Work in Slovakia for foreigners

Yes. People with temporary protection (odídenci) have free access to the Slovak labor market — a separate work permit is not needed. You can get hired under a work contract or work based on a dohodou (agreement).

The employer is responsible for registration: they submit an "informačnú kartu" (information card) to the labor office — a notification about the employment of a foreigner. This is free of charge, and no separate application from you is required.

Check that the employer has actually submitted the informačnú kartu and signed a written contract — this is your protection regarding salary, contributions, and sick leave. Working "načierno" (without registration) is illegal and deprives you of social security contributions.

Conditions for labor market access for protected persons are explained on mic.iom.sk, and employer obligations are on the labor service website upsvr.gov.sk.

A work contract (pracovná zmluva, "TPP") represents a full employment relationship with maximum rights: paid vacation of at least 4 weeks, sick leave, notice period upon termination, severance pay, and full contributions to social and health insurance.

Dohoda is a simplified form for temporary or part-time work (dohoda o vykonaní práce, o pracovnej činnosti, for students — o brigádnickej práci). It is more flexible but offers less protection and fewer guarantees.

Regarding contributions, the difference is now small: social and health contributions are also paid from most dohôd (exceptions and thresholds mainly apply to students and pensioners). The main difference is stability and the scope of labor rights, not "tax savings."

The rules for both forms are laid down in the Labor Code (Zákonník práce); check the contribution rules for dohôd on the website of Social Insurance socpoist.sk and the Ministry of Labor employment.gov.sk.

In 2026, the minimum monthly wage for the first degree of work complexity is €915 gross — a historic increase of €99 (+12.1%) compared to €816 in 2025. The minimum hourly rate is approximately €5.259 for a 40-hour week.

"Take-home pay" from the minimum wage is around €729 — the rest consists of taxes and contributions. Higher minimum wage coefficients apply to more complex jobs.

In addition to the basic rate, the law guarantees supplements (mzdové príplatky) for work at night, on weekends and holidays, and for overtime work — these are tied to the minimum hourly rate. Specific percentages and amounts are updated annually.

Official confirmation of the amount for 2026 is on the Ministry of Labor website employment.gov.sk; detailed calculations of supplements are in the explanations from the labor service upsvr.gov.sk.

Paid vacation (dovolenka) under a work contract is at least 4 weeks per year (20 days). Employees aged 33 and over, or those caring for a child, are entitled to 5 weeks (25 days).

During sick leave (práceneschopnosť, PN), the first 10 days are paid by the employer: approximately 25% of the daily base for days 1-3 and 55% for days 4-10. From the 11th day, the payment (nemocenské) is covered by Social Insurance — approximately 55% of the daily assessment base.

These rights apply to work under a work contract; for dohôd, the scope of guarantees is narrower. Exact percentages and daily limits depend on your income and may be updated annually.

Check current sick leave rates and conditions for its processing on the Social Insurance website socpoist.sk; vacation rules are set out in the Labor Code (employment.gov.sk).

It all depends on the profession. For non-regulated professions, separate recognition is usually not required — the decision to hire is made by the employer based on your documents and experience.

For regulated professions (doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, some technical fields), official recognition of qualifications is required through a competent authority — often a relevant ministry or professional chamber, and for academic diploma recognition — the Center for Recognition of Educational Documents (Stredisko na uznávanie dokladov o vzdelaní, SUDV).

Documents are usually submitted with an official translation (úradný preklad), and sometimes with an apostille. For some professions, an additional exam is required or an adaptation period must be completed.

The list of regulated professions, competent authorities, and the recognition procedure are explained for Ukrainians on mic.iom.sk; general labor market access is on upsvr.gov.sk.