Rules for entry into the Slovak Republic from Ukraine

The following border crossings are currently open:

• Ubľa
• Vyšné Nemecké
• Veľké Slemence (pedestrians only) – the only one which can be used to cross the border with a horse

The border crossing points are open 24/7, and waiting times can be checked here. (information available in EN, UA, SK): www.ukraineslovakia.sk. All border crossing have help points where volunteers provide free food, healthcare, places to rest, information about legalising stays in the Slovak Republic and transit to other EU counties, and other help. There are also free buses from the border crossings to the refugee centres in Michalovce and Humenné.

Pursuant to EU Regulation 2018/1806, Ukrainian citizens entering the Slovak Republic with a biometric passport may stay in the country and within the EU for a maximum period of 90 days (within any 180-day rolling period). You may request either temporary refuge or asylum / additional protection at any time during these 90 days.

If you do not have a biometric passport, temporary refuge or asylum can be applied for at the border, or at the Foreign Police according to the place where you are staying, or at the large-capacity centres in Humenné, Michalovce and Bratislava. If you wish to apply for asylum or temporary refuge, you must do so within 3 days of entering the Slovak Republic.

The Foreign Police are currently processing and accepting applications for temporary refuge at all their offices 24/7 (in Bratislava, Dunajská Streda, Trnava, Trenčín, Nitra, Nové Zámky, Banská Bystrica, Rimavská Sobota, Žilina, Košice, Michalovce, Prešov, Ružomberok).

It is also possible to apply for temporary refuge online, here. However, you will still need to go the police station for fingerprint scanning. 

Asylum procedure:

• Asylum can be requested at the border when crossing or afterwards at the Foreign Police
• An asylum request is registered in the form of a statement including identification information and the reason for the asylum request
• The Foreign Police will retain your passport/ other type of ID and provide a confirmation of this. After asylum is granted, you can request to have your documents returned to you
• The Foreign Police will also take your fingerprints and register them in a database
• Asylum applications are considered by the Ministry of the Interior, which is required to make a decision on asylum within 90 days. However, due to the current situation it is possible that this period could be significantly extended
• As an asylum applicant, you have the right to free accommodation, food, basic hygienic products, and spending money), and you are entitled to urgent and necessary medical care. This also means the kind of health care that will be recommended by a doctor.
• After being granted asylum by the Slovak Republic, you will receive a residency document which will be valid for 10 years. You can then also request a travel document with a validity of 2 years. You will also have access to the full healthcare system.

Temporary refuge:

• Temporary refuge can be requested by Ukrainian citizens and their immediate relatives (spouse, child under 18, parent of a child under 18 if the child is a Ukrainian citizen) at the border when crossing, or afterwards at the Foreign Police
• Temporary refuge can also be requested online 
• A request is registered in the form of a statement including identification information and the reason for the request of temporary refuge
• ·The Foreign Police will retain your passport / other ID and will provide a conformation of this. After asylum is granted, you can request to have your documents returned to you
• The Foreign Police will also take your fingerprints and register them in a database
• The process will be dealt with under a rapid procedure, so if you have a document proving your identity, temporary refuge will be granted immediately. If you do not have an ID document, your application will be processed within 30 days.
• As an applicant for temporary refuge, you will have the right to free accommodation, food, basic hygienic products, and spending money), you are also entitled to urgent and necessary medical care. This also means the kind of health care recommended by a doctor
• After you are granted temporary refuge, you can stay in Slovakia until 31.12.2022 (unless the situation changes). You can work and you have the right to access essential healthcare (urgent cases).
• You have the right to request asylum at any point. We recommend that if you wish to stay in Slovakia, you should first apply for temporary refuge status and subsequently request asylum status should you wish to, as temporary refuge entitles you to work immediately.

As a rule, Ukrainian citizens who have biometric passports as part of the visa-free regime may stay up to 90 days in Schengen countries. The period of stay begins from the date of entry into the Slovak Republic. The possibility of extending the stay should be considered in accordance with the regulations of countries to which foreign nationals wish to enter.

In the event of entry to Slovak Republic on the basis of other documents (or lack of them), travelling on to another Schengen / EU country will depend on the entry procedures of the given country. We recommend contacting the consulates / embassies of the relevant countries for more information.

If the procedure for granting international protection (temporary refuge or asylum) has begun in Slovakia, you will not be able to leave the Slovak Republic until the end of the procedure, as your documents will be retained by the Foreign Police.

Accommodation is organised centrally via the Ministry of Transport (http://pomocpreukrajinu.sk/) at state accommodation, hotels and private accommodation. The allocation of accommodation is undertaken at the centres in Michalovce and Humenne (Chemlonská 7, Humenné / Športová 31, Michalovce). Free bus transfer to these centres is provided from the border. Private accommodation can be arranged via NGOs, and requests can be registered at: www.ktopomozeukrajine.sk

Healthcare will be provided to citizens affected by the war in Ukraine on the basis of their status:

• If Slovakia is a transit country, , you are entitled to urgent and necessary healthcare
• If you are an applicant for temporary refuge or for asylum, you are entitled to urgent and necessary medical care. This also means a healthcare recommended by a doctor.

Once you start work in the Slovak Republic (earning at least the minimum monthly wage - EUR 646), you will be eligible to full healthcare, as you will be insured. If you are insured, your children are entitled to be insured.

COVID-19

If you test positive for COVID-19, you will receive all the necessary examinations and healthcare. If you do not have health insurance, payment will be made from the state budget. You can also obtain COVID-19 vaccinations at vaccination points.

Dentist

A list of dentists providing free urgent dental healthcare is given here: https://www.stomatolog.help/en, https://www.skzl.sk/stomatologhelp

Free medical consultation

You can apply for a free medical consultation from 7 am – 7 pm on: +421 221 025 075, or via online-chat at www.ua.diagnose.me

Medicine

There are no restrictions on prescriptions for medications for Ukrainians with temporary refuge status and those transiting Slovakia, and medications can be prescribed by general practitioners.

Medicines, medical devices and dietetic food will be provided at no extra charge to people with temporary refuge status.

Emergency and ambulances

In the event of an emergency, call 155 or 112 for an ambulance. 

You may work in Slovakia if you have a work permit, or a certificate of the possibility of filling a vacancy that corresponds to a highly qualified job.

If you do not have any of above documents, you may work if:

• you have applied for asylum, but have still not been granted asylum 9 months after your application,
• you have been granted asylum,
• you have been granted subsidiary protection,
• you have been granted temporary refuge.

After being granted asylum or temporary refuge status, you are entitled to work immediately, and there is no need to obtain an additional work permit. You can search for a job via the Labour Office, where you can register as a job seeker. An employer is entitled to a financial contribution from the government by way of motivation if they hire a jobseeker who has been registered at the Labour Office for 3 months or more. The Labour Office also offers Slovak language classes, which may help when searching for a job. The Labour Office has their own website for job search: www.istp.sk, or it can be searched via the largest job seeking commercial website: www.profesia.sk/praca/ukrajinsky-jazyk/ , which includes a Ukrainian language option. The Slovak government also publishes job offers for Ukrainians in Ukrainian, here: https://www.istp.sk/help-ukraine?sglocale=uk.

Basic information about employment in the Slovak Republic

The minimum wage in the Slovak Republic in 2022 is EUR 646.

An employment contract must be made in a written form and must contain:

• type of work and brief description of work
• agreed date of start of work
• salary information and conditions
• date of payday
• number of holiday days
• working time
• length of notice period for termination of employment

The employer must inform potential employees of the following:

• rights and obligations under the employment contract
• working and salary conditions
• occupational safety and health and the prohibition of discrimination in the workplace
• medical fitness required to perform the work

The employer may not request information on pregnancy, marital status, criminal record (subject to exceptions in certain professions), or political, trade union, religious or sexual affiliation.

Candidate employees must inform the employer about any circumstances preventing them from working (i.e. medical fitness) and information which could cause harm to the employer (i.e. working for their direct competitors).

In Slovakia, there are the following types of employment contract and work agreements outside of the employment contracts:

• Employment contracts:
  • fixed term employment contract (approximately 40h/week)
  • employment contract for an indefinite period
  • part-time employment contact
• work agreements outside of employment contracts:
  • agreement on work performance (Dohoda o vykonaní práce) (max 12 months, 350 hours per year)
  • agreement on work activity (Dohoda o pracovnej činnosti) (max 12 months, 10h/week)
  • agreement on student’s temporary work (Dohoda o brigádnickej práci študentov) (for students who are under 27, max 12 months, 20h/week)

Please note: Legitimate employers and job agencies will never ask for money from you! Employers must provide you with any equipment or protective clothing needed for performance of work tasks, such as personal protective equipment and accessories (gloves, helmet, etc.). 

Yes, Ukrainian children can attend Slovak schools and kindergartens. Parents should choose the school or kindergarten they want their children to attend and approach the school / kindergarten directly. The school will require a proof of application for asylum or temporary refuge. School directors have an obligation to admit children to kindergartens / schools, and children must be admitted to schools at the latest 3 months after applying for admission to the school, however, the Ministry of Education recommends that Ukrainian children should be admitted as soon as possible after a determination of their level of Slovak language and their adaptability to the Slovak educational system. Slovak universities have also stated that they will accept Ukrainian students. Before children enter a school or kindergarten, they must undergo a health checkup at a pediatrician (pediatrician can perform checkup on the basis of a district allocation (determined on the basis of residence), or on the basis of school district or on the basis of agreement with parent).

Slovakia accepts pets without passports and vaccinations. Owners will be required to fill out a form at the border, to verify which conditions of regular entry the animals meet and to specify where the animals will undergo quarantine in Slovakia. The owners have an obligation to contact the local District Veterinary and Food Administration, or the competent authority of another Member State in the event of transit.

Entry is permitted to the following pets, as defined in EU Regulation 576/2013:

• Dogs, cats and ferrets
• Birds (except poultry)
• Domestic rabbits and rodents
• Reptiles and amphibians
• Invertebrates (except bees, molluscs and crustaceans)
• Ornamental tropical fish
• Horses can only enter via the Vyšné Nemecké crossing

• Official government website for Ukrainians entering the Slovak Republic
• Official website of the Ministry of Education
• Accommodation search website of the Ministry of Transport
•  Private accommodation request form (via NGOs)
• Website of NGOs providing updated information on various topics
• Online application form for temporary refuge

If you have any questions, you can contact our free helpline, where our Ukrainian speaking experts will be able to assist you: +421 259 350 200

Healthcare:

112 - emergency (police, fire department, ambulance)

155 - ambulance

Free phone consultation: +421-2-210 25 075 (from 7am-7pm)

Free online consultation: https://www.ua.diagnose.me/diagnoseme/sk/ (from 7am - 7pm)

Dentists - contacts for free urgent dental care

https://www.stomatolog.help/en

https://www.skzl.sk/stomatologhelp

Police:

112 or 158

Ukrainian speaking helpline - +421 513 816 111, +421 259 765 111

Temporary refuge online request 

Temporary refuge application centres: (all 24/7)

• Foreign police Bratislava -  Regrútska 4, Bratislava 831 07, +421-9610-36999
• Foreign police Dunajská Streda - Mlynská 4629/2A, Dunajská Streda 929 01, +421-96111-3200, 3203, 3204, 3205, 3206
• Foreign police Trnava - Paulínska 13, Trnava 917 01, +421-96110-6153, 6154, 6158, 6161, 6163, 6164
• Foreign police Trenčín - Jílemnického 2, Trenčín 911 01, +421-96120-3234
• Foreign police Nitra - Kalvárska 2, Nitra 949 01, +421-96130-3230
• Foreign police Nové Zámky - Bitúnkova 8, Nové Zámky 949 36, +421-96133-3208, +421-96133-3201
• Foreign police Banská Bystrica - Sládkovičova 4343/25, Banská Bystrica 974 05, +421-96160-3230
• Foreign police Rimavská Sobota - Hviezdoslavova 35, Rimavská Sobota 979 01, +421-96168-3205
• Foreign police Žilina - Janka Kráľa 4, 010 40 Žilina, +421-96140-3205, +421-96140-3216
• Foreign police Košice - Trieda SNP 35, Košice 040 01, +421-9619-31208
• Foreign police Michalovce - Jána Hollého 53/46, Michalovce 071 01, +421-96172-3220
• Foreign police Prešov - Ľubochnianska 2, Prešov 080 01, +421-96180-3205
• Foreign police Ružomberok - Námestie Andreja Hlinku 74, Ružomberok 034 01, +421-9614-83205
• Large-capacity centre Humenné - Mestská športová hala Chemlonská 1
• Large-capacity centre Michalovce - Mestská športová hala Športová 31
• Large-capacity centre Bratislava - Regrútska 4

Fire brigade:

150 or 112

Embassy of the Republic of Ukraine in Slovakia

Address: Radvanská 35, 81101, Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Phone: +421 2 592 028 10

Help abroad

Czech Republic: https://www.stojimezaukrajinou.cz

Poland: https://www.gov.pl/web/mswia-en/information-for-refugees-from-ukraine

Austria: https://www.bmi.gv.at/bmi_documents/2749.pdf

Situation in other countries: https://ukraina.guide/

NGOs

The League for Human Rights

A non-governmental organization that provides information to foreigners and refugees about stays, visas and asylum in several languages.

Hotline for Ukrainians: +421 918 366 968

Email: ukrajina@hrl.sk

More information: http://ukraineslovakia.sk

Help with searching for people in Ukraine

Slovak Red Cross - connecting families

If you have lost contact with your family, loved ones or relatives, you can use the service of the Slovak Red Cross - Family Reunion. For more information, visit the redcross.sk website.

International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Information and advice on entry and stays in Slovakia.

Infoline: 0850 211 478 (inside the Slovak Republic)

From abroad: +421 252 630 023 / +421 556 258 662

Telegram and signal applications: +421 908 767 853 (voice services only)