the end of the current crisis until he/she submits his/her application for a residence permit;
- All time limitations are extended for the entire duration of the current crisis situation.
We closely monitor the situation and in case of any update we will keep you posted.
May 7, 2020
CHANGES IN FOREIGN POLICE OFFICES
The Foreign Police Starts operating on May 11th, 2020:
Opening hours for public:
Monday ➡️ 08.00 - 14.00
Wednesday ➡️ 08.00 - 17.00
Friday ➡️ 08.00 - 14.00
The foreign police will proceed the following:
- accepting requests on renewal of residency permits, requests for permanent residency and requests of long-term residency
- accepting registrations of EEA residents and their relatives
- issuing and activating an authenticator
- actions regarding the residence card issue
- actions regarding employment change during the course of a valid residency
- other issues will be solved only with the approval of director of the respective Foreign Police office
The online reservation system will be available starting on May 10, 8 pm local time on a familiar website http://www.minv.sk/?objednavaci-system-na-ocp
It is strongly recommended to use online reservation system in advance of office visit – people with online reservation will be served with priority.
Those acts, for which the online reservation is not possible, will be accepted in the order given by order tickets
The COVID-19 health protection measures, as mandatory protection by facemasks, are still in place
As of 9 April 2020, the amendment to Act no. 404/2011 Coll. on the Residence of Foreigners entered into force, addressing various issues emerging in connection with the spread of the COVID-19 disease.
WITHOUT A GRANTED RESIDENCE IN SLOVAKIA
- If you are a third-country national who came to Slovakia legally, you are eligible to remain in Slovakia up to one month after the end of the crisis;
WITH A GRANTED RESIDENCE IN SLOVAKIA
- If your temporary residence permit in Slovakia with an expire during the coronavirus outbreak or will expire within one month after the crisis is over it will remain valid up to two months after the crisis is over;
- If you are as a non-EU national outside Slovakia during the crisis you may apply for renewal of your stay in Slovakia at the respective embassy;
- Your residency will not be revoked if you do not enter Slovakia within 180 days since the granting of residence permit;
- The Foreigners’ Police department will accept all documents, even if they are older than 90 days, if you as a non-EU national have not left Slovakia from the end of the current crisis until you submit your application for a residence permit;
- All time limitations have been extended for the entire duration of the current crisis.
During the crisis situation, also the deadlines for the following actions are suspended:
- submission of a document on health insurance (standard deadline: 30 days from receiving a temporary residence card)
- submission of a medical report confirming that you do not suffer from any disease endangering public health (standard deadline: 30 days from receiving a temporary residence card or permanent residence card for five years)
- reporting the change, e.g. exchange of passport and change of address in Slovakia (standard deadline: 5 working days)
More details are available at https://bit.ly/covid19-law-changes
Full text of the amendment in Slovak https://www.slov-lex.sk/pravne-predpisy/SK/ZZ/2020/73/20200409
SAIA information related to the global spread of the novel coronavirus and the disease COVID-19 - last update:
- 6 April 2020 - Foreign scholarship holders in Slovakia
- 14 April 2020 - Scholarship holders from Slovakia abroad