Residence Permit in Slovakia for Ukrainian Students
Students at Slovak universities from third countries need to obtain a temporary residence permit (prechodný pobyt) on the basis of study. In this article we go through where to submit your documents, how to book an appointment online, which set of certificates to prepare and how long it takes to get the card.
Where to submit your documents
A temporary residence permit is issued by the foreign police (migration police) office in the town or region where you actually live. This matters: someone living in the Košice region will not have their documents accepted at the Bratislava office.
Appointments for submitting documents are booked online through the reservation system on the official portal of the Slovak Ministry of the Interior (portal.minv.sk).
How to book online
On the reservation system page you choose a free date and fill in the required details. Be sure to give a Slovak phone number — the office will contact you on it.
Once the booking is made, you will receive an SMS with a code that you will need on the day itself. When choosing the type of application, select prechodný pobyt.
The application form
After booking online you need to fill in the application form and bring it printed out to the police. Download the current version of the form only from the official Ministry of the Interior website — the forms are updated from time to time, and an old one may not be accepted.
Fill in the form in block capitals and date it with the day of your appointment.
For minors: anyone under 18 at the time of submission must enter both parents’ details on the form and certify the document together with one of them before a Slovak notary. Without this the application will be refused. Students over 18 do not need to have their signature notarised.
The set of documents to submit
Important: at the time of submission the documents must be no more than 90 days old from the date of issue by the relevant authority.
- A valid international passport.
- A certificate signed by the dean confirming that you are a student at a Slovak university — obtained from your own faculty.
- A criminal record certificate from Ukraine (more on this below).
- A criminal record certificate from Slovakia — if you have been in the EU for more than 90 days. It is issued at any Slovak post office if you have your birth certificate.
- A bank statement showing the funds held in the student’s account.
- Proof of accommodation — a hall of residence document or a tenancy agreement with the owner’s certified signature.
- The completed application form.
- Two photographs, 3×4 cm.
- Your temporary protection document, if you have one — it will simplify the procedure, since a rodné číslo has already been assigned.
- A medical certificate of health (more on this below).
Criminal record certificate: two routes
Through Ukraine. Order the certificate in Ukraine and collect it in person or by courier. The document must carry an apostille, and it then has to be translated into Slovak by a certified court translator.
Through the consulate. Request the certificate at the Ukrainian consulate in Bratislava, including through the Diia app. In that case no apostille and no translation are needed, which saves a noticeable amount of time. Check the consular fee when you apply — the rates are revised.
Proof of sufficient funds
A student has to prove they have funds in their account. The required amount is linked to the subsistence minimum and is revised, so always check the current figure on the Ministry of the Interior website or at the office before you apply. If the statement is issued by a Ukrainian bank, it also has to be translated into Slovak.
The medical examination
The health certificate must be submitted within 30 days of the notification that your residence permit has been granted. Most medical centres send the results to the police themselves, but not all of them — be sure to check this when you have the examination, otherwise you will have to deliver the certificate yourself.
The medical examination costs a student roughly 100 euros upwards, depending on the particular centre.
What it costs
The administrative fee for submitting the application is reduced for students and comes to a few euros — it is paid at the time of submission at the yellow terminal in the office. You can pay extra separately to have the finished card delivered by courier within the city.
There is also an express card production service: the document is then made in about two weeks for an additional fee. Check current rates on the Ministry of the Interior website — they change from time to time.
What the submission day looks like
Arrive at the foreign police office early. There are terminals at the entrance where you need to select online rezervácia and enter the code you received after registering online.
Enter the code 15 minutes before your appointment time — not earlier. The terminal will print a ticket with a number. The queue is shown on screens: when your turn comes, they will show which window to go to.
What happens after you apply
Within a month of a successful submission you should receive two notifications: the first that the residence permit has been granted, the second that the card is ready. You can collect the document after the second message.
Other grounds for obtaining a residence permit are covered in the article Types of residence permit in Slovakia, and the self-employment route in registering a živnosť in Slovakia.
Useful for students
If you plan to combine study with work, take a look at the articles Should students work in Slovakia and Gross and net salary in Slovakia. Information about the universities themselves is collected in Schools and universities in Slovakia.
Official deadlines and rules are published by the Slovak Ministry of Education: rules on compulsory school attendance and how to enrol a child in the first year of school.
Frequently asked questions
Can I submit my documents in another town?
No. The application is only accepted by the foreign police office covering the place where you actually live. Submitting it at an office in another region is not possible.
Does the criminal record certificate need an apostille?
If the certificate was obtained in Ukraine — yes, an apostille and a court translation are required. If it was issued through the Ukrainian consulate in Bratislava, neither an apostille nor a translation is needed.
What do I do if I am under 18?
Both parents’ details go on the form, and the document itself has to be certified before a Slovak notary together with one of them. Without notarisation the application will not be accepted.
How long does it take to get the card?
Usually two notifications arrive within a month of submission — one that the permit has been granted and one that the card is ready. If you pay for express production, the card is made in about two weeks.
When should I have the medical examination?
Within 30 days of the notification that the residence permit has been granted. Check with the medical centre whether it sends the results to the police itself — if not, you have to deliver the certificate in person.
Important. The information in this article has been gathered from open sources online and is up to date at the time of publication. Conditions and rules change. Before making any decisions, check the current information and consult a specialist in the field.