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Help from the Slovak government

For any questions about moving to or living in Slovakia, you may be able to get help from the:

• Slovak Embassy in London
• Slovak Ministry of the Interior

The UK government and the British Embassy in Bratislava cannot give personalised advice on moving to, living or retiring in Slovakia.

Professional help in country

You can also get help from English-speaking professionals in Slovakia, including:

• lawyers
• translators
• notaries
• funeral directors

Help from the UK government

Read the travel advice for Slovakia to understand the risks you may face if you live in or visit Slovakia. This includes the latest information on:

• visas and entry requirements
• laws and cultural differences
• safety and security

Read our guidance on moving, living or retiring abroad.

Get help from the UK government abroad, including in an emergency.

Make sure you meet the entry requirements for Slovakia before you travel.

Visas and residence documents

Check which visa or residence document you need to live in Slovakia.

You can get a visa or residence document to:

• work
• study
• do business
• join family

For more information, read guidance on:

• Slovak visas and residence documents, includes a service to check if you need a visa
• Slovak visa types (in Slovak)
• applying for or renewing a residence document

In 2025 there were changes to residence rules related to: 

• temporary residence for business
• validity periods for visas connected to residence applications
• documents needed for residence applications

See rules on carrying personal ID in the safety and security section of the travel advice for Slovakia. These rules apply to residents as well as visitors.

Registering your address as a resident

Within 3 days of your arrival, you must register your address in Slovakia with the Foreign Police Department.

If you have any problems or questions about registering your address, contact the Foreign Police Department.

Extending or replacing your visa or residence document

Contact the Foreign Police Department unit nearest to you for information on how to:

• extend your visa or residence document - or see their residencies advice and documents to download the temporary residence renewal application form
• replace a lost, damaged or stolen visa or residence document

Permanent residency

You can normally apply for permanent residency in Slovakia if you’ve lived in the country for 5 uninterrupted years. You also may be able to apply sooner than this depending on your personal circumstances.

To find out if you’re eligible and how to apply, read guidance on permanent residency in Slovakia.

Citizenship

Slovakia recognises dual citizenship with the UK, though there are exceptions.

You do not have to give up (renounce) your British citizenship to become a Slovak citizen.

Slovak citizens who become British citizens could automatically lose their Slovak citizenship. Read guidance on losing Slovak citizenship (in Slovak).

To find out if you’re eligible for Slovak citizenship:

• read guidance on ways of getting Slovak citizenship and applying for Slovak citizenship
• contact the Slovak Ministry of the Interior
• contact the Slovak Embassy in London

Help with visa, residency and citizenship applications

The British Embassy in Bratislava cannot help with Slovak visa, residency or citizenship applications.

For any questions or issues, contact:

• the Slovak Ministry of the Interior (in Slovak)
• the Slovak Embassy in London
• an English-speaking lawyer in Slovakia

If you moved to Slovakia before 1 January 2021, and have been legally living there since then, you and your family members have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.

Residence documents if you moved to Slovakia before 1 January 2021

If you moved to Slovakia before 1 January 2021, make sure you have a new residence document (Povolenie na pobyt). This shows that you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.

Under the new digital Entry/Exit System (EES), you’ll need a new residence document when entering or leaving Slovakia. If you have one, you will not have to register with the EES when entering, leaving or travelling within the Schengen area. Without it, you may be wrongly identified as overstaying in the Schengen area and denied entry to Slovakia or other Schengen countries.

Renewing your residence document if you moved to Slovakia before 1 January 2021

You’ll need to renew your residence document before it expires.

Read guidance on temporary residence to find out how to renew your residence document. You must book an appointment with your local Foreign Police Department office (in Slovak) to do this.

Bringing family members to Slovakia if you moved there before 1 January 2021

The Slovak government’s information on staying in Slovakia after Brexit explains:

• which family members can join you in Slovakia
• how and when they should apply for their residence document
• fees and processing times

Read our guidance on moving, living or retiring abroad. This covers how to:

• apply for a British passport from abroad
• travel urgently without your British passport

If you have a Slovak residence document or long- stay visa, the time you spend in Slovakia does not count towards the 90-day visa-free period you can spend in the Schengen area.

Always carry your passport and residence document when entering, leaving or travelling within the Schengen area. If you’re asked to show your passport at border control, make sure you also show your residence document or other evidence of residence status. Your passport may be stamped if you do not.

If you have dual citizenship with an EU or European Free Trade Association (EFTA) country, you should enter and leave Slovakia using your EU or EFTA passport.

Dual citizens travelling to the UK

When travelling to the UK, British citizens must carry a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement. Read guidance on dual citizenship.

EU Entry/Exit System (EES)

Under the new digital Entry/Exit System (EES) there are new rules on entering, leaving or travelling within the Schengen area. Non-EU nationals will need to have their photo and fingerprints taken or verified at the border. This data will be stored in a digital record and used to monitor how long visitors have spent in the Schengen area.

British nationals legally resident in Slovakia, and who have a residence document (Povolenie na pobyt) do not need to register with the EES.

If you’re legally resident in Slovakia but do not have a residence document, contact the Foreign Police Department for information on how to get one.

For more information about how the EES will work and when it will come into force, read:

• EU guidance on the EES
• guidance on the EES for UK nationals

Read our guidance on moving, living or retiring abroad. This covers how to:

• plan your healthcare
• take medicine abroad

To find out how to get medical treatment:

• contact your insurance provider
• read guidance on healthcare in Slovakia and health in Slovakia
• find English-speaking medical facilities and doctors for British nationals in Slovakia

Read our guidance on moving, living or retiring abroad. This covers working abroad, including documents you may need from the UK government.

To work in Slovakia, you may need a work permit or work visa. Our guidance on travelling to Slovakia for work explains the different work permits and visas available to you.

You do not need a work permit or visa if you have been living in Slovakia legally since before 1 January 2021, as you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.

To apply for a job, you may need to provide a UK police certificate.

If you live in Slovakia and were regularly commuting to work in another EU or European Free Trade Association (EFTA) country before 1 January 2021, read guidance for frontier workers.

Recognition of qualifications

If you want to work in Slovakia, you may need to get your foreign qualifications recognised.

Read our guidance on moving, living or retiring abroad. This covers how to:

• drive abroad legally
• take your UK vehicle abroad
• get driving licence letters

The Slovak government portal provides information on driving in Slovakia, including:

• applying for a Slovak licence
• renewing your licence
• exchanging a foreign licence

For more information read guidance on:

• driving in the EU
• road travel in Slovakia, in safety and security in the travel advice for Slovakia

Driving in Slovakia using a foreign driving licence

You can drive in Slovakia for 185 days using a driving licence issued in:

• the UK
• Gibraltar
• Jersey
• Guernsey
• the Isle of Man

You cannot replace or renew any of these licences if you live in Slovakia. 

Exchanging a UK, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or Isle of Man driving licence

After completing 185 days of residency, you must exchange your driving licence (in Slovak) within 60 days to continue driving. You’ll need to go to your nearest Regional Police Directorate office (in Slovak) with your passport, driving licence and residence card to do this.

You cannot start the process before you’ve been resident for 185 days. You do not have to take a test.

To exchange, you’ll need to get confirmation of your driving licence by doing one of the following:  

• get a check code from the DVLA – for English, Welsh and Scottish driving licences 

• get a check code from the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) – for Northern Irish driving licences
• contact the department that issued your licence to request a letter or certificate of entitlement – for Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man licences

You’ll also need to:

• get an official Slovak translation of the confirmation of your driving licence – find a find a translator or interpreter in Slovakia
• get a medical certificate (in Slovak) if you are over 65
• get medical and mental health certificates if you want to drive category C and D vehicles such as lorries
• pay a fee for your new Slovak licence (in Slovak)

You cannot use an international driving permit instead of exchanging your licence.

Disabled drivers

You can apply for a Slovak disabled parking card (in Slovak).

You may be able to apply for an EU parking card for people with disabilities.

If you have a UK Blue Badge and live in Slovakia, you must return it to the original UK issuing authority.

Read our guidance on moving, living or retiring abroad. This covers tax, including paying UK tax and National Insurance.  

The UK has a double taxation agreement with Slovakia so that you do not pay tax on the same income in both countries.

Contact the Financial Administration of the Slovak Republic or HMRC for any questions including about double taxation relief.

Consider getting professional advice on paying tax in Slovakia. To do this, find an English-speaking lawyer in Slovakia.

National Insurance

Check if you need to pay National Insurance if you’re going to work in the EU, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland.

Claiming your UK pension

Read our guidance on moving, living or retiring abroad. This covers:

• how to claim your UK State Pension
• where the UK government pays an annual increase in the State Pension

Your UK state pension is calculated differently if you’ve previously lived in Australia, Canada or New Zealand and now live in the EU.

Claiming a Slovak pension

You can claim an old-age pension if you have worked in Slovakia for 15 years and reached pension age (in Slovak). Contact your nearest social security office (in Slovak) to find out whether you can claim an old-age pension.

Claiming UK benefits

Read our guidance on moving, living or retiring abroad. This covers how to claim UK benefits abroad, including Child Benefit.  

You can also read guidance on benefits and pensions for UK nationals in the EU, EEA or Switzerland.

Claiming Slovak benefits

You may be entitled to some Slovak benefits. To find out if you’re eligible and how to claim read EU guidance on Slovak benefits.

Read our guidance on moving, living or retiring abroad. This covers buying and renting property abroad.  

Read guidance on buying property in Slovakia.

Contact an English-speaking lawyer if you’re considering buying property or land in Slovakia.

If you plan to study in Slovakia, you must meet all visa and residence requirements before you travel.

You do not need a student visa if you have been living in Slovakia legally since before 1 January 2021, as you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.

For more information, read guidance on:

• studying in the EU
• travel grants for students studying abroad or on placements (England)

You can also contact:

• your higher education provider in the UK or Slovakia
• the Slovak Ministry of Education (in Slovak)
• Slovak Embassy in London

Read our guidance on moving, living or retiring abroad. This covers moving abroad with children, including:

• getting permission to take your child abroad
• claiming UK Child Benefit abroad
• child maintenance payments if a parent lives abroad

Schools and education

The European Commission provides information about the school system in Slovakia.

All children aged 6 to 16 must attend school in Slovakia. Home schooling is allowed in some circumstances.

Childcare

The Ministry of Labour (in Slovak) is responsible for childcare services in Slovakia.

Read their guidance on family and social assistance (in Slovak).

Births

If your child is born in Slovakia, register the birth at the registry office (matričný úrad) in the municipality where they were born.

Read our guidance on moving, living or retiring abroad. This covers how to:

• register the birth with the UK authorities to get a UK birth certificate
• apply for your child’s first British passport

Deaths

Read our guidance on moving, living or retiring abroad. This covers:

• what to do after someone dies abroad
• how to register the death with the UK authorities

If someone dies in Slovakia, read guidance on:

• what to do when someone dies in Slovakia
• English-speaking funeral directors in Slovakia

Marriages and civil partnerships

Read our guidance on moving, living or retiring abroad. This covers how to get married or get a civil partnership abroad.

Read guidance on getting married in Slovakia.

The Slovak government portal (in Slovak) also has information on getting married or forming a civil partnership in Slovakia.

Divorce and separation

Read our guidance on moving, living or retiring abroad. This covers how to get a divorce or end a civil partnership.

The Slovak government portal (in Slovak) has information on getting divorced in Slovakia.

Consider taking legal advice from an English-speaking lawyer.

Read our guidance on documents for British people abroad. This covers: 

• legalising and certifying UK documents
• marriage and civil partnership documents
• affirmations and affidavits
• witnessing signatures

To find an English-speaking lawyer, translator or notary in Slovakia, read guidance on professional services if you’re abroad.