The Slovak government approved faster processing of changes to the law on the residence of foreigners (zákona o pobyte cudzincov). The goal is to reduce the burden on the police and simplify processes.
What will change:⬇️
1. Visas for third-country nationals
The official residence permit in Slovakia for citizens from countries outside the EU is extended from 90 to 120 days, to allow more time for online registration.
❗️Online registration is now MANDATORY. Without it, a visit to the police is not possible. The government expects this to "relieve" the police stations, which currently have long queues and conflicts.
2. Residence permit for entrepreneurship:
– Applications for a residence permit for entrepreneurship can only be submitted through Slovak embassies abroad, with no territorial exceptions.
– The permit will be issued immediately for 3 years, but only if a business plan is submitted, which will be evaluated by the Ministry of Economy for its benefit to the Slovak economy.
– All documents must be officially translated into Slovak.
– Foreigners who already have temporary residence can change it to an entrepreneurship permit ❗️only after 2 years of living in Slovakia – to prevent bypassing quotas.
– Quotas are being introduced for the number of applications per year – these will be set by the government and distributed among embassies depending on the situation in the countries.
In 2024, 10,256 applications for temporary residence for entrepreneurship were submitted, but from 2025, this number will be limited to 700 per year. Quotas will be distributed among embassies depending on the country, here is an approximate list of quota distribution:Kyiv and Uzhhorod (Ukraine) — 190 applications.Tbilisi (Georgia) — 68 applications.Astana (Kazakhstan) — 13 applications.Chisinau (Moldova) — 8 applications.Tashkent (Uzbekistan) — 7 applications.London (Great Britain) — 5 applicationsPrague (Czech Republic) — 1 application
The official list will be published after the final adoption of the law.
3. Less bureaucracy
– No photograph is needed – the police will take biometric data themselves.
– It is not necessary to translate the proof of finances (exception: for business and long-term residence).
– A certificate of the bank account balance is sufficient (not a 3-month statement, as before).
The changes are expected to take effect from July 1, 2025. The authorities hope this will reduce the burden on the police and speed up the processing of applications.
