Welcome to Slovakia

Schengen visa (Type C - short stay)

Visa validity

The Schengen visa is a short-stay visa issued by any country in the Schengen area. It enables you to enter the 26 Schengen countries for one or several visits, the duration of which cannot exceed 90 days in any 180-day period. 

Cyprus, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Romania recognise Schengen visa as equal to their national visa for the purpose of transit or a planned stay not exceeding 90 days within any 180-day period; however, this only applies to visa valid for two or multiple entries.

The date of entry is the first day of stay in the territory of a Schengen Member State and the day of leaving is the last day of such stay. The duration of stay authorised by a temporary residence is NOT included into the duration of a visa stay. The term "any" (in the expression "any 180-day period") implies the application of a "moving" 180-day period, looking backwards at each day of the stay (the day of entry or the day of the inspection), in order to verify whether the condition of 90/180 days is fulfilled. The absence from the Schengen area for a period of 90 consecutive days enables a new stay for the period of 90 days. In examining the compliance with the rule of 90/180 days under this visa, a stay in the countries that are not members of the Schengen area is disregarded (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland and Romania). On the contrary, the stays in the Schengen countries outside the EU - Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are taken into the account. In order to calculate the period of stay in the territory of Schengen countries and to check the compliance with the 90/180 rule, it is possible to use a Visa calculator.

 

A list of documents required when applying for a Schengen visa

 

  • completed form “Application for Schengen 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 attach 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 (a confirmation of acceptance for studies, 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 according to the duration of his/her stay as stated in the visa at the Slovak border*.)

  • documents enabling the assessment of the applicant's intention to leave the Schengen territory after the expiry of the visa applied for, e.g. a return (not open) air/bus/train ticket,

  • 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

 

60 € in general or 35 € for nationals of those third countries that have signed Visa Facilitation Agreements with the European Union (Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cape Verde, Georgia, Macedonia (holders of non‑biometric passports), Moldova, Montenegro (holders of non‑biometric passports), Russia, Serbia (holders of non‑biometric passports), Ukraine).

The fees must 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/EEA national and exercises his/her right of free movement.

 

 

Territorial validity

 

The territorial validity of the visa is specified on a visa sticker in the “Platné pre/Valid for” line. The visa may be valid for all Schengen Member States. In that case, “Valid for: Schengen countries” is specified on the visa sticker entitling its holder to move freely within the entire Schengen area for the period of the visa validity and duration of stay.

In the case of a visa with limited territorial validity, the following may be specified on the visa sticker: “Valid for: the Slovak Republic” (i.e., the visa is valid only for the Slovak Republic), or “Schengen countries - XY" (i.e., the visa is valid for all Schengen countries except for XY), or "Valid for: SK, XY" (i.e., the visa is valid only for the Slovak Republic and XY).

 

Foreigners may be asked to enclose an official invitation validated by a police authority to their visa application. See more in the part Invitation.