Living in Slovakia

Coronavirus

You should follow the advice of the Slovak Government and your local authority. You can also read our Slovakia travel advice for our latest guidance.

For information on getting a COVID-19 vaccine as a UK national in Slovakia see our coronavirus travel advice.

Stay up to date

You should:

• sign up for email alerts to this guidance
• follow your local British Embassy on Facebook and Twitter

Attend a citizen outreach meeting

The British Embassy regularly holds events across Slovakia for UK nationals. Attend one of our citizen outreach meetings to keep up to date on working and living in Slovakia.

You can also:

• read the Slovak Foreigners Police information for UK nationals on residence in Slovakia

The Withdrawal Agreement

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Visas 31and January 2020.

residency

If you arewere legally resident in Slovakia atbefore the1 endJanuary of2021, the transition period, you willneed beto coveredapply by the Withdrawal Agreement, and your rights will be protected for asa new longresidency asdocument you(Povolenie remainna resident in Slovakia.pobyt).

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InIf theyou meantime,do makenot sure you aremay registeredhave asto pay a residentfine, inbut Slovakia.your Werights willunder updatethe thisWithdrawal guidanceAgreement aswill soonnot asbe moreaffected. information becomes available.

You should also read our guidance on living in Europe.

Visas and residency

Check the entry requirements for Slovakia.

Residency

If you arehave residentan inEU SlovakiaResidence beforeCard, transitionit periodwill endsbecome oninvalid 31after December30 2020June you2021, willregardless beof ablethe tocard’s stay.expiry date.

IfRead you’rethe stayingSlovak inMinistry Slovakiaof forInterior moreguidance thanfor 3UK months,nationals, youwhich mustincludes registerinformation withon your local Foreigners Police department as soon as possible. You should read the MinistryWithdrawal ofAgreement theresidency Interior’s guide to residence of foreign nationals in Slovakia.scheme.

You should Checkfind the address of your local Foreigners Police department where you must registergo yourto stay.get the new residence card. You can also check how to book an appointment online with the Slovak Foreigners Police Units (in Slovak).

You

Moving will need to obtainSlovakia

Check athe newentry Residencerequirements Cardfor beforeSlovakia 30and Juneread 2021. Read the Slovak Ministry of Interior guidance onresidence thepermits transitionfor periodmore and residency.information.

Additional support

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UK Nationals Support Fund

.

TheThis FCDOsupport hasis announcedonly fundingavailable for organisations to providepeople practical support to UK nationals who mayneed haveadditional difficultyhelp completingto secure their residencyrights applications. 

Thisunder supportthe isWithdrawal availableAgreement. onlyThey to those who need additional help. This may include pensioners, disabled people, people living in remote areas or people who have mobility difficulties.

The servicesSupport available for people who need this additional support include:includes:

• answering questions about residencyresidence applications, such as the documents requiredyou need and how the application procedureprocess works
• guiding individualsyou through the process, if necessary
• supportingsupport peopleif facingyou experience language barriers or difficulty accessing technologyonline information and services

In Slovakia, this support is being provided by The International Organisation for Migration. If youyou, or someone you knowknow, mayare havehaving difficulty completing theresidence paperwork,paperwork youor canhave contactany themquestions, usingcontact the details below to discuss how they may be able to help you.IOM:

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM)

• Helpline:helpline: 00421 908 342 340 available Mon to Fri from 10am to 12pm and 1pm to 3pm

• Visit the IOM Slovakia website

• Email:email: UKnationalsSK@iom.int

Personal consultations are available by appointment only.

Passports and travel

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CheckIf youryou passporthave isnot validyet applied for travela beforeresidence card, you bookshould yourcarry trip.evidence Yourthat passportyou shouldare beresident validin forSlovakia. theThis proposedcould durationinclude ofa tenancy agreement or a utility bill in your stay.name, dating from 2020.

YouIf canyou applycannot forshow orthat renewyou yourare Britishresident in Slovakia, you may be asked additional questions at the border to enter the Schengen area, and your passport frommay Slovakia.

Passportsbe fromstamped 1on Januaryentry 2021and exit. This will not affect your rights in Slovakia.

Passports

Check your passport is valid for travel before you book your trip.

From 1You Januarycan 2021,apply youfor or renew your British passport from Slovakia.

You must have at least 6 months left on an adult or child passport to travel to most countries in Europe (not including Ireland). This requirement does not apply if you are entering or transiting to Slovakia, and you are in scope of the Withdrawal Agreement.

If you renewed your current passport before the previous one expired, extra months may have been added to its expiry date. Any extra months on your passport over 10 years may not count towards the 6 months needed.

You will need to renewRenew your passport before travellingbooking your travel if you do not have enough time left on your passport.

As a non-EEA national, different border checks will apply when travelling to other EU or Schengen area countries. You may need to show a return or onward ticket and that you have enough money for your stay. You may also have to use separate lanes from EU, EEA and Swiss citizens when queueing. YourYou passport may bealso stampedneed forto visitsshow toa thesereturn countries.or onward ticket.

Entry requirements

FromYou 1can January 2021, you will be able to travel to other Schengen area countries for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa for purposes such as tourism.

To Thisstay islonger, athan rolling90 180-daydays period.

Toin stayany for180-day longer,period, to work or study, or for business travel, you willmust need to meet the entry requirements set out by the country to which you are travelling.travelling to. This could mean applying for a visa or work permit. You may also need to get a visa if your visit would take you over the 90 days in 180 days limit.

Periods of staytime authorised underby a visa or permit will not count againsttowards your the 90-day limit.visa-free Travel to the UK and the Ireland will not change.limit.

Different rules will apply to EU countries that are not part of the Schengen Area.area. Check each country’s travel advice page for information on entry requirements.

Healthcare

IfTravel youto arethe livingUK inand SlovakiaIreland orhas movenot there permanently before 31 December 2020, you’ll have life-long healthcare rights in Slovakia as you do now, provided you remain resident.changed.

Healthcare

Health insurance is compulsory in Slovakia and there are 3 insurance companies you can use:

• Union zdravotná poisťovňa
• Dôvera zdravotná poisťovňa
• Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa

Your employer will pay contributions to your health insurance on your behalf.

You need to take your insurance card when visiting a doctor.

Read our guidance on whohealthcare canin Slovakia and make sure you are correctly registered.

If your UK employer has sent you to Slovakia temporarily, your access to healthcare inis Slovakiadifferent. andFind out how to registeraccess healthcare as a posted worker.

State healthcare: S1

If you livehave ina Slovakiaregistered andS1 receiveform anand exportablewere UKliving pension,in contribution-basedSlovakia Employmentbefore Support1 AllowanceJanuary, oryour anotherrights exportableto benefit,access youhealthcare maywill currentlystay bethe entitledsame toif stateyou healthcareare paideither:

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• a certificatefrontier ofworker entitlementwho knownlives asin anSlovakia S1and certificate.
  commutes to work in the UK

Read our guidance on howusing to get an S1 form in Slovakia. to ensure you are correctly registered for healthcare.

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

If you are resident in Slovakia, you must not use your EHIC from the UK-issued toEHIC accessfor healthcare in Slovakia.

WhenIf you travelwere fromliving Slovakia for a temporary stay in anotherSlovakia Europeanbefore Economic1 AreaJanuary (EEA)2021, countryyou ormay Switzerland,be youeligible canfor usea annew UK-issued EHIC toif accessyou’re:

• a state-providedUK healthcarestudent in thatSlovakia
• a country.UK DuringState thatPensioner shortwith stay:
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  • thea EHICfrontier coversworker treatmentwith thata isregistered medicallyS1

  Apply necessarynow untilfor youra plannednew returnUK home

• anEHIC.

  An EHIC is not a replacement for comprehensive travel insurance

• forinsurance.

  For more information you can read our travelguidance adviceon pageshealthcare when travelling in Europe and advice on foreign travel insurance

There will be no changes to your healthcare access before 31 December 2020. You can also continue to use your EHIC as you did before during this time..

You should also read guidance on:

• healthcare and studying abroad
• finding English-speaking doctors in Slovakia
• checking if your prescriptions are legal in Slovakia

Working in Slovakia

If you arewere legally resident in Slovakia onbefore or1 beforeJanuary 312021, Decemberyou 2020,have yourthe right to workwork, will stay the same, as long as you remain residentlegally inresident.

You Slovakia.should ensure you have applied for a new Third Country (non-EU) residence card by 30 June 2021.

Read our guidance on working in an EU country.

You may need to apply for a UK police certificate.

Your employer must notify the local labour office within 7 working days of you starting your job.

Frontier workers

If you live in Slovakia and were regularly commuting to work in another EU or EFTA country before 1 January 2021, you may need a permit to show you are a frontier worker. You must also apply for a residence card in Slovakia.

If you live in another EU or EFTA country and regularly commuted to work in Slovakia before 1 January 2021, you do not need a frontier worker permit. However, you can request one if you wish.

Read the Slovak Ministry of Interior guidance for UK nationals, which includes information on cross border worker permits.

Money and tax

The UK has a double taxation agreement with Slovakia to ensure you do not pay tax on the same income in both countries. Existing double taxation arrangements for UK nationals living in Slovakia have not changed.

Read guidance about:

• telling HMRC if you leave the UK to live abroad
• tax on your UK income if you live abroad
• paying income tax in Slovakia

You should obtain professional advice on paying tax in Slovakia. Find an English-speaking lawyer in Slovakia.

National Insurance

Find out if you canneed to pay National Insurance whilein abroadthe UK or social security contributions in orderSlovakia.

Banking

Whether UK banks can provide services to protectcustomers yourliving statein pensionthe EEA is a matter of local law and entitlementregulation. Your bank or finance provider should contact you if they need to othermake benefitsany andchanges allowances.

to your product or the way they provide it. If you arehave employedany concerns about whether you might be affected, contact your provider or self-employedseek inindependent financial advice.

Read the EUMoney orand EEAPension Service guidance on banking, insurance and youfinancial haveservices achanges UK-issued A1/E101for form,more youinformation willon remaincross-border subjectbanking.

Pensions

Read our guidance on entitlement to UK legislationbenefits untiland thepensions endwhile dateyou onare theliving form.in Slovakia.

Pensions

You will need to tell the UK government offices that deal with your benefits, pension and tax if you are moving or retiring abroad.

If you retire in Slovakia you can claim:

• your UK State Pension if you retire abroad or new UK State Pension. Contact the International Pension Centre to claim
• pensions from working abroad, if you have worked in other EU countries

If you have worked for at least 15 years and you have reached the retirement age as stipulated under Slovak law, you can claim your pension in Slovakia. You will only need to make one single application covering all the countries where you have worked. You can make your application in person at the nearest Social Insurance Agency’s branch (in Slovak).

If you have worked in the UK or any other EU Member State you need to indicate this on the form. The Slovak authorities will liaise with the relevant governments and agree on the amount that should be paid to you. Each EU Member State where you have worked will send you the appropriate pension payments separately to your bank account. The UK or Slovak authorities will contact you directly if they need further information.

Read the Money and Pension Service guidance on pension and retirement changes for more information on cross-border pensions.

Life certificates for UK State Pensions

If you get a ‘life certificate’ from the UK Pension Service, you must respond as soon as possible. Your payments may be suspended if you don’t.

Pensions

Benefits

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Driving in Slovakia

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Read our guidance on:

• driving licence renewal and exchange
• what you need to drive abroad
• road travel in Slovakia

Bringing a UK-registered vehicle to Slovakia

Read our guidance on taking a vehicle out of the UK.

You should read the European Union’s guidance on car registration and taxes in Slovakia. You may be exempt from some of these taxes. If so, you will need certificates of exemption.

Driving in the UK with a Slovak licence

You can use your Slovak licence in the UK for short visits, or exchange it for a UK licence without taking a test. We will update these pages if there are any changes to the rules, as soon as information is available.

Voting

You can vote and stand in local elections in Slovakia if you are a registered resident in Slovakia.

You cannot vote in national parliamentary elections in Slovakia or European Parliament elections.

You may be able to vote in some UK elections. You can:

• check if you are able to vote
• register as an overseas voter if you would like to vote

Births, deaths, getting married

If your child is born in Slovakia, you will need to register the birth abroad.

If someone dies in Slovakia you can:

• read our guidance on what to do after someone dies abroad
• read guidance for UK nationals on bereavements in Slovakia
• find a list of English-speaking funeral directors in Slovakia

Find out how you can get married abroad.

Find out about notarial and documentary services for UK nationals in Slovakia.

You may also need:

• English-speaking lawyers in Slovakia
• translators and interpreters in Slovakia
• notary and documentary services for Slovakia

Accommodation and buying property

Read our guidance on buying a property abroad.

Pets

CurrentIf you have a pet passport issued by Slovakia or another EU member state, you can use it to travel ruleswith willyour staypet theto sameGreat untilBritain 31and Decemberelsewhere 2020.in the EU.

IfA you’reGB-issued travellingEU withpet yourpassport petis not valid for travel to the firstEU time,or youNorthern mustIreland. visitYou should speak to your vet before you travel to obtainget athe necessary pet passport.travel documents and ensure you’re compliant with the EU Pet Travel Regulations.

Read guidance on on:

• bringing your pet intoto GB
• travelling with your pet in the UKEU.
• travelling to Northern Ireland with your pet

Check the rules of the country you’re travelling to for any additional restrictions or requirements before you travel.

Emergencies

You can dial the European emergency number 112 or Slovakia also has:

• 150 for fire and rescue
• 155 for emergency medical service
• 158 for police

You can read a list of emergency numbers in Slovakia.

If you’re the victim of crime, have been arrested, or are affected by a crisis abroad, contact the British embassy in Bratislava..

Returning to the UK

Tell the Slovak and UK authorities if you are returning to the UK permanently.

You need to return your residence card to your local foreign police department when you leave Slovakia.

To move your pension to the UK, contact the International Pension Centre.

If you get healthcare in Slovakia through the S1 form, you must contact the Overseas Healthcare Team on +44 (0)191 218 1999 to make sure your S1 is cancelled at the right time.

Read the guidance on returning to the UK permanently which includes information on, amongst other things, tax, access to services and bringing family members.

Disclaimer

Please note that this information is provided as a guide only. Definitive information should be obtained from the Slovak authorities. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office will not be liable for any inaccuracies in this information.