Visa
Schengen Visa 
National Visa

Visa

Depending on your nationality, you might (or might not) be obliged to apply for a visa before travelling to Slovakia. The type of visa you need depends on the purpose and length of your stay. Before submitting your application, we recommend you to contact the territorially competent Slovak embassy/consulate general, which will provide you with detailed and up‑to‑date information regarding the visa requirements. Before visiting the embassy/consulate in person, we recommend to contact them by telephone or e‑mail and arrange an appointment.

A list of countries the citizens of which do not need visas to enter Slovakia (Schengen Area) 

Schengen visa

A Schengen visa (type “C”) is a short‑term visa issued by any country in the Schengen Area. It enables you to enter the territory of Schengen countries for one or several visits, the duration of which cannot exceed 90 days in any 180‑day period. Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania recognise Schengen visas (valid for two or multiple entries) as equal to their national visas for the purpose of transit or a planned stay not exceeding 90 days within any 180‑day period.

The date of entry is the first day of stay in the territory of a Schengen Member State and the day of leaving is the last day of such stay. The duration of stay authorised by a temporary residence is not included in the duration of a visa validity. The term “any” (in the expression “within any 180‑day period”) implies that a 180‑day period, looking backward, is considered on any day of your stay (the day of entry or the day of the inspection), in order to verify, whether your stay in the Schengen Area did not exceed 90 days in those 180 days. The absence from the Schengen area for a period of 90 consecutive days enables a new stay for the period of 90 days. When examining the compliance with the rule of 90/180 days under Schengen visa, a stay in the countries that are not members of the Schengen area is disregarded (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the United Kingdom). On the contrary, stays in Schengen countries outside the EU – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are taken into account. In order to calculate the period of stay in the territory of Schengen countries and to check the compliance with the 90/180 rule, it is possible to use a Visa calculator (ec.europa.eu), alternatively another Visa calculator (schengenvisainfo.com).

You can apply for a visa 3 months prior to your planned trip at the earliest. The decision‑making procedure shall not take longer than 15 calendar days from submitting your application, however, in exceptional cases, it may take up to 60 days. The decision should be issued within 10 calendar days (or a maximum 30 days) in case of nationals of those countries that have signed visa facilitation agreements with the European Union (Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cape Verde, Georgia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine). Nationals of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine do not need visas if they are holders of biometric passports. The decision should be issued within 10 days also when the applicant is a family member of a EU/EEA citizen.

The validity of the granted visa or of the duration of stay may be extended, if the visa holder proves serious personal reasons. The applicant shall pay a fee of 30 € for the extension. The visa validity can be extended for free, if the holder proves force majeure or humanitarian reasons, preventing him from leaving the country before the expiry of the visa or the authorised duration of stay. The visa extension shall take the form of a visa sticker. Visa may not be extended to more than 90 days. Therefore, if you were granted a visa for 90 days, it is basically not possible to extend its validity.

In general, when applying for a Schengen visa, foreign nationals have to submit the following:

Completed form “Application for Schengen Visa”: 

• The application must be signed by the applicant;
• recent full-face colour photograph 3 × 3.5 cm;
• valid travel document (passport), which must be valid for at least 3 months longer than the expected day of leaving the Schengen Area, it must have been issued within the previous 10 years and it must contain at least 2 blank pages;
• documents demonstrating the purpose of the planned stay (e.g. confirmation on acceptance for studies, invitation letter, letter of award, hosting agreement, etc.);
• proof of accommodation, e.g. letter of award or hosting agreement in case they specify accommodation provided, voucher/reservation confirming hotel accommodation, personal letter of invitation confirming that the applicant will be staying at the inviting person’s place,other documents;
• documents confirming sufficient means of subsistence, e.g. cash in a freely convertible currency; bank account statement confirming regular income (salary, pension);

Note: No general amount of funds to cover the costs of living is prescribed at the European level, but the funds must be sufficient for the duration and purpose of stay and costs of living in the final country of destination or Schengen area countries. At present, you might be requested to prove the financial resources in the amount of 56  €/person/day for the duration of your stay as stated in the visa at the Slovak border.

• documents enabling an assessment of the applicant’s intention to leave the Schengen territory before the expiry of the visa applied for (e.g. a return plane/bus/train ticket);
• travel medical insurance – insurance must cover all costs that may arise in connection with the repatriation of the applicant to his/her home country due to health problems, urgent medical treatment, emergency hospital treatment or death. Travel insurance must be valid for all Schengen Member States and for the entire duration of applicant’s stay. The minimum insurance coverage of 30,000  € is required;
• other documents – for the purposes of the visa application procedure, the embassy or consulate general may ask foreign nationals to submit other documents in order to verify the declared purpose of the visit and applicant’s intention to return to his/her home country or the country of his/her residence.

Family members of EU/EEA/Swiss nationals shall only submit a completed application form, a valid travel document (passport), a document confirming their family relationship with the EU/EEA citizen and a document proving their dependency, if necessary.

Visa application fee: 60  €

The application fee of 35  € applies to the nationals of those third countries that have signed the Visa Facilitation Agreement with the European Union:

Albania (holders of non-biometric passports)
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bosnia and Herzegovina (holders of non-biometric passports)
Cape Verde
Georgia (holders of non-biometric passports)
Macedonia (holders of non-biometric passports)
Moldova (holders of non-biometric passports)
Montenegro (holders of non-biometric passports)
Russian Federation
Serbia (holders of non-biometric passports)
Ukraine (holders of non-biometric passports)

The fees shall be paid in a freely convertible currency or in the national currency of the third country, in which the application has been filed.

No administrative fees are charged for a visa application filed by a third country national who is a family member of an EU/EEA national and exercises his/her right of free movement.

National visa

A national (long‑term) visa (type “D”) can be granted:

•      if it is necessary for granting a residence permit in Slovakia;
•      for language education in a language school (the applicant must be at least 15 years old and the 
       tuition must take at least 25 hours weekly);
•      if it is necessary to fulfil Slovakia’s commitments under international treaties;
•      if it is for the benefit of the Slovak Republic.

The visa is issued for stays longer than 90 days, for a maximum of one year. If it is issued for granting a residence in Slovakia, it is issued for 90 days. In case of the language education, its validity is limited to 31 July of the respective academic year. If the foreigner is allowed to stay longer than for a year, the national visa will be replaced by a temporary residence before the day of its expiry. The long‑term visa holders are allowed to travel to other Schengen member states (outside the border of the state which issued the visa); however, the number of days spent in those states cannot exceed 90 in any 180‑days period.

The embassy/consulate will decide on granting a national visa within 30 days of submission of the application.

When applying for a national visa the applicant must submit the following documents:

•      completed form“Application for National Visa”;
•      valid travel document (passport);
•      recent full‑face colour photograph 3 × 3,5 cm,
•      document demonstrating the purpose of the planned stay (e.g. confirmation of acceptance for
       language education, confirmation on acceptance for studies, invitation letter, letter of award,
       hosting agreement, etc.);
•      proof of medical insurance;
•      other documents may be requested by the embassy/consulate only in case the documents submitted are not sufficient for granting a national visa.

Visa application fee: 33  €

In case of applying for a national visa in order to collect an already granted temporary residence in Slovakia, the fee is charged in the amount of 9.50  €.

The fee shall be paid in the freely convertible currency or in the national currency of the third country, in which the application has been filed.

No administrative fees are charged for a visa application filed by a third country national who is a family member of an EU/EEA/Swiss national and exercises his/her right of free movement.

Note: In case of applying for a national visa even though if you intend to apply for a temporary residence in Slovakia, keep in mind to bring all the documents required for the residence permit application with you. Documents necessary for temporary residence permit are being checked also when applying for national visa at the Slovak embassy/consulate.

Invitation

Visa applicants may be asked to enclose an official invitation verified by a police authority to their Schengen visa application. It is necessary to check this obligation with the Slovak embassy/consulate in your home country, or Slovak embassy territorially competent for your home country. The invitation can be replaced by a Hosting Agreement in the case of a research stay.

Note: Invitation in the Schengen visa granting procedure is not the same document as an invitation letter (acceptance letter), in which a hosting institution agrees with carrying out of a fellowship/research stay or an invitation to an education/research event.

The request to verify an invitation must be submitted by an inviting person:

•      Slovak citizen with a permanent residence in Slovakia or a foreigner with a permanent or
       temporary residence in Slovakia;
•      organisation/company with its seat in Slovakia.

A request must be submitted using an official form, at a Foreign Police department corresponding to the inviting person’s place of residence or to the seat of the inviting organisation. The inviting person has to submit:

•      completed “Application for Verification of an Invitation”;
•      valid ID;
•      document declaring the purpose of the invitation – e.g. being a relative of the invited person;
       business licence of the inviting person; business or other labour relationships; organisation of a
       cultural, sportive or scientific event (invitation from an organisation or an organiser, programme
       of the event); study or other form of education; provision of health care, etc.;
•      document proving the ability of the inviting person to cover all expenses related to the stay and
       travel of the invited person. A bank account balance statement of the inviting person, issued by
      a bank, shall prove the financial capacity. The account balance must be at least 12‑times the
       subsistence minimum (214.83  € in 2020) and 56 € for each day of the invited person’s stay. If
      the inviting person invites more people, he/she shall demonstrate the ability to cover 12‑times
       the subsistence minimum only once (only on behalf of himself/herself),
       and the amount of 56 € for each invited person;
•      document proving the provision of accommodation for the invitee.

Documents submitted with the application cannot be older than 90 days (except for a document proving a family relationship). The police officer in charge will carry out an interview with the inviting person concerning the relation with the invited person, the purpose of his/her stay, etc.

Fee for the request to verify an invitation: 33  €

The Foreign Police department issues a confirmation upon submission of the request and verifies the invitation within 15 days. The verified invitation is valid for 90 days.