Slovakia spouse visa for partners of Slovak and EU citizens

Under § 43(1)(a) of the Act the police grant permanent residence for five years to a third-country national who is the spouse of a Slovak citizen with permanent residence in Slovakia, or a dependent relative in the direct line of such a citizen. An unmarried child under 18 in the care of that spouse also qualifies, with the consent of the other parent if that parent has contact rights. The police can refuse for reasons such as a marriage of convenience, false documents or a security risk.

Submit the official form with a valid passport and documents not older than 90 days proving the marriage, your clean criminal record (from age 14) and shared accommodation with your Slovak spouse. The marriage certificate can be older than 90 days, and it is not needed at all if the wedding took place in Slovakia or is entered in the Slovak special register and you state the place of marriage. The spouse’s permanent residence is shown by their identity card or a municipal confirmation.

You can apply in person at a Slovak mission abroad, which holds an interview, or at the foreign police if you stay in Slovakia visa-free, on a national visa or on another residence permit. The police decide within 90 days; a complete application filed at the police lets you stay until the decision. Within 30 days of collecting the card you hand in a medical report from an infectious disease specialist.

A third-country family member accompanying or joining an EU citizen in Slovakia may stay for three months with a valid passport and must report the start of the stay at the police within ten working days. Slovak law grants such family members a Schengen visa, free of charge. For a longer stay, the family member applies at the police within 30 days after the three months for the residence card “Pobytový preukaz rodinného príslušníka občana EÚ”, with the passport, proof of the family relationship and the EU citizen’s registration certificate. The card is issued within 30 days and is valid for five years or the EU citizen’s expected stay.

After five years of continuous lawful residence with the EU citizen, the family member acquires the right of permanent residence. The right of residence can be retained after divorce, for example if the marriage lasted at least three years, one of them in Slovakia.

Family members of Slovak citizens who live in Slovakia lawfully can be employed without a work permit or vacancy confirmation. After at least four years of five-year permanent residence you can apply for permanent residence for an unlimited period at the police; until that decision the five-year permit is treated as valid. Spouses of Slovak citizens are exempt from the permanent residence fee, both at the police and at missions.