Temporary Residence of Third Country Nationals
If you intend to stay in Slovakia for longer than 90 days, you will need to apply for a temporary residence.
The application procedures can vary depending on where you submit your application and on the fact whether you need a visa to enter Slovakia (Schengen Area) or not.
As a foreigner participating in an academic/research mobility in Slovakia, you might be eligible to apply for one of the several types temporary residence in Slovakia. Depending on the activity you are going to pursue here, you can apply for a:
temporary residence for the purpose of studies (for university students, including PhD students),
temporary residence for the purpose of research and development (for researchers with a Hosting Agreement* concluded with a Slovak university/research institution),
temporary residence for the purpose of special activity (for scholarship holders within an exchange/mobility programme of SR or the EU or a cooperation scheme, university teachers - lectors and researchers without a Hosting Agreement or an employment contract),
temporary residence for the purpose of employment,
temporary residence for the purpose of employment requiring higher qualification (Blue Card).
To find out which type of temporary residence suits your situation best, please use the clickable online guideline app “NAVIGATION”.
You have to apply in person at the Slovak embassy/consulate competent for your home country/country of residence or at a Foreign Police department in Slovakia.
Your application will be accepted at the Foreign Police in Slovakia only if you are:
- granted an EU residence permit,
- granted a tolerated residence,
- holder of a national visa,
- third-country national who does not need a visa to enter, or
- Slovak living abroad.
Usually it is necessary to submit a complete application with all the requested attachments, otherwise, it will not be accepted.
If the embassy or the police department refuses to accept your application, they will notify you in writing of the documents you need to enclose so that it can be accepted.
Once your temporary residence is granted, the foreign police department will send you a written notice thereof, stating the effective and the expiry date of your residence. The time validity of a travel document is not regarded when deciding on the duration of a granted temporary residence but it is taken into account when the residence card is issued. It is issued for a period 90 days shorter than the expiry date of your travel document.
Residence card is standardly issued within 30 days. However, it is possible to apply for the issuance of the residence card within two working days for 24.50 EUR.
The application for the temporary residence shall include a (apostilled or superlegalised) document proving a lack of criminal record (criminal record extract). Except of temporary residence for the purpose of research and development for all other types of temporary residence permit the criminal record extract is required from country of origin of the applicant and from every country where he/she has stayed for more than 90 days during 6 consecutive months within the last 3 years (if any).
Proof of clear criminal record must be valid for the whole territory of the country which has issued the document. If the country does not issue such document, it is possible to substitute it with an affidavit which you will sign in front of competent administrative authority or a notary in the country of origin or last place of residence. The affidavit is subsequently submitted together with the criminal record extract issued by the competent region/state (federation).
Each document issued in a language other than Slovak (except for documents issued in Czech) has to be translated to Slovak by an official translator. The list of official translators can be found HERE. In case the translation is done abroad, the competence of the translator must be attested by the Slovak embassy/consulate.
A document proving no criminal record can NOT be older than 90 days on the day of submitting the application for a temporary residence.
Once you are granted a temporary residence, you are obliged to submit a medical certificate confirming that you do not suffer from any disease threatening public health within 30 days from the collection of your residence card. The certificate cannot be older than 30 days. It can be obtained in specific medical centres only and you will be charged a fee.
The medical certificate can be also sent by ordinary postal systemto the respective foreign police department. However, we recommend to consult this option with the foreign police department representive in advance when submitting the temporary residence application.
You must file the application for the renewal of a temporary residence in person at the Foreign Police department, using an official form, no later than the last day of the current temporary residence validity. Your temporary residence is deemed valid in the territory of Slovakia even after its expiration until the decision on the application for the renewal is made.
It is necessary to submit:
- a document proving health insurance
- document on financial coverage of the residence.
If the information in document proving the purpose of a stay has remained unchanged, it is not necessary to submit this document again.
Neither the document proving a lack of criminal record (criminal record extract) nor medical certificate are required when applying for renewal of temporary residence permit or for change of the type of the purpose of residence provided you had previously submitted those documents together with application for granting previous residence.
Students who want to renew their residence permit for the purpose of job seeking or starting a business after completion their studies in Slovakia have to submit a university diploma obtained during the granted temporary residence or a confirmation on completion of the study. Researchers who carried out a research in Slovakia have to submit a confirmation on completion of their research activity.
The foreign police department shall make a decision on your application within 30 days from the date of submission in the case of the third country nationals who were granted a temporary residence for the purpose of study, research and development or special activity.
In the case of third countries nationals who were granted a temporary residence for other purposes, the decision shall be made within 90 days. In particularly complicated cases, this period can be extended by a maximum of 30 days.
A list of documents required for renewal of the temporary residence for the purpose of family reunion
Residence permit is tied to one purpose only. If you want to perform an activity other than the one which your residence permit allows, you must submit a new application for temporary residence. The temporary residence is considered legal (only) in the territory of the Slovak Republic until the decision on the new application.
When applying for a change in a purpose of a temporary residence it is not necessary to submit a document proving no criminal record and medical certificate, if these documents were submitted together with the application for a temporary residence.
In case of change in the purpose of temporary residence (the purpose of study, special activity or research and development) it is recommended to apply for change of the purpose at least 30 days before termination of a current residence permit.
Note: A third country national can study if he/she has been granted a temporary residence for the purpose of employment, special activity or family reunification.
Upon the successful submission of your application, the police officer will issue a a confirmation document for you.
Are you coming with your family? Check the information about the relevant procedures.