Work / Employment in Slovakia
2 documented routes of this kind in Slovakia, each with its conditions, documents, official government fees and process.
Temporary Residence for Employment (Single Permit)
Combined work-and-residence permit for third-country nationals with a Slovak job offer. The employer first secures a labour-office confirmation of the vacancy; the worker then files for residence for employment.
- Processing time
- 60 days (30 days for shortage professions where third-country nationals are under 45% of the employer's workforce)
- Validity
- Single permit max 2 years; temporary residence for employment max 5 years
- Language requirement
- None for the permit itself
- Permanent residence
- Eligible for EU long-term residence after 5 years of continuous legal residence
- Citizenship
- Naturalisation generally after 8 years of permanent residence
Requirements
- Valid passport
- Job offer / employment contract or binding promise from a Slovak employer
- Labour Office confirmation of the possibility to fill the vacancy (employer must report the vacancy at least 20 working days before requesting it, unless no labour-market test applies)
- Application filed within 180 days of the confirmation being issued
- Clean criminal record (not older than 90 days)
- Proof of accommodation (not older than 90 days)
- Recognition of qualifications for regulated professions
- Health insurance (concluded within 3 working days of collecting the card)
Required Documents
- Completed official Ministry of Interior application form required
- Valid passport required
- Labour Office confirmation of the possibility to fill a vacancy (serves as proof of purpose for single permit) required
- Criminal-record extract (apostilled/superlegalised, Slovak translation, not older than 90 days) required
- Proof of accommodation (not older than 90 days) required
- Proof of payment of the administrative fee required
- Medical report from a listed tropical-medicine clinic (within 30 days of collecting the card) required
- Qualification-recognition decision for regulated professions
Official fees
- Residence application fee 250 EUR
- Residence card issuance (standard, within 30 days) 10 EUR
- Residence card issuance (express, 2 business days) 39 EUR
Process Steps
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1
Employer reports the vacancy
The employer reports the job vacancy to the Labour Office at least 20 working days before requesting the confirmation (electronically via sluzbyzamestnanosti.gov.sk); the 20-day wait is waived where no labour-market test applies.
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2
Obtain vacancy confirmation
The employer requests the Labour Office confirmation of the possibility to fill the vacancy, attaching the employment contract/promise, qualification recognitions, ICT/shortage-occupation documents as relevant.
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3
File the residence application
Within 180 days of the confirmation, the applicant files the temporary residence for employment (single permit) application in person at a Slovak embassy accredited to their country (or at the Foreign Police if already holding a valid SK/EU permit). Fee EUR 250 plus card fee.
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4
Travel and register
After approval, enter Slovakia within 180 days, report the start of residence to the Foreign Police within 3 working days of arrival, conclude health insurance within 3 working days of collecting the card, and submit the medical report within 30 days.
Official Sources
Seasonal Worker / Work Permit
A standalone work permit (not the single permit) used for seasonal employment (max 90 days per 12 consecutive months), seafarers, family-reunion holders in their first 9 months, and EU long-term residents in their first 12 months. Issued free of charge by the Labour Office.
- Processing time
- 20 working days (10 working days if the person held a seasonal permit in the prior 5 years)
- Validity
- Seasonal employment max 90 days per 12 consecutive months
- Language requirement
- None
Requirements
- Employer reports the vacancy at least 10 working days before the application
- Employment contract or binding promise
- Application filed at the Labour Office competent for the place of work
- Accommodation document and proof of reasonable accommodation cost (seasonal)
- Health insurance (seasonal)
- Education-recognition decision for regulated professions
Required Documents
- Official work-permit form (in Slovak, signed) required
- Employment contract or binding job promise required
- Copy of residence document if held
- Accommodation document and proof of reasonable accommodation cost (seasonal) required
- Health insurance proof (seasonal) required
- Power of attorney if filed by the employer
- No-bankruptcy and no-pending-claims confirmations (employer-filed seasonal)
Official fees
- Work permit 0 EUR
Process Steps
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1
Employer reports the vacancy
The employer reports the vacancy at least 10 working days before the work-permit application.
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2
File the work-permit application
File at the Labour Office competent for the place of work (in person, by post, or via the employer with power of attorney), no earlier than 10 working days after the vacancy report.
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3
Employer notifies start/end
The employer must notify the Labour Office in writing within 7 working days of the start and end of employment (with a copy of the contract).