Temporary residence for the purpose of studies (including PhD studies)
Students from third countries staying in Slovakia for longer than 90 days shall apply for a temporary residence for the purpose of studies (including those who will attend a language or professional training for university studies organised and implemented by a higher education institution).
Required documents for the application:
completed application form "Application for the temporary residence" (has to be filled in the Slovak language)
2 recent full‑face photographs 3 × 3.5 cm
valid passport (a police officer will make a copy of it),
document proving the purpose of your stay (in Slovak) - a confirmation of studies letter from a state authority (respective ministry) or a host university, or a confirmation from an organisation administering a scholarship/mobility programme approved by the government or an EU programme under a contract with the competent state authority (scholarship award letter),
document proving sufficient financial resources for your stay (in Slovak) (e.g. your bank account balance statement, a letter of award stating the amount of your scholarship, a confirmation of the financial coverage, or an affidavit issued by another person about the provision of financial resources together with that person's bank account balance statement,
criminal record extract (apostilled or superlegalised) from your country of origin and from every country where you have stayed for more than 90 days during 6 consecutive months within the last 3 years (if any). High school students are exempted fromk this obligation.
Students who will study at a higher education institution in Slovakia do NOT have to enclose a confirmation on accommodation.
NOTE:
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.
Please note that the documents proving the purpose of your stay, financial resources or no criminal record CAN NOT be older than 90 days on the day of submitting the application for a temporary residence.
Fee: 4.50 € for the residence card
Slovak embassy/consulate that receives your application will interview you for the purpose of a preliminary assessment of your application. The interview will be conducted in Slovak or another language understandable to both parties. The embassy will prepare a written record of the interview and attach it to the application for a temporary residence. The record shall be made in the language in which the interview was held, and you will be asked to sign it. (If you not speak Slovak and you do not agree on any language understandable to both parties, you must hire an interpreter and he/she must also sign the record). The embassy will send its position on the granting of a temporary residence to the Foreign Police department along with the record and its translation (in case the interview was held in another language than Slovak).
If applying for a temporary residence directly at a competent foreign police in Slovakia the police officer in charge will confirm a receipt of your application (last page of the application form). Within 30 days from the date of submitting a complete application, the Foreign Police shall issue either a negative decision or a notification of granting the temporary residence. The foreign police officers will ask you to provide a mobile phone number (you can write the number on your application form). You will be notified by a text message in Slovak when your residence card is ready. You can collect the residence card at the Foreign Police in person or you can appoint somebody else with a power of attorney to do it for you. When applying for a temporary residence abroad at an embassy/consulate, it is advised to consult with them the way of notification on granting the residence.
If you apply for a temporary residence longer in advance and the Foreign Police decides on your application earlier than 30 days prior to starting your planned activity (the purpose of stay), the Foreign Police will set the starting date of your temporary residence exactly 30 days before the starting date of your planned activity (the purpose of stay). If the time between the decision of the Foreign Police on granting the temporary residence and the commencement of your planned activity (the purpose of stay) is shorter than 30 days, the day of commencement of the granted temporary residence will be the same as the date of the decision.
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 a fee will be charged.
The police department shall grant a temporary residence for the purpose of study for the expected period of the study, for a maximum of 6 years. The temporary residence for the purpose of study remains valid for up to 30 days after the completion of university studies for the purpose of job‑searching. The university diploma and the state examination certificate serve as a proof of the completed studies.
Conditions, under which students and PhD students can work alongside with studying are briefly explained in the section Employment.
Third-country nationals with temporary residence for the purpose of studies can/have:
- do business or work 20 hours per week or the equivalent number per year without the need of further permits or changing the purpose of their residence,
- work on the basis of agreements on work performed outside the employment relationship (e. g. agreement on part-time jobs for students, work performance agreement)
- new simplified rules of mobility within EU are applicable
- possibility to renew the residence permit for 9 months for the purpose of job seeking or starting a business after completing their studies
Students who completed their university education in Slovakia (full degree studies) can apply for the renewal of their temporary residence after the completion of their studies, for the purpose of job seeking or starting a business. In this case, it can be prolonged for nine months.
In this case they need to submit
- a university diploma obtained during the granted temporary residence or a confirmation on completion of the study
- document proving financial coverage of the residence
Document proving health insurance, medical certificate or criminal record extract are NOT required.