In the context of Slovakia, the Withdrawal Agreement protects:
- UK nationals lawfully residing in Slovakia before the end of the transition period (before 31 December 2020),
- UK nationals pursuing an economic activity in Slovakia before the end of the transition period, but who do not reside here (frontier workers),
- Family members of persons under points (a) or (b), who lawfully reside in Slovakia before the end of the transition period,
- Family members who lawfully reside in Slovakia before the end of the transition period independently based on a derived right of residence (e.g. following the death of the UK national or divorce with the UK national),
- Certain direct relatives of persons under points (a) or (b), who do not yet live in Slovakia and reside in another country before the end of the transition period,
- Partners of persons under points (a) or (b) who are in a duly attested, durable relationship, who do not yet live in Slovakia and reside in another country before the end of the transition period,
- Children born to, or adopted by, persons under points (a) or (b) after the end of the transition period, whether inside or outside Slovakia, if:
- Both parents are persons under points (a) or (b), or
- One parent is a person under points (a) or (b) and the other is a Slovak citizen, or
- One parent is a person under points (a) or (b) and has sole/joint custody of the child.
To be protected by the Withdrawal Agreement means that you will be able to continue enjoying your rights broadly (as before the UK´s departure from the EU) in the territory of Slovakia.
As a UK national, if you are already registered as resident in Slovakia, or if you are lawfully residing in Slovakia by the end of the transition period (before 31 December 2020) and continue to reside here thereafter, your rights will be protected for as long as you remain resident.
To lawfully reside in Slovakia means that you must fall into one of the specified categories.
You will have to apply for a new (non-EU) Residence Card, even if you currently hold one and even if you are already registered as resident, at the latest by 30 June 2021.
As a UK national, to lawfully reside in Slovakia means that you must fall into one of the following categories:
- You are employed in Slovakia;
- You are a self-employed person in Slovakia;
- You are studying in primary school, secondary school, or at university in Slovakia and are financially self-sufficient;
- You are financially self-sufficient and have health insurance in Slovakia;
- You are looking for work in Slovakia;
- You are a family member of a UK national or of a Union citizen who satisfies one of the above conditions and whom you are accompanying or joining.
In general, you must fall into one of the specified categories before 31 December 2020, to be able to enjoy your rights in the territory of Slovakia broadly as you could before the UK left the EU.
As a UK national, you have the right of residence in Slovakia for a period longer than three months, if you satisfy one of the following conditions:
- You are employed in Slovakia;
- You are a self-employed person in Slovakia;
- You are studying in primary school, secondary school, or at university in Slovakia and are financially self-sufficient;
- You have sufficient financial resources for yourself and your family members to avoid burdening the social security system and you have health insurance in Slovakia;
- You are looking for work;
- You are a family member of a UK national or a Union citizen who satisfies one of the above conditions and whom you are accompanying or joining.
In general, you must meet one of the above conditions before 31 December 2020 to be covered by the Withdrawal Agreement (exceptions apply).
These conditions do not apply to UK nationals who move to Slovakia after 31 December 2020 (exceptions apply).
You can check who is considered a UK national here.
A Union citizen is a citizen of the EU (except for Slovakia), the European Economic Area Agreement (EEA) or Switzerland. You can check all the countries that belong to these groups here.
As a UK national, your current lawful residence in Slovakia, or the lawful residence which you start before 31 December 2020, will be changed automatically from an EU to a non-EU status.
You will obtain one of the relevant types of residence status, depending on how long you have lived in Slovakia.
All you have to do is:
- register your residence (unless you have already done so) and
- apply for a non-EU Residence Card
Lawful residence
- By 31 December 2020, you must be lawfully residing in Slovakia (and continue to reside here thereafter).
Registration of residence
- You should register your residence within 30 days from the lapse of three months from entering Slovakia.
- Unless you have already done so, you should register at your earliest convenience.
- When you register after 1 January 2021, you will have to demonstrate that you were lawfully residing in Slovakia before 31 December 2020.
New Residence Card
- By 30 June 2021, you must apply for a non-EU Residence Card (even if you are already registered as resident and hold an EU Residence Card).
We are encouraging you to register your residence and apply for the non-EU Residence Card at your earliest convenience.
You don't need to be physically present in Slovakia at the end of the transition period, but you do need to be already lawfully residing here at that point.
The deadline for application for the non-EU Residence Card is 30 June 2021. However, it is recommended you apply for the new Residence Card as soon as possible, or by 31 December 2020. If you do not submit your application for a new Residence Card by 31 December 2020, your residence status will be changed automatically. In this case, you will have to apply for the new Residence Card before 30 June 2021.
We advise not leaving the registration of residence and/or the application for the non-EU Residence Card until the last moment.
You will get one of the following types of residence status, depending on how long you've been living in Slovakia:
- Five-year residence:
You will get this type of residence if you have lawfully resided in Slovakia for less than five years. You will also get this type of residence, if you have resided in Slovakia without being registered, regardless whether it was for less or for more than five years. It is granted for a period of up to five years. The Residence Document is also issued for a period of five years;
or
- Long-term residence/Permanent residence for unlimited time:
You will get this type of residence if you have lawfully resided in Slovakia continuously for more than five years. It is granted for an indefinite time period. The Residence Document is issued for a period of 10 years. In specific cases, you may qualify for this type of residence even before you have resided in Slovakia for five years.
Important: The validity of your new Residence Document should not be shorter than five years or ten years, in line with the above. In case you were issued a Residence Document with a shorter validity, please contact your competent Foreign Police department by email and request issuance of a corrected residence card. Check what are the contact details of Foreign Police departments.