Types of visas:

• Schengen visa
• National visa

Schengen visa includes: ■ Uniform visa ■ Limited territorial validity visa ■ Airport transit visa

A national visa is a permission granted by the Slovak Republic, allowing individuals to stay on its territory.

National visas are granted for a stay longer than three months, up to a maximum of one year. If related to a stay in the Slovak Republic, it is granted for 90 days. If granted to a family member of an asylum seeker or a foreigner with complementary protection, it is issued for the necessary time.

Procedure for granting a Schengen visa:

The approval of a Schengen visa may be conditional on an invitation verified by the police.

The diplomatic mission or consular office of the Slovak Republic abroad (“representative office”) can issue a Schengen visa only after obtaining the prior opinion of the Ministry of the Interior. Cases where the representative office can grant a Schengen visa without the opinion of the Ministry of the Interior are determined by mutual agreement between the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic. The Ministry of the Interior provides an opinion for the diplomatic mission or consular office of another state according to special regulations.

If the Schengen visa application is approved, no formal decision is issued; instead, a visa sticker is provided.

The representative office has the authority to specify the border crossing point for entry, recorded in the Schengen visa.

Decisions refusing a Schengen visa, or canceling or revoking a granted Schengen visa, are issued in the state language. Upon request, they can also be issued in the language specified by the representative office or the police unit.

A family member of an EU citizen may reject a Schengen visa application only if: (a) The family relationship with the EU citizen is not properly proven based on submitted documents, or (b) It poses a serious threat to the security of the state, public order, or public health. The representative office or police unit may cancel or revoke the Schengen visa for the specified reasons.

A third-country national has the right to appeal a decision refusing a Schengen visa, canceling, or revoking a granted Schengen visa. The appeal is submitted to the administrative authority that issued the decision within 15 days from the date of delivery of the decision. The appeal does not have a suspensive effect and must include information about the appellant, reasons for considering the decision incorrect, and its inconsistency with legal regulations. The appeal and accompanying documentation must be in the state language.

The representative office can decide on the appeal itself if fully compliant. If not, it forwards the appeal within 5 days of receipt to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which decides within 60 days from the date of filing the appeal.

The Ministry of the Interior may extend the validity of the Schengen visa for reasons specified by special regulations.

Granting Schengen visas by another state and associated procedures are governed by special regulations.

Procedure for granting a national visa:

A third-country national submits an application for a national visa on an official form at the representative office.

To the application for a national visa, a third-country national is obliged to submit:

• Valid travel document
• A color photograph measuring 3 x 3.5 cm depicting his current appearance
• Document confirming the purpose of the stay
• Proof of health insurance
• Other documents required to decide on the application for a national visa

Upon request, a third-country national must personally attend an interview.

A family member of an asylum seeker and a foreigner who has been granted complementary protection is obliged to submit to the application for a national visa a valid travel document, a document confirming his family relationship, and a document on dependence if required. Failure to submit all documents results in non-acceptance of the application.

The representative office decides on the application for a national visa within 30 days of its receipt.

The representative office can grant a national visa only after obtaining the prior opinion of the Ministry of the Interior. Cases where the representative office can grant a national visa without the opinion of the Ministry of the Interior are determined by mutual agreement between the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic. A national visa is granted on the travel document in the form of a sticker. The validity of the national visa usually expires at least 90 days before the expiration of the travel document.

The representative office has the authority to specify the border crossing point for entry, recorded in the national visa. The representative office or the police unit is authorized to cancel the national visa if it finds facts justifying the non-granting of the national visa, if the third-country national is administratively expelled, or if a deportation order has been imposed on him.

INVITATION.

When submitting a visa application, the representative office of the Slovak Republic may request the submission of an invitation verified by the relevant department of the Foreign Police of the Police Corps. Subsequently, the inviting person or a person authorized by them may apply for the verification of the invitation at the respective department of the Foreign Police of the Police Corps, according to the place of residence of the inviting person or the registered office of the inviting legal entity. The inviting person submits the application on an official form in person or may be represented by an authorized person according to special regulations. The invitation serves as a supporting document for the diplomatic office in the decision-making process for granting a Schengen visa. The invitation can be replaced by a hosting agreement according to special regulations.

The inviting person is obliged to submit proof of identity along with all the requirements stipulated in § 19 of Act No. 404/2011 Coll. on the Stay of Foreigners and on the Amendment and Supplementation of Certain Acts, as amended (hereinafter referred to as the “Act on the Stay of Foreigners”). Otherwise, the police unit will not accept the application for the verification of the invitation. On the day of receiving the application for the verification of the invitation, the police unit issues a confirmation of its receipt to the inviting person. The inviting person must attach documents to the application for the verification of the invitation not older than 90 days, proving the purpose of the invitation. The registry document proving the purpose of the invitation may be older than 90 days, and the ability of the inviting person to cover all costs associated with the stay and departure of the invited third-country national.

The purpose of the invitation can be demonstrated by documents such as:

• A family relationship with the invited third-country national,
• Business or other professional relationships with the invited third-country national,
• Organization of a cultural, sports, or scientific event,
• Study or other form of education,
• Provision of medical care, or
• Any other credible means of demonstrating the purpose.

If the inviter cannot prove a family relationship with the invitee by a registry document or another credible means, they can only invite them for a private visit, as a friend. If a person proves the purpose of stay by one of the methods mentioned, it does not mean that the police unit cannot request additional documentation from the inviting person to clarify the purpose of the trip further.

The ability to cover all costs associated with the stay and departure of the invited third-country national is proven by a bank statement, either from a domestic or foreign bank, in the inviting person’s name. The balance in the bank account must be a total of twelve times the subsistence minimum, and the financial resources for each day of stay of the invited third-country national are precisely determined according to the Regulation of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic No. 499/2011 on determining the amount of financial resources needed to cover the costs associated with the stay of a third-country national on the territory of the Slovak Republic. The amount consists of financial resources totaling 56 euros, covering accommodation (30 euros), breakfast (4 euros), lunch (7.50 euros), dinner (7.50 euros), and pocket money (7 euros).

The police unit will not verify the invitation if it does not receive the consent of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic (hereinafter MV SR) in case:

• The invited third-country national is an undesirable person,
• There is reasonable suspicion that the purpose of stay of the invited third-country national stated in the invitation does not correspond to the actual purpose of their trip,
• There is reasonable suspicion that the invited third-country national may endanger the security of the state, public order, public health, or the rights and freedoms of others, and in specific areas, also nature,
• The inviting person provided untrue, incomplete, or misleading information, or submitted false or altered documents, or documents of another person when applying for the verification of the invitation,
• There is reasonable suspicion that the invited third-country national will enter into a purposeful marriage,
• There is reasonable suspicion of the misuse of the invitation,
• It is found that the attached documents to the application for the verification of the invitation do not meet the legally prescribed conditions,
• It is found that the secured accommodation on the territory of the Slovak Republic does not meet the minimum requirements according to special regulations.

Each application for the verification of the invitation is assessed individually based on specific circumstances. At the same time, I would like to inform you that the police unit decides on the application for the verification of the invitation within 15 days from the date of its submission. There is no legal entitlement to the verification of the invitation, and the decision-making process is not subject to Act No. 71/1967 Coll. on Administrative Proceedings (Administrative Code), as amended by later regulations.

Administrative Fees:

■ Granting a visa for the Slovak Republic at the border crossing: €60, ■ Extension of a short-term visa on the territory of the SR: €30, ■ Application for the verification of an invitation for a foreigner traveling to the Slovak Republic, for each foreigner listed in the application for the verification of the invitation: €33.

Practical advice: Applying for an extension of a short-term visa is possible only for reasons of natural disaster, humanitarian reasons, or serious personal reasons. The mentioned fee is payable only in the case of an application for personal reasons.

In justified cases and for reasons of general interest or humanitarian reasons, the administrative authority may reduce or waive the fee; due to reciprocity, the fee may be increased or decreased.