Short answer
To live in Slovakia for more than 90 days, a citizen of a country outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland needs a temporary residence permit for one purpose: employment, study, family reunification, business or another purpose set by law. You usually apply in person at a Slovak embassy, and at a Foreign Police department in Slovakia only where the law allows it. You need a valid passport, a document proving the purpose and a criminal record extract. The fee is €250 for employment, €200 for family reunification and nothing for study. The police decide within 90 days (60 for employment, 30 in some cases). Once you have your residence card, you must be health insured within 3 working days and, in most cases, hand in a medical certificate within 30 days.
Who is this article for?
This guide is for citizens of non-EU and non-EEA countries - such as Ukraine, Serbia, India, the USA, Vietnam or Colombia - who want to live in Slovakia legally for more than 90 days.
Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland do not need a residence permit. If they stay longer than three months, they register their residence with the Foreign Police.
Types of temporary residence
Act No. 404/2011 Coll. on the Residence of Foreigners ties temporary residence to a specific purpose. The most common types:
After 5 years of continuous legal residence, you may apply for long-term residence - a form of permanent residence (EU long-term resident status). Time spent on a study residence counts only half, and you cannot apply while you hold a study residence.
New since 15 July 2025: Applicants for long-term residence must prove knowledge of Slovak at A2 level by passing a language exam at a language school or a public university. There are exemptions, for example for children under 14 and for people who studied in Slovak for at least two school or academic years, if no more than five years have passed since.
How much does it cost?
The fees are set by Act No. 145/1995 Coll. on Administrative Fees (item 24 at the Foreign Police, item 242 at an embassy). The amounts are the same at both, except business:
- ·Permanent residence (including long-term residence): €250
- ·Residence card: €10 if issued within 30 days, €39 within 2 working days
- ·Under 18: no fee for a temporary or permanent residence application or its renewal
What you will need
The exact list depends on the purpose of your stay, but these are almost always required:
- ·Valid passport (original + copy)
- ·Document proving the purpose of stay - see the list by purpose below
- ·Criminal record extract from the country of your citizenship and from every country where you stayed more than 90 days within 6 consecutive months in the last 3 years (not needed for children under 14)
- ·Proof of accommodation - a rental agreement or confirmation from the property owner (university students do not need it)
- ·Proof of financial security - attached only by business applicants (see below). Since July 2025 other applicants do not attach it, but at a residence check they must be able to show the subsistence minimum (€295.22 a month since July 2026) for each remaining month of stay, at most a year ahead (half for minors)
Not needed for a first application: health insurance (you take it out after collecting your residence card - see below) and, since July 2025, a passport photo.
Documents by purpose
- ·Employment: your employer asks the labour office for a confirmation that the job can be filled; the labour office usually sends it straight to the embassy or police. Since 15 July 2026, anything missing from an employment application must be added within 15 days, or the police stop the proceedings.
- ·Study: a confirmation from the school that you have been accepted or are studying there.
- ·Family reunification: a marriage or birth certificate; the family member you are joining must hold residence in Slovakia.
- ·Business: a business plan, which the Ministry of Economy assesses, and a bank confirmation of at least 12 times the subsistence minimum (€3,542.64). You also need a separate business account holding 20 times the subsistence minimum for a sole trader (€5,904.40) or 100 times for a company executive (€29,522).
For the purpose-specific details, see the full checklist at mic.iom.sk.
Important: All documents in a foreign language must be officially translated into Slovak by a sworn translator. Foreign public documents, such as the criminal record extract, need an apostille or superlegalisation, unless a treaty says otherwise. Documents must not be older than 90 days (a few, such as a university diploma, may be older).
Health insurance - when and how to prove it
Health insurance is not an attachment to a first temporary-residence application, and the police will not refuse to accept your application without it. The law requires that you:
- ·take out health insurance no later than 3 working days after collecting your residence card and can prove it at a residence check (fine up to €1,600)
- ·for business, special activity, research and development or family reunification, and as a long-term resident of another EU state: hand proof of insurance to the police within 30 days of collecting the card (if you are already insured when applying, you can attach it to the application)
- ·when renewing: attach a document not older than 90 days proving health insurance during your stay (not required for employment and study)
The law accepts a confirmation in your name that you are health insured in Slovakia or have insured reimbursement of treatment costs in Slovakia; it sets no minimum sum, so emergency cover is enough (details). Public health insurance counts too - for example, if you work for an employer with a seat or establishment in Slovakia and earn at least the minimum wage.
Through klido.sk you can take out insurance with Union poisťovňa, a.s. online: Simple costs €34 for 1 month, €193 for 6 months and €327 for 12 months. Choose a start date so that you are insured no later than 3 working days after collecting your card. Union sends you the insurance confirmation for the Foreign Police by e-mail once the premium is paid, and you will also find it in your klido account. More in our guide to health insurance for a residence permit.
Where and how to apply
By default, you apply in person at a Slovak embassy abroad - the one accredited for the country that issued your passport or where you live. The embassy also interviews you.
You can apply at the Foreign Police in Slovakia only in the cases set out by law - for example if you are a national of a country whose citizens do not need a visa, hold a Slovak national visa or have temporary protection in Slovakia. A first application for a business residence can never be filed at the police. If in doubt, ask the embassy or the police.
A first application can be booked at any Foreign Police department; a renewal is handled by the department for the place where you live. Addresses and contacts for all departments can be found at minv.sk.
Examples:
- ·Bratislava: Račianska ul. 62
- ·Košice, Banská Bystrica, Žilina, Trnava and others - each region has its own office
Booking is mandatory. Book an appointment through the Ministry of Interior reservation system at minv.sk - without one, the police will not handle your application. Book well in advance.
What to watch out for when applying
- ·Documents must be complete - if anything is missing, neither the embassy nor the police will accept the application (they tell you in writing what to add) and you will need a new appointment
- ·Documents must not be older than 90 days
- ·Bring a valid passport - without it, the application is not accepted. Ask the embassy or the police how long it must still be valid.
How long does it take?
The police decide within 90 days. Shorter deadlines apply, counted from a complete application:
- ·60 days for employment
- ·30 days, for example, for a special activity, research and development, Slovaks living abroad, jobs in occupations with a labour shortage and staff of significant foreign investors
Since 15 July 2026, study has the standard 90 days (it used to be 30). How long it takes in practice varies - ask the police or the embassy.
If you filed a complete application at the Foreign Police in Slovakia, you may stay in Slovakia until it is decided.
Your residence card
- ·The police issue your residence card within 30 days: from the grant if you applied at the police, or from reporting the start of your stay if you applied at an embassy.
- ·If you applied at an embassy, report the start of your stay to the Foreign Police within 3 working days of entering Slovakia. If you do not enter Slovakia within 180 days of the grant, the residence lapses.
- ·The card costs €10 (or €39 within 2 working days). Ask the police whether you collect it in person or have it delivered to your address in Slovakia.
- ·Since 1 October 2026 you can also keep a digital copy of the card in the Ministry of Interior's mobile app. It cannot be used at border checks or in residence proceedings.
After you get your card: deadlines
You must also spend more than half of each calendar year of your temporary residence in Slovakia (this does not apply to research and development). Not being insured or not handing in the medical certificate can be fined up to €1,600; most reporting duties up to €300.
Renewing your permit
The permit must be renewed before it expires. The renewal application is filed at the Foreign Police department for the place where you live - in person or through the Ministry of Interior's online service - at the latest on the last day your residence is valid; ideally apply at least 30 days in advance. An online application is accepted only with a valid passport and all attachments. For employment, the labour office must send a new confirmation. Until the renewal is decided, your stay counts as legal.
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- ·1 July 2025: no passport photo; proof of funds attached only for business; a first business application only at an embassy, granted for 3 years.
- ·15 July 2025: Slovak at A2 level for long-term residence.
- ·15 July 2026: study is decided within 90 days instead of 30; online renewals only with all attachments; missing employment documents within 15 days; holders of an employment residence report unemployment within 7 working days.
- ·1 October 2026: a digital residence card in the Ministry of Interior's app.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a residence permit in Slovakia cost? €250 for employment, €200 for family reunification, €350 for business (at an embassy) and nothing for study, plus €10 for the residence card. A renewal costs less, for example €140 for employment. People under 18 pay no fee.
How long does it take to get a residence permit? The police decide within 90 days, within 60 days for employment and within 30 days in some cases, counted from a complete application. Then the card is issued within 30 days.
Do I need health insurance to apply? Not for a first temporary residence. You must be insured within 3 working days of collecting your card. For business, special activity, research and family reunification you also hand in proof within 30 days, and a renewal needs a confirmation not older than 90 days (except employment and study).
Can I apply from inside Slovakia? Only in the cases the law allows, for example if your country's citizens do not need a visa or you hold a Slovak national visa. Otherwise you apply at a Slovak embassy, and a first business application always at an embassy.
Can I stay in Slovakia while the police decide? If you filed a complete application at the Foreign Police in Slovakia, yes. If you applied for a renewal in time, your stay counts as legal until the decision.
Step-by-step summary
Sources
- ·Act No. 404/2011 Coll. on the Residence of Foreigners, as in force from 1 October 2026
- ·Act No. 145/1995 Coll. on Administrative Fees, items 24 and 242
- ·Ministry of Interior: Foreign Police departments and booking system
- ·IOM Migration Information Centre