Slovakia student visa: Complete guide 2026

What Is the Slovakia Student Visa?

The Slovakia Student Visa refers to the pairing of a temporary residence permit for the purpose of study with the national D visa used to collect it. The residence permit is the actual authorization to live in Slovakia while studying, and is required for any study stay longer than 90 days. The national D visa is a separate travel document: it does not itself grant residence, but is what an applicant who applied at an embassy uses to enter Slovakia and collect the residence card.

Applications can be submitted at a Slovak embassy before traveling, or at a Foreign Police department if the applicant is already in Slovakia lawfully.

Who Is It For?

• Nationality: Non-EU/EEA nationals.

  
  

• Study program: Full-time study at a Slovak university accredited by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport, or a language or professional training program run by a Slovak university to prepare for it.

  
  

• Financial means: The Slovak subsistence minimum for each month of stay, which is EUR 295.22 as of July 2026. For stays longer than a year, twelve times that amount is shown as a lump sum, currently EUR 3,542.64.

What the Visa Allows

• Residency: The permit is granted for the expected length of your studies, up to six years. If your studies run longer, it can be renewed for up to a further five years.

  
  

• Work: You can work without a separate work permit. University students can work up to 20 hours per week; other eligible students, including those in a language or professional preparation program, are limited to 10 hours per week. Working beyond the applicable limit requires changing the purpose of your residence from study to employment. You can also run a business while holding a study permit.

  
  

• Family: Your spouse and children can apply for their own temporary residence for family reunification, granted for as long as your own permit lasts, up to five years. They can study and run a business from the start. To take a job, they need a work permit for their first twelve months, after which they can work without one.

  
  

• Travel: The permit allows you to travel to other Schengen countries for up to 90 days within any 180-day period.

  
  

• After graduation: If you graduate from a Slovak university, you can renew your permit for the purpose of job seeking or starting a business, for nine months. Apply no later than the last day your study permit is valid, or you risk creating a gap in your residency. Graduates of a Slovak university also gain free access to the Slovak labor market, meaning no work permit is needed for a job.

Documents You'll Need to Prepare

Documents issued abroad must be authenticated with an apostille or consular superlegalization, and translated into Slovak by an official translator. Documents in Czech are accepted without translation. None of the supporting documents may be more than 90 days old when you apply.

• Application form: The official "Application for the Temporary Residence" form. The form's fields are printed in both Slovak and English, but the answers you enter must be written in Slovak, in block letters or typed. Signed.

  
  

• Passport: A valid passport.

  
  

• Passport-style photos: Two recent color photos.

  
  

• Proof of study purpose: Confirmation of admission from your Slovak university, or, if you are attending on a scholarship or exchange program, confirmation from the state authority or organization running it.

  
  

• Proof of financial means: Evidence that you hold the required amount, such as a bank account statement in your name, a scholarship award letter, or a sworn statement from a sponsor together with their bank statement.

  
  

• Criminal record certificate: From the country of your nationality, and from every country where you stayed longer than 90 days within six consecutive months during the last three years.

  
  

• Proof of accommodation: Required unless you are a university student. Secondary school students and those attending a language or professional preparation program must show where they will live in Slovakia, such as a rental agreement or a confirmation from the accommodation provider.

Step-by-Step Application Process

Step 1: Secure admission

Apply to a Slovak educational institution and obtain confirmation of acceptance.

Step 2: Book an embassy appointment

Reserve an appointment to submit your application at the Slovak embassy. Booking procedures vary by embassy, and waiting times for an available slot can run to several months at some missions, so book as early as possible and plan submission around the 90-day validity of your supporting documents.

Step 3: Apply at the embassy

Submit your application for the temporary residence permit at your appointment. At the embassy, you also attend an interview and sign the written record made of it. The embassy forwards this record, along with its opinion, to the Ministry of Interior, which decides on the residence permit within 30 days. If the permit is granted, you do not receive the residence card at this point: the embassy instead issues a national D visa.

Step 4: Travel to Slovakia

Use the national D visa to enter Slovakia within 180 days of the residence permit being granted.

Step 5: Report your arrival

Notify the Foreign Police within three working days of entering Slovakia.

Step 6: Book a Foreign Police appointment and collect your card

The Foreign Police release a limited number of appointment slots online at a time, so booking can be competitive, particularly in Bratislava. Book as early as the system allows to collect your residence card and complete registration.

Step 7: Submit a medical certificate

Within 30 days of collecting your residence card, submit a medical certificate confirming you carry no disease that threatens public health. The certificate must be no more than 30 days old and issued by a designated medical center.

Costs and Fees

There is no fee to apply for the residence permit itself, but two fees do apply. The national D visa costs EUR 15, non-refundable if refused. The residence card itself costs EUR 10, or EUR 39 if you need it within two working days; both amounts halve if you apply electronically.

Good to Know

Applying from inside Slovakia does not give you the right to stay: Filing at the Foreign Police does not authorize you to remain while the decision is pending. A visa-free applicant risks having to leave Slovakia before the permit is granted, since the decision can take up to 30 days but visa-free stay is capped at 90. Applying at an embassy before you travel avoids this risk.

You do not need to prove health insurance to the Foreign Police: Study-purpose applications are exempt from this requirement, unlike most other residence purposes. You must still hold valid insurance for your stay, but you are not required to show proof of it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need the permit if my program is shorter than 90 days?

No, but you still need to be in Slovakia lawfully. If your nationality is visa-exempt for short stays, you can enter without a visa. If it is not, you need a Schengen short-stay visa to enter. Either way, you must report your arrival to the Foreign Police within three working days of entering.

How long does the decision take?

The Ministry of Interior or Foreign Police decides within 30 days of receiving your complete application.

Can my spouse and children join me?

Yes. They can apply for their own temporary residence for family reunification, valid for as long as your permit lasts, up to five years. This applies whether you are a university student or in another eligible study category.

Do I need to prove I have accommodation in Slovakia?

Only if you are not a university student. Secondary school students and those attending a language or professional preparation program must show where they will live, both at first application and when renewing; university students are exempt at both stages.