AKMV 
- Who Can Be Granted Long-term Residence?
- Who Cannot Apply for Long-term Residence?
- Application for Long-term Residence
- Proof of Slovak Language Proficiency from 15.07.2025
- Decision Time for Long-term Residence of a Foreigner in Slovakia
- When is Long-term Residence Denied?
- When Does Long-term Residence Expire?
- Revocation of Long-term Residence
- Examination of Foreigners for Foreigners' Police / Medical Report for Foreigners
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Act No. 404/2011 Coll. on the Residence of Foreigners essentially distinguishes three types of permanent residence for third-country nationals. The first is permanent residence granted for five years, the second is permanent residence for an indefinite period, and the third is so-called long-term residence, which a foreigner – a third-country national – may apply for, for example, if they have had temporary residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic for the past five years.
Who Can Be Granted Long-term Residence?
Long-term residence can be granted to a foreigner under § 52(1) of the Foreigners’ Residence Act:
- a) Who has been lawfully and continuously residing in the territory of the Slovak Republic for five years immediately prior to submitting the application.
- b) Whose long-term residence has expired under § 55(e) (or § 56(b), (c), or (d)).
- c) Who has had a lawful, continuous residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic or member states for five years as a holder of a blue card, another residence permit for the purpose of highly qualified employment, a residence permit for research and development, a residence permit for study purposes, as a person with international protection status, or as a holder of a residence permit for family reunification with a blue card holder, and has been residing in the territory of the Slovak Republic as a blue card holder or as a family member of a blue card holder for at least two years immediately prior to submitting the application. (a) Who has been lawfully and continuously residing in the territory of the Slovak Republic for five years immediately prior to submitting the application.
- b) Whose long-term residence has expired under § 55(e) (or § 56(b), (c), or (d)).
- c) Who has had a lawful, continuous residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic or member states for five years as a holder of a blue card, another residence permit for the purpose of highly qualified employment, a residence permit for research and development, a residence permit for study purposes, as a person with international protection status, or as a holder of a residence permit for family reunification with a blue card holder, and has been residing in the territory of the Slovak Republic as a blue card holder or as a family member of a blue card holder for at least two years immediately prior to submitting the application.)
Changes Effective from 15.07.2024
According to the explanatory report on the amendment to Act No. 160/2024 Coll.:
“The proposed amendment is based on Article 18(2) and (3) of Directive (EU) 2021/1883. This provision allows a blue card holder to accumulate periods of residence in the territory of member states and in the territory of the Slovak Republic, where the total duration exceeding five years (at least two years in the Slovak Republic as a blue card holder) is a condition for granting long-term residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic.
At the same time, a condition was added to paragraph 5 that allows for the counting of the duration of continuous residence for study purposes in the territory of member states at half the length.”
While citizens of European Union countries obtain permanent residence immediately (without the requirement of several years of temporary residence) (for more details, see our article on Residence of EU Foreigners in Slovakia), the condition for obtaining permanent residence for third-country nationals is a minimum of 5 years of temporary residence in the territory of Slovakia. Another condition is that this long-term residence must directly follow the period of five years of temporary residence. It is not possible, for example, to have been granted temporary residence for a total of 5 years and then, after several months or years, apply for long-term residence. A blue card holder may also apply for long-term residence under the above conditions. Certain specifics regarding the calculation of this five-year period are outlined in § 52 of the Foreigners’ Residence Act.
According to § 2 of the Foreigners’ Residence Act, continuous residence means the time spent on the basis of a granted residence permit, which starts from the day of entry; the period of imprisonment and any continuous time spent by the foreigner abroad for more than 180 days are not counted toward the continuous residence, unless otherwise provided by law.
Long-term Residence Based on At Least 5 Years of Residence – § 1(a)
The following periods are included in the calculation of continuous residence under § 1(a):
- a) The period of temporary residence for the purpose of study or the period of temporary residence under § 25(1)(d) to (f) in the territory of the Slovak Republic, counted at half its length,
- b) A period of no more than six consecutive months and no more than a total of ten months during which the third-country national resided outside the territory of the Slovak Republic after notifying the police department,
- c) The period from the submission of the application for asylum until the decision on the granting of asylum or the provision of subsidiary protection.
Please note that if long-term residence is granted in another member state, the foreigner’s long-term residence in Slovakia will expire. Likewise, if they reside outside the territory of the Slovak Republic for a certain period, their long-term residence will be revoked.
Please note under § 52 of the Foreigners’ Residence Act that the period of continuous residence of five years immediately before the submission of the application does not include the period of residence of a third-country national under paragraph 2(g), (h), or (i). (This includes a third-country national with temporary residence for the purpose of seasonal employment, those residing in the territory of the Slovak Republic under § 23(6)(b), (c), or those enjoying privileges and immunities in the territory of the Slovak Republic under international law.)
Long-term Residence – § 1(c)
Effective from 15.07.2024, the following periods will be counted towards continuous residence under § 1(c):
- a) A maximum of 12 consecutive months and a total of 18 months during which the third-country national resided outside the territory of the member states, or
- b) A residence permit for the purpose of study in the member states, counted at half its length.
Who Cannot Apply for Long-term Residence?
A foreigner cannot apply for long-term residence if they:
- Are an asylum seeker,
- Have tolerated residence (under § 58(3)),
- Have applied for temporary shelter,
- Are a displaced person,
- Have been granted temporary residence for the purpose of study,
- Have been granted temporary residence for special activities (under § 25(1)(d) to (f)),
- Have been granted temporary residence for seasonal employment,
- Are residing in the Slovak Republic (under § 23(6)(b), (c)),
- Enjoy privileges and immunities in the Slovak Republic according to international law.
Application for Long-term Residence
The application for long-term residence must be submitted in person at the relevant Foreigners’ Police department. The foreigner is required to submit the application personally, with the only exception being if they are incapacitated.
The application must be accompanied by the following documents:
- A valid travel document, without which the application will not be accepted,
- One color photograph with dimensions 3 x 3.5 cm showing their current appearance (until 14.07.2024, two copies were required),
- Proof of stable and regular resources for themselves and their family members to ensure they do not become a burden on the Slovak social assistance system (this can be demonstrated, for example, with an employment contract, a confirmation from the employer of the paid salary, a bank statement showing the account balance in their name, or a pension statement. In the case of family reunification, the spouse’s proof of financial and material security can be provided),
- Proof of accommodation,
- Proof of health insurance in the territory of Slovakia.
Stable and Regular Resources are demonstrated primarily by an employment contract, a confirmation from the employer of the paid salary, a bank statement showing the account balance in the third-country national’s name, or a pension statement. In the case of a family member who has been granted temporary residence for family reunification purposes, this condition may be fulfilled by a sworn declaration from the spouse, parent, or the person responsible for their care, stating that they will provide financial and material support to the third-country national during their stay in the Slovak Republic, along with the appropriate supporting document mentioned above. For example, for a wife’s or children’s application, a sworn declaration from the husband and a bank statement showing the balance on his personal account must be submitted.
Residence granted under the Foreigners’ Residence Act remains valid in the territory of the Slovak Republic until the decision on the long-term residence application is delivered, even after the original residence permit has expired.
Proof of Slovak Language Proficiency from 15.07.2025
The police department will grant long-term residence in the cases described at the beginning of the article (according to paragraph 1(a) and (c)) only if the third-country national proves their proficiency in the Slovak language according to § 54(4). This does not apply if the third-country national:
- a) Has not reached the age of 14 at the time of submitting the application,
- b) Has been granted temporary residence under § 29 (i.e., a third-country national who has been recognized as a Slovak living abroad),
- c) Proves that they obtained lower secondary education at a school where Slovak was the language of instruction, or
- d) Proves that they studied for at least two school years at a secondary school where Slovak was the language of instruction or at a university in a study program taught in Slovak, and no more than five years have passed since the completion of their studies.
Proficiency in the Slovak language is verified by successfully passing a language exam, with the language difficulty corresponding to level A2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Decision Time for Long-term Residence of a Foreigner in Slovakia
In this case, the police department has 90 days to make a decision, similar to the procedure for granting temporary residence.
When is Long-term Residence Denied?
The police department will reject the application for long-term residence if:
- a) The third-country national does not meet the conditions for granting long-term residence,
- b) There is reasonable suspicion that the third-country national will threaten state security or public order,
- c) The third-country national has had their asylum status revoked for reasons specified in a special regulation, or
- d) The third-country national’s subsidiary protection has not been extended or has been revoked for reasons specified in a special regulation.
When Does Long-term Residence Expire?
Long-term residence expires if:
- a) The third-country national formally renounces long-term residence,
- b) The third-country national has been sentenced to deportation,
- c) The third-country national has been administratively deported,
- d) The third-country national has acquired Slovak citizenship,
- e) The third-country national has been granted long-term residence in another member state,
- f) The police department cancels the third-country national’s long-term residence, or
- g) The third-country national dies or is declared deceased.
Revocation of Long-term Residence
The police department will revoke long-term residence if:
- a) It finds that the third-country national obtained long-term residence fraudulently,
- b) The third-country national has resided outside the territory of the Slovak Republic for more than six years,
- c) The third-country national under § 52(1)(a) and (b) has continuously resided outside the member states’ territories for 12 consecutive months,
- d) The third-country national under § 52(1)(c) or their family member under § 27(2) with granted long-term residence under § 52(1)(a) or (b) has continuously resided outside the member states’ territories for more than 24 consecutive months,
- e) The third-country national has had their asylum status revoked for reasons specified in a special regulation, if they obtained long-term residence based on granted asylum, or
- f) The third-country national’s subsidiary protection has not been extended or has been revoked for reasons specified in a special regulation, if they obtained long-term residence based on provided subsidiary protection.
§ 57: If the police department denies a third-country national’s application for long-term residence, revokes long-term residence, or if the long-term residence expires, and these circumstances do not lead to administrative deportation or the execution of a deportation sentence, the third-country national is entitled to remain in the territory of the Slovak Republic if they meet the conditions for residence under this law or a special regulation.
Examination of Foreigners for Foreigners’ Police / Medical Report for Foreigners
Examination of Foreigners in Zlaté Moravce – The examination for residence for the Foreigners’ Police is provided by AGEL Hospital Zlaté Moravce. The medical examination for foreigners can be done without an appointment.
Examination of Foreigners in Bratislava – This is available daily at the following address:
Poliklinika Ružinov, Agel Clinic, Ružinovská 10, Bratislava
- Examinations are conducted daily, including for larger groups of people
- 7:00 AM – 11:00 AM
- No appointment needed, but if you need a specific time, call 0948 350 123
- Payment can be made on-site in cash or by card
- All examinations are completed in one day
- The medical report will be issued within 7 working days
- The examination is available for individuals aged 15 and older. Younger children are examined only in Zlaté Moravce and Zvolen.
Examination of Foreigners in Košice – The examination is provided by AGEL Hospital Košice – Šaca.
- Examinations are held every Wednesday at 8:00 AM, and you can come without an appointment at the following address:
Nemocnica Agel Košice-Šaca, Lúčna 57, Diagnostic Center, 1st Floor - Payment can be made in cash or by card directly at the clinic
- All examinations are done in one day, X-rays are available directly at the clinic
- The medical report will be issued within 7 working days
- We are an authorized clinic for the Foreigners’ Police
- We examine children only in Nitra and Zvolen; in Košice, we examine only adults (aged 18 and older).
Examination of Foreigners in 12 Other Cities – Provided by Medical Control s.r.o.
Phone: 0948 350 123
