Welcome to Slovakia

National visa (Type D - long stay)

National Visa  (Type D - long stay) 

 A national (long-stay) visa (type “D”) can be granted:

  • if it is necessary for granting a residence in Slovakia,
  • for language education in a language school (the applicant must be at least 15 years old and the tuition must take at least 25 hours weekly),
  • if it is necessary to fulfil Slovakia’s commitments under international treaties,
  • or if it is for the benefit of the Slovak Republic.

The visa issued for a stay longer than 90 days, however, for a maximum of one year. If it is issued for granting a residence permit in Slovakia, the visa is issued for a period of 90 days. In case of of the language education, its validity is limited to 31 July of the given academic year. If you are allowed to stay longer than for a year, the national visa will be replaced by a temporary residence before the day of its expiry. The long-term visa holders are allowed to travel to other Schengen member states (outside the borders of the state which issued the visa); however, these stays cannot exceed 90 days in any 180-days period.

The possibility to apply for a national visa depends on the decision of the competent Slovak embassy/consulate abroad. Therefore, it is necessary to contact the embassy/consulate and get information about your specific situation.

In case you have been granted a residence permit in another country you may apply for a visa at embassy/consulate general competent for the country of your current residence. Provided you legally reside in the territory of the Slovak Republic and the issuance of the national visa is in the interest of the Slovak Republic, you may also apply for the national visa at the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic.

The embassy will decide whether to grant a national visa within 30 days of submission of the application. The Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic will decide in that same period.

In case of applying for a national visa in order to apply for a temporary residence in the Slovak Republic, keep in mind to bring all the documents necessary for the residence permit application to Slovakia with you. If you are not granted the temporary residence within the period of your visa validity, you will need to leave Slovakia (Schengen Area) when the visa expires.

 

Documents required when applying for a national visa

 

  • completed form “Application for National Visa”. The application must be signed by the applicant; in case of minors or persons lacking legal capacity, the application must be signed by their legal guardian, who is required to enclose a copy of the document identifying him/her as the applicant’s legal guardian

  • recent full-face colour photograph (3 x 3.5 cm)

  • valid travel document; the travel document must be valid for at least three months longer than the expected validity of the visa requested and it must have been issued within previous 10 years. The document shall contain at least 2 blank pages.

  • documents demonstrating the purpose and conditions of the planned stay (invitation letter, letter of award, hosting agreement etc.)

  • travel medical insurance – the insurance must cover all costs that may arise in connection with the repatriation of the applicant to his/her home country due to health problems, urgent medical treatment, emergency hospital treatment or death. Travel insurance must be valid for all Schengen Member States and the entire length of the applicant’s stay. A minimum insurance coverage of 30 000 € is required. Family members of EU or EEA nationals are exempt from the obligation of submitting travel health insurance

  • accommodation-related documents, e.g.: letter of award or hosting agreement in case they specify accommodation provided, voucher/reservation confirming hotel accommodation and services provided, personal letter of invitation confirming that the applicant will stay at the inviting person’s place

  • documents confirming sufficient means of subsistence, e.g.: cash in a freely convertible currency, travel cheques, bank account statement confirming that the applicant has had a regular income (salary, pension) in the previous 6-12 months, other documents safeguarding funds in a convertible currency

(No general amount of funds to cover the costs of living is prescribed, but the funds must be sufficient for the length and purpose of stay and costs of living in the final country of destination or Schengen area countries. At this moment, Slovak authorities generally operate with 56 €/person/day, hence a foreign national might be requested to proof the corresponding amount respective to the duration of his/her stay as stated in the visa at the Slovak border.)

  • other documents – for the purposes of the visa application procedure, the embassy or consulate general may ask foreign nationals to submit other documents in order to verify the declared purpose of the visit and applicant’s intention to return to his/her home country or the country of his/her residence

 

Visa application fees

 

Visa application 50 €

In case the National visa is issued in relation to the collection of a granted temporary residence in Slovakia, the fee is 14 €.

The fee shall be paid in a freely convertible currency or in a national currency of the third country, in which the application has been filed, converted using the applicable official exchange rate. No administrative fee is charged for visa application filed by a third country national who is a family member of an EU or EEA national and exercises his/her right of free movement.