Moving to Slovakia

Granted by the police on the basis of a labour office confirmation that the vacancy can be filled, or of a work permit, or without either where the Employment Services Act exempts the worker (Act No. 404/2011 § 23(1)-(2)). The labour office confirms the vacancy only if no registered jobseeker can fill it, and takes the labour-market situation into account (Act No. 5/2004 § 21b(6)); it does not for, among other cases, an occupation on the quarterly list of occupations with a labour shortage in the region, where the employer employs fewer than 45 percent third-country nationals (§ 21b(7)(f)). The application needs a clean criminal record and accommodation for at least 6 months; the Act asks for proof of funds only from business applicants (Act No. 404/2011 § 32(2), (8)). Granted for the expected period of employment, up to 5 years (§ 23(3)); a renewal must be filed by the last day of the current permit (§ 34(2)). The police decide within 60 days of a complete application, or within 30 days for a shortage occupation where the employer meets the statutory condition (§ 33(8)). After 5 years of continuous lawful residence a third-country national may be granted long-term residence, a form of permanent residence, which also requires proof of Slovak language (§ 42(2)(c), § 52(1)(a), (7)). Citizenship may be granted, at the ministry's discretion, after 8 years of continuous permanent residence, or after 10 years of continuous residence if permanent residence is already held when applying (Act No. 40/1993 § 7(1)(a), (2)(g)).

Requires a higher professional qualification, shown by a recognised university degree or, for the ICT manager and specialist occupations in Annex 3, by skills gained over at least 3 of the 7 years before applying (Act No. 404/2011 § 37(5)). The monthly wage must be at least 1.2 times the average monthly wage in the Slovak economy published by the Statistical Office for the previous calendar year, or 1 times it for someone who graduated no more than 3 years before applying (§ 37(3)); the law ties the threshold to that published figure, so no euro amount is stated here. The employer must first obtain a labour office confirmation for the highly qualified vacancy, issued within 15 working days; its conditions include an employment agreed for at least 6 months and do not include a labour-market test (Act No. 5/2004 § 21a(1), (4)). The application needs a clean criminal record and proof of accommodation (§ 38(5)), and the police decide within 30 days (§ 38(7)). Issued for 5 years, or for the confirmation's validity plus 90 days, up to 5 years (§ 37(2)). Reunited family members of a Blue Card holder may be employed at once, without the 9-month wait other reunited family members have (Act No. 5/2004 § 23a(1)(c)). Long-term residence after 5 years in the EU as a Blue Card holder, the last 2 in Slovakia (§ 52(1)(c)). Citizenship may be granted, at the ministry's discretion, after 8 years of continuous permanent residence, or after 10 years of continuous residence if permanent residence is already held when applying (Act No. 40/1993 § 7(1)(a), (2)(g)).

For a person who does or will do business in Slovakia as a natural person, or who acts or will act on behalf of a commercial company or cooperative and is not its employee (Act No. 404/2011 § 22(1)). The purpose is shown by a business plan on the Ministry of Economy's template with documents showing the business is feasible and sustainable, or by a plan for an innovative project (§ 32(5)(a)). Two money tests apply, each a multiple of the subsistence minimum: funds for the stay of 12 times it in a bank account in the applicant's name (§ 32(6), (14)), and business funds in a separate bank account opened for the business of 20 times it for a natural person, 100 times for someone acting for a company, or 40 times for someone acting for a company with an innovative-project plan (§ 32(7)). With the subsistence minimum at EUR 295.22 from 1 July 2026 (Measure No. 155/2026 Z. z.) those are about EUR 3,543, EUR 5,904, EUR 29,522 and EUR 11,809. Also a clean criminal record, accommodation for at least 6 months, and proof of health insurance within 30 days of collecting the residence document (§ 32(2), (8), (9)). Granted for 3 years (§ 22(2)); a renewal must be filed by the last day of the permit and needs, for the previous tax period, taxable business income above a statutory amount for a natural person, or tax paid at a statutory minimum for someone acting for a company (§ 34(2), (5), (6)). The police decide within 90 days, or 30 days for an innovative project (§ 33(8)). After 5 years of continuous lawful residence a third-country national may be granted long-term residence, a form of permanent residence, which also requires proof of Slovak language (§ 42(2)(c), § 52(1)(a), (7)). Citizenship may be granted, at the ministry's discretion, after 8 years of continuous permanent residence, or after 10 years of continuous residence if permanent residence is already held when applying (Act No. 40/1993 § 7(1)(a), (2)(g)).

For a full-time secondary-school pupil under 20 when applying (under 23 for some post-secondary programmes), a university student, or a participant in language or professional preparation for university study organised by a Slovak university (Act No. 404/2011 § 24(1)). The purpose is shown by the school's confirmation of admission (§ 32(5)(c)). The application needs a clean criminal record, except from a secondary-school pupil (§ 32(2)(b), (3)), and proof of accommodation, except from a university student (§ 32(2)(e)); the Act asks for proof of funds only from business applicants (§ 32(2)(c)). Granted for the expected length of study, up to 6 years (§ 24(2)); the student may also run a business (§ 24(3)). Without a work permit a student may be employed for up to 80 hours a month in total at university, or 40 hours at secondary school (Act No. 5/2004 § 23a(1)(e)). After finishing university studies a graduate may have the permit renewed for 9 months to look for work or start a business (Act No. 404/2011 § 34(1)(b)), and a graduate of a Slovak secondary school or university who is lawfully resident may be employed without a labour office confirmation or work permit (Act No. 5/2004 § 23a(1)(t)). The spouse and children of a student may join on family reunification, but not the student's parents (§ 27(1)-(3)). A study-permit holder cannot apply for long-term residence, and study time counts at half its length toward the 5 years later required (§ 52(2)(f), (5)(a)), which is why the PR and citizenship fields are empty.

For a family member of a third-country national who holds temporary or permanent residence in Slovakia: a spouse, where both spouses are at least 18; an unmarried child under 18 of either spouse; an unmarried dependent child over 18 who cannot look after themselves because of long-term ill health; or a parent of either spouse who depends on the sponsor's care and lacks proper family support in the country they come from, though not the parent of a student (Act No. 404/2011 § 27(1)-(3)). The tie is shown by civil-status documents, and the sponsor must show shared accommodation (§ 32(5)(n), (8), (11)); the applicant needs a clean criminal record and must hand in proof of health insurance within 30 days of collecting the residence document (§ 32(2)(b), (9)). Granted until the sponsor's residence ends, up to 5 years (§ 27(5)). A reunited family member may run a business, except an adult dependent child or a parent (§ 27(6)), and may be employed without a work permit after 9 months of continuous residence, or at once if the sponsor holds an EU Blue Card (Act No. 5/2004 § 23a(1)(c)). After 5 years of continuous lawful residence a third-country national may be granted long-term residence, a form of permanent residence, which also requires proof of Slovak language (§ 42(2)(c), § 52(1)(a), (7)). The family of a Slovak citizen use a different route: the spouse, or a dependent relative in the direct line, of a Slovak citizen with permanent residence in Slovakia is granted permanent residence for 5 years straight away (§ 43(1)(a)) and may be employed without a work permit (Act No. 5/2004 § 23a(1)(d)), and a spouse may be granted citizenship after 5 years of marriage lived in a common household in Slovakia while holding a residence permit (Act No. 40/1993 § 7(2)(a)). For everyone else citizenship may be granted, at the ministry's discretion, after 8 years of continuous permanent residence, or after 10 years of continuous residence if permanent residence is already held when applying (Act No. 40/1993 § 7(1)(a), (2)(g)).

May be issued by the Office for Slovaks Living Abroad to a person without permanent residence in Slovakia who is not a Slovak citizen, keeps a Slovak national consciousness, and who, or a direct-line ancestor of whom, has Slovak nationality - národnosť, meaning ethnic affiliation, not citizenship (Act No. 474/2005 § 2(a)); the Act sets no limit on the number of generations. The applicant must not have been finally convicted of an intentional crime and must not carry on activity harmful to the interests of the Slovak Republic (§ 7(2)). Slovak nationality is shown by an official document such as a birth or baptismal certificate, a civil-register extract, or a certificate of citizenship or of permanent residence that records nationality (§ 7(3)); national consciousness by the applicant's statement of the results of their public activity, or by the written testimony of a compatriot organisation where they live or, if there is none, of at least two Slovaks living abroad in the same state (§ 7(4)). Apply at the Office or at a Slovak embassy or consulate in the state of residence; the Office decides within 60 days of a complete application (§ 7(6), (8)). A certificate holder who is a third-country national is granted temporary residence for 5 years (Act No. 404/2011 § 29(1)-(2)), may run a business (§ 29(3)) and may be employed without a work permit or labour office confirmation (Act No. 5/2004 § 23a(1)(g), (2)). Long-term residence after 5 years of continuous lawful residence, without the Slovak language proof (Act No. 404/2011 § 52(1)(a), (7)(b)). Citizenship may be granted, at the ministry's discretion, after 3 years of continuous residence in Slovakia, without the language test (Act No. 40/1993 § 7(1)(h), (3)(a)). The certificate lapses once used for its purpose or when the holder is granted permanent residence (Act No. 474/2005 § 9(1)).