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If you are a citizen of the EU/EEA/Switzerland, you do not need a visa to enter Slovakia. You and your family members who are also EU/EEA/Swiss nationals need only valid identity cards or passports.
Read more about the entry conditions to Slovakia
You are obliged to submit the notice of stay to the foreign police department within 10 working days since your arrival in Slovakia. The person who reports your stay varies according to the place of your accommodation. If you intend to stay longer than 3 months, you need to register your residence of an EU/EEA/Swiss national.
If you plan your stay in Slovakia shorter than 90 days, you may need a visa to enter Slovakia. If you are a national of a country with visa exemption agreement with Slovakia, you are not required to obtain a visa for stays of up to 90 days in Slovakia.
Read more information on visa and check if you need visa to enter Slovakia (or Schengen Area in general)
For details on documents and procedures for the short stay visa of type C (Schengen) and long stay visa (National) in the following section. Please note that if you are a scholarship holder or highly qualified third-country national you may be entitled for the National visa in the Slovak Republic valid up to 1 year. For details see the respective section.
Schengen visa:
A visa application should be submitted well ahead of time, but no sooner than 6 months prior to the planned visit. Ideally, the application should be filed at least 15 calendar days before the intended trip, considering the time required by the consular office to process the application.
The standard processing time may take up to 15 calendar days. However, in specific instances where additional examination is required, this timeframe can be extended to a maximum of 30 calendar days. In rare cases, where extra documentation is requested, the processing period can be prolonged up to 45 calendar days.
For nationals of third countries that have established visa facilitation agreements with the European Union, the decision on the visa application is typically made within 10 calendar days.
For family members of citizens of the EU/EEA or the Swiss Confederation, the visa application is processed in an expedited manner and concluded as quickly as possible, usually within 10 calendar days.
For details see the following section Entry conditions/Visa/Residence permit
For national visa you may apply at with the diplomatic mission of the SR or with the external service provider designated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs od SR accredited to the country of the applicant’s residence*. If there is no such diplomatic mission or external service provider, or in cases worthy of special attention, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in agreement with the Ministry of the Interior of SR, will designate another diplomatic mission or external service provider, where the third country national will be able to submit an application for the granting of a national visa.
Provided you legally reside in the territory of the Slovak Republic and the issuance of the national visa is in the interest of the Slovak Republic, you may also apply for the national visa at the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic.
The embassy will decide whether to grant a national visa within 30 days of submission of the application. The Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic will decide in that same period.
For more details dee the Visa/Entry Conditions/Residence permit section.
You must visit the embassy or consulate general in person and explain your purpose of your journey. In certain exceptional cases, you may be exempted from the requirement to submit your visa application in person, you should contact the competent embassy or consulate general if needed.
Read more information on visa and find the nearest Slovak embassy/consulate general.
Foreigners may be asked to enclose an official invitation validated by a police authority to their visa application. It is necessary to verify this obligation with the embassy/consulate of the Slovak Republic in your home country.
Read more information on the request to verify an invitation.
The visa sticker specifies the territorial validity in the line „Platné pre/Valid for“, which may be limited or for all Schengen Member states.
Read more information on visa and what can the visa sticker state.
Yes, the Schengen visa entitles you to enter the Schengen area via any Schengen border crossing or airport and come to your target destination.
Schengen visa is a short-stay visa with which you can come for one or several visits, the duration of which cannot exceed 90 days in any 180-day period. The short stay visa can be extended only in exceptional cases for a maximum of another 90 days in the 180-day period. The validity of the visa is extended by the Ministry of the Interior if the foreign national concerned cannot leave the Slovak Republic due to a natural disaster, on humanitarian grounds or due to a serious personal reason.
Schengen visa is a short stay visa, which can be issued for one or multiple entries. In case you have been granted a single entry visa, you cannot use the same visa to re-enter the Schengen area. If you have been granted multiple entry visas, you can enter and leave the Schengen area repeatedly during the period of its validity and permitted duration of stay.
Read more information on visa procedures and the description of the Schengen visa.
If you plan a stay in Slovakia for longer than 90 days, you will need to apply for a temporary residence. The application procedures vary depending on where you decide to apply for the temporary residence and on the fact whether you need a visa to enter Slovakia.
Read more information on temporary residence and check if you need a visa to enter Slovakia (or Schengen Area in general).
Hosting agreement is a tool facilitating faster and easier entry procedures related to the legal stay of third country researchers who want to carry out research and development activities in the EU. It is the main supporting document in the application for the temporary residence for the purpose of research and development.
Read more information on Hosting agreement.
Read more information on the application procedure for the renewal of temporary residence.
See what this means, more information and contacts.
Read more on the procedures that apply to your family members in case they come from a third country.
In March 2026, the results of the MSCA Doctoral Networks 2025 call were announced. Under this call, the European Commission has received 1,616 applications, of which 141 projects were selected – among them 8 Joint Doctorates and 5 Industrial Doctorates, to train around 2,115 doctoral candidates in
The 2026 call for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships is now open under Horizon Europe, offering a total budget of €399.05 million. This flagship programme continues to support postdoctoral researchers worldwide in advancing their careers through international mobility
Postdoctoral Fellowships offer researchers holding a PhD the opportunity to acquire new skills through advanced training and international, interdisciplinary, and inter-sectoral mobility. The 2026 call for the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships is open as of 9 April 2026 -
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Your official documents may be translated by a sworn translator in Slovakia or a Slovak embassy consular department. You need to contact the territorially competent Slovak embassy /consulate general in order to receive a detailed on the possibility of getting a document translated.
Read more information and find a contact.
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The Social security coverage is based on your occupational activity, not the residence. Health insurance in Slovakia is not included in the scope of social insurance.
Read more information on the social security system in Slovakia.
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Legal and physical entities with offices in the Slovak Republic active in R&D are integrated into the following sectors: the higher education sector, the state sector, the private sector and the non‑profit sector.
See the overview of institutions.
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Read about the direct and indirect taxes in Slovakia.
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You will need to meet several conditions and provide information, which varies across banks. You need to provide one or two identification documents, while one of them must include a photo and the residence address. You may be asked for information about the correspondence address and in some banks for your residence permit. An application form may be requested to be filled in. Deposit of a minimum balance might be required as well as a certificate of tax payer´s residence. The opening of the account is for free.
Read more on banks and currency in Slovakia.
NOTE:In case of any issues faced with opening a bank account in a traditional bank, some international fellows open the bank account viahttps://www.revolut.com/
A driving licence issued in another EU/EEA country authorises the holder to drive motor vehicles of the categories indicated in it when in the Slovak Republic, regardless of the type of stay in the country. In case a foreign national is residing permanently in another country that has signed the Geneva or Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (done in 1968 and in 1949), he/she may only drive a motor vehicle in Slovakia if being holder of a driving licence issued by the country of residence together with a valid international driving licence.
Read more on the regulations regarding driving licence and traffic regulations.