Temporary residence for the purpose of research and development (for researchers with a Hosting Agreement)

Researchers who signed a Hosting Agreement with a research institution or a university can apply for a temporary residence for the purpose of research and development. We recommend to researchers and receiving organisations to give priority to this type of temporary residence mailny due to:

  • fewer administrative duties (e. g. in case of highly mobile researchers a proof of clear criminal record only from one country is required)
  • immediate employment regardless of the labour market situation and without a need to obtain a work permit
  • possibility to carry out the activity upon an employment contract, an agreement on work performed outside the employment (e. g. work performance agreement) or based on a granted scholarship
  • possibility to teach a specified number of hours
  • simplified mobility within EU
  • possibility to renew a residence permit for 9 months for the purpose of job seeking or starting a business
  • immediate access of spouses to the labour market
  • simplified mobility of researcher´s family members within EU

 

IMPORTANT:

Once a residence permit is granted, the foreign is required to spend in Slovakia more than half of the time of the granted temporary residence in a calendar year.

A foreigner is obliged to notify the Foreign Police in writing if he/she will be staying outside of the territory of Slovakia continuously for more than 180 days. 

 

 

  • official application form in the Slovak language (generated by the mandatory online Booking system of the Ministry of Interior of SR when applying at the competent Foreign Police Office in Slovakia). We recommend to make an appointment via the online system well in advance),

  • valid passport,

  • 1 colour photograph (3 × 3.5 cm),
  • Hosting Agreement (in Slovak) - as a proof of the purpose of your stay and sufficient financial coverage, monthly renumeration must be at least of amount of subsistence minimum for each month of stay (as of July1, 2024 it represents 273,99 EUR)

  • document proving sufficient financial resources for your stay – Hosting Agreement, your bank account balance statement or a confirmation of financial coverage,
  • criminal record extract (apostilled or superlegalised) from the country, where you resided longest during the last ten years.

Foreigners applying for the temporary residence for the purpose of research and development do NOT have to enclose a confirmation of accommodation in Slovakia.

IMPORTANT:

The hosting agreement may be older than 90 days on the date the application is submitted. However, other documents (e.g., criminal record) must  NOT be older than 90 days at the time of submitting the application for temporary residence.

Each document issued in a language other than Slovak (except for documents issued in Czech) has to be translated to Slovak by an official translator. The list of official translators can be found HERE. In case the translation is done abroad, the competence of the translator must be attested by the Slovak embassy/consulate.

The application can be submitted at:

  • Slovak embassy/consulate accredited to the country of the applicant's citizenship, or
  • Slovak embassy/consulate accredited to the country of the applicant's residence, or
  • Foreign Police Department, if the applicant resides in Slovakia, based on a residence permit issued by Slovakia or another EU Member state, national visa, tolerated residence, or if not needing a visa to enter the Schengen Area, or holding temporarz refuge in slovakia, or holing a Certificate of a Slovak Living Abroad.

When the applicant submits the application at the embassy/consulate of the slovak Republic, he/she will be interviewed for the purpose of preliminary assessment of the application.

The application must be submitted in person.

The applicant has to submit a complete application; otherwise, it will not be accepted. If the embassy or the police department does not accept the application, they will notify the applicant in writing of the documents he/she needs to enclose so that it can be accepted.  

If the application is submitted at a competent Foreign Police Department in Slovakia, the police officer in charge will confirm a receipt of your application (the last page of the application form). Within 30 days from the date of submitting a complete application, the Foreign Police shall either issue a negative decision or a notification of granting the temporary residence. The applicant will be asked you to provide a mobile phone number (in the application form).  the applicant will be notified by a text message in Slovak when his/her residence card is ready. 

Once you the applicant is granted a temporary residence, he/She is obliged to submit a document proving his/her health insurance within 30 days from the collection of the residence card. The health insurance confirmation in another language than Slovak (except for Czech) must be translated to Slovak by a sworn translator. In case the applicant does not have a health insurance covering his/her stay in Slovakia, he/she has to obtain it within 3 working days after collecting the residence card.

The police department shall grant a temporary residence for the purpose of research and development for the time necessary to achieve its purpose, but for a maximum of two years

Applying for a temporary residence for the purpose of research and development is free of charge.

Fees:

       10 EUR for the issue and delivery of the residence card (within 30 days).

       39 EUR  (within 2 working days).

NOTE: Administrative fees at the Foreign Police are paid in form of electronic fee stamps (eKolok), which may be bought directly at the Foreign Police Department through a vending machine, or at a post office. Consular fees at Slovak embassies are paid in cash or via bank transfers. It is recommended to verify the possible means of payment with the specific embassy. 

 

The foreigner has to submit a medical certificate confirming that he/she does not suffer from any disease threatening public health within 30 days from the collection of the residence card. The certificate CANNOT be older than 30 days. It can be obtained in specific medical centres only and a fee will be charged.

 

In the case of applying for a renewal of the temporary residence, it is not necessary to submit a document proving no criminal record. It is, however, necessary to file a proof of health insurance on the territory of the Slovak Republic.

Researchers who carried out their research in Slovakia can apply for the renewal of their temporary residence after the completion of their activity, for the purpose of job seeking or starting a business. In this case, it will be prolonged for nine months.

A researcher has to submit:

  • Confirmation on completion of their research activity
  • Hostinng agreement
  • document proving health insurance coverage