Passport & Visa Information

All visitors to Slovakia require a valid passport or national identity card (EU citizens). For many visitors, a visa is not required for stays for tourism or business purpose of up to 90 days within 6 months of the date of first entry into the country. All foreigners entering Slovakia must carry proof that they have medical insurance to cover payment of all cost for hospitalization and treatment in the country.

To be valid for entry, a passport must be valid for the duration of one's stay in Slovakia, and for 2 months after the end of any visa required for entry. Visas can be obtained from whichever Slovak embassy which is accredited to the visitor's country.

The Slovak Republic is a member of the EU and a full member of the Schengen Area. EU citizens have the right to move freely within and between other EU countries and have the right to stay in another EU country for a 6-month period providing they hold a valid passport or national identity card.

If you lose your passport, this should be reported to the Foreigners' Police (Cudzinecká polícia), address: Hrobákova 44, Bratislava (see on the map below); phone number for EU citizens is +421 (0) 961 036 871, for non-EU citizens is +421 (0) 961 036 866 or 867.

All embassies or consulates can normally issue a temporary passport.
 


What is the Schengen area?

The Schengen area is a part of the territory of the European Union in which the rules of free movement of persons, goods, services and capital apply. People may freely travel around this area without any border checks at internal borders of Schengen Member States. In fact, the internal borders were abolished and border checks at Schengen external borders have been reinforced in order to safeguard the security of Member States. The joint border check rules and effective oversight on the external borders aim at preventing illegal migration, drug trafficking and other illegal activities. The Schengen Member States also apply a uniform visa policy regime.

Members of the Schengen area: Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
 


Do I need a visa to enter the Schengen area? Where can I apply for a visa?

Foreign nationals who are subject to visa requirement and want to enter the Schengen area, with Slovakia being their target destination, must file a visa application with the competent Slovak embassy or consulate general. Foreign nationals legally residing in a third country (i.e. other than the country of their citizenship) may apply for a visa at the embassy (consulate) general competent for the country of their current residence.
 


What is a visa?

A visa is issued in the form of a visa sticker. Visas are issued by Slovak embassies and consulates general abroad or, under exceptional circumstances by the Slovak police at a border crossing point. The visa entitles the foreign national to transit through or to stay in the Schengen area for the period of validity of the respective visa. The length of stay and expiry date of the visa is specified on the visa sticker. Within local Schengen co-operation the Schengen Member States issue a uniform visa valid for all Schengen countries.
 


What type of visa do I need?

The type of visa you will need depends on the length and purpose of your visit. A decision on the particular type of visa is made by the competent embassy or consulate general.

Types of visas currently available:

Type A Schengen Visa: Airport Transit Visa

You can normally stay in the international transit area at the airport without a visa while waiting for a connecting flight. However, some natinalities are required to have a valid visa, even if they do not leave the international transit area. The Airport Transit Visa only authorises the holder to transit through the airport's international transit area.

Type C Schengen Visa: Entry Visa

The visa entitles its holder to enter and stay in the Schengen area for not more than a total of 90 days within a six-month period subsequent to the date of the first entry. This visa may be issued for one or several entries (single entry and multiple entry visa).

National Visa type D (long-stay)

National (long-stay) visa may be issued in relation to the granted residence permit or in connection with Slovakia´s commitments under international treaties or for the benefit of the Slovak Republic. It si allowed for long-term visa holders to travel to other member states (outside the frontier of the state who issued the visa), however the total of stay cannot exceed 90 days in any six month period.
 


When should I apply for a visa?

The visa application procedure may be lengthy in some cases. Therefore, you should file your application well in advance, but not sooner than three months prior to your planned trip. Under the applicable law, the visa application procedure shall not take longer than 15 days, in exceptional cases the decision may take up to 60 days. 

Exemptions apply to the nationals of the third countries which have signed Community-level visa facilitation agreements. Such countries include Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Georgia and Ukraine. With respect to the nationals of the aforementioned countries, the decision must be delivered within 10 calendar days of the delivery of a completed visa application. Nationals of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia don´t need visa, if they are holders of biometric passports.

To learn more about conditions for the granting of a visa as well as to check the visa application fees please visit the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.