Entry of Foreigners during the Extraordinary Situation

Civil Protection of the Population, the Government of the Slovak Republic declared, on March 11, 2020, an extraordinary situation in the territory of the Slovak Republic. On March 12, 2020, the Central Crisis Staff of the Slovak Republic adopted, inter alia, travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 disease.

Preventive measures applicable to all persons entering the territory of the Slovak Republic are stipulated in the  Decree of the Public Health Authority.

Persons entering the territory of the Slovak Republic are obliged to:

a) to register at the latest immediately upon entering the Slovak Republic at the website korona.gov.sk/ehranica,
b) during their stay in the territory of the Slovak Republic to submit a confirmation of the fulfilment of the obligation pursuant to paragraph 4 letter a) to members of the Police Force of the Slovak Republic,
c) undergo a laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19 at the earliest on the eighth day of isolation in the home environment or in a quarantine accommodation facility,
d) children under the age of ten are obliged to undergo a diagnosis of COVID-19 if so determined by the relevant regional public health office or healthcare provider who provides healthcare in the paediatric specialization and with whom the child has a healthcare agreement concluded,
e) persons entering the territory of the Slovak Republic by air are also obliged to fill in an electronic form for passenger search in connection with the protection of public health.
 
 
The above mentioned obligations do not apply to persons referred to in Sections 4 to 7 of the Decree (pendlers, medical employees, holders of diplomatic and service passports, certain categories of transiting persons etc.). For detailed information on obligations applicable to these persons,  please, see the Decree.

In accordance with the Section 11 letter a) of the Act No. 575/2001 Coll. on the Organisation of the Activities of Government and Central State Administration (Competence Law), the entry of foreigners to the Slovak Republic and stay in the territory of the Slovak Republic fall under the competences of the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic.

Should you have any further questions concerning the border regime, please contact the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic or the Bureau of Border and Foreign Police of the Presidium of the Police Force of the Slovak Republic (suhcp@minv.sk).

In case of queries related to the epidemiological measures applicable upon entry to the territory of the Slovak Republic, please contact the Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic (koronapodnety@uvzsr.sk).

Requests for information on issuance of visas for entry to the Slovak Republic (taking into account the travel restrictions and the preventive measures aimed at containment of the spread of the virus COVID-19) should be addressed directly to the respective embassy or consulate general of the Slovak Republic.

Arrival to the Slovak Republic through the internal border

Third country nationals, EU/EEA citizens as well as citizens of Swiss Confederation may enter the Slovak Republic through the internal land borders of the Slovak Republic with the Czech Republic, Republic of Austria, Republic of Poland and Hungary, as well as internal air borders (border crossing points located at the airports on the territory of the Slovak Republic) under the condition of compliance with the respective quarantine measures of the Public Health Authority (self-isolation, testing for COVID-19, registration at the website korona.gov.sk/ehranica, etc.) in accordance with the provisions of the Decree of the Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic, Categories of persons, to whom exemptions from the quarantine measures apply are stipulated in Sections 4 – 7 of the Decree of the Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic.

A foreigner with a valid travel document and a visa or a residence permit (if required), who has legally entered or is staying in the Schengen area, may also enter the territory of the Slovak Republic, independent of the purpose of travel to the Slovak Republic (business trips, visit of family or friends, unmarried couples etc.). Please note that the conditions of entry to the country (countries) of transit should be verified with the competent authorities of the country of transit and the respective air company. An individual confirmation certifying the authorization of entry of the foreign national to the Slovak Republic through internal borders is not required.

Arrival to the Slovak Republic through the external border

The external border (i.e. Schengen border) is a land border between the Slovak Republic and Ukraine. The external air borders include also international airports in the Slovak Republic (M. R. Štefánik Airport, Airport Poprad-Tatry, Košice Airport), in case of arrivals from countries outside Schengen territory.
On condition that the person complies with all epidemiological measures, the arrival to the Slovak Republic through the external border is possible for the EU nationals and the following categories of third country nationals:

a) Third country nationals who are relatives of persons with the permanent or temporary residence in the Slovak Republic or relatives of the Slovak citizens, i.e. husbands/wives, minor children, parents of a minor child entering the Slovak Republic Minor children, husbands/wives do not have to travel together with the foreign national; their family relationship shall be demonstrated by presenting, for example, a birth certificate or marriage certificate (Should a foreign national not carry the original, a standard copy of the document shall suffice.). If the document exists only in a foreign language, the foreign national shall provide for its translation (a non-official translation is enough). When undergoing the check, the foreign national should present the original in the foreign language and its translation.

b) Third country nationals who have a valid residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic, pursuant to Act No. 404/2011 on the Residence of Foreign Nationals, as amended, and who present themselves with a valid residency permit, a residence ID and a statement confirming that their residency has been registered, or who are holders of the national visa issued by the diplomatic mission of the Slovak Republic. The entry of third country nationals for the purpose of attending the nursery school, basic school, high school or university in the territory of the Slovak Republic is considered a valid residence permit pursuant to this point as long as the person is able to present a written confirmation of this fact.

c) Foreign nationals meeting the criteria for a general exemption stipulated in the Section 4, Section 5, Section 6 par. 1 letters a) to c), and Section 7 of the Decree of the Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic which imposes measures in the event of a threat to public health concerning the quarantine obligations of persons after entering the territory of the Slovak Republic in the wording of its later amendments (e.g. transiting persons, persons providing care of close relatives),

d) Third country nationals, who are holders of an exemption granted by the Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic before 19 April 2021. The person, to whom an exemption has been granted, must have a negative result of the RT-PCR test for COVID-19 not older than 72 hours when entering the territory of the Slovak Republic. In justified cases, the Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic may grant an exemption from this obligation based on a justified written request of a member of the Government of the Slovak Republic under his authority. All exemptions issued by the Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic cease to be valid on 16 May 2021 23:59 hrs.

Please note that in some cases, the exemption form the quarantine measures  may be subject to the consent of the respective ministry or the Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic, as stipulated in the  Decree of the Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic.

Source: https://www.mzv.sk/web/en/covid-19