If UK nationals and their family members are already registered as residents in Slovakia, or if they will be lawfully residing in Slovakia by 31 December 2020 and continue to reside here thereafter, their right to work will stay the same for as long as they remain residents.
As a UK national or a family member of a UK national, your current residence in Slovakia, or the residence which you start before 31 December 2020, will be changed automatically from an EU to a non-EU status. You will need to register your residence and apply for a new Residence Card.
You will get one of the following types of residence status, depending on how long you've been living in Slovakia:
- Five-year residence granted for a period of five years, or
- Long-term residence granted for an indefinite time period/permanent residence for unlimited time.
To be registered as resident in Slovakia means to hold a:
- Registration Certificate (confirmation about the registration of residence) and optionally also the Residence Card (plastic ID card “Pobytový preukaz občana EÚ”) if you are a UK national, or
- Residence Card (plastic ID card “Pobytový preukaz rodinného príslušníka občana EÚ”) if you are a family member of a UK national.
If you belong to one of the categories of UK national family members who may seek residence in Slovakia after the end of the transition period (after 1 January 2021) and still be protected by the Withdrawal Agreement, you will also enjoy the right to work. You will be able to join the UK national at any point in time in the future and if you satisfy the relevant criteria, you will obtain residence.
Read more about residence of UK nationals and residence of family members of UK nationals, including how to register your residence, apply for a Residence Card and other important information related to living in Slovakia.
To understand the steps you need to take with regard to your work, please chose one of the following two options.
Rights
If you are a UK national or a family member of a UK national who is already registered as resident in Slovakia and working, your right to work will stay the same for as long as you remain resident. The same applies, if you are a UK national who is lawfully residing in Slovakia before 31 December and working.
If you register as resident and get a new Residence Card by 30 June 2021 at the latest, you can continue working in Slovakia basically under the same conditions as Union citizens. You will be able to work without the need of a Work Permit or any other approval process by the Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family. You can freely change your employment and look for a new job.
You can change your status at any time, from worker to e.g. self-employed person or to being economically inactive. You can also simultaneously hold multiple statuses, e.g. work and do business. And even if you hold a different status before the end of the transition period, you can become a worker at a later stage.
Your right to health insurance and social insurance derived from your work will also remain the same. You will be able to access healthcare and social security like you did before the UK´s exit from the EU.
Registration of residence and Residence Card
You will need to register your residence (unless you have already done so) and replace your Residence Card or obtain a new Residence Card if you don´t have one yet, by following these steps (as a UK national) or these steps (as a family member of a UK national).
The deadline for registering your residence and applying for replacement of your Residence Card or for a new Residence Card is 30 June 2021. However, your specific case may require you to apply for a new Residence Card even earlier. We recommend not leaving the application for replacement of/a new Residence Card until the last moment.
After you get the new Residence Card, you should inform your employer.
Obligation of your employer
One of the obligations of employers employing UK nationals (or Union citizens) and their family members is to notify the local Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family about the start and the end of the work within seven working days from the start/end of the work by sending the so-called Information Card. There is a separate form for Union citizens and another form for third country nationals (including family members of Union citizens). Your employer does not need to do anything in this regard until the end of the transition period (until 31 December 2020).
In case of UK nationals, your employer must send the following to the local Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family within seven working days from the end of the transition period (i.e. by 13 January 2021):
- Information Card on the end of work of a Union citizen
and
- Information Card on the start of work of a third country national
The conditions under which you will be able to work in Slovakia depend on whether you start your residence in Slovakia before the end of the transition period (before 31 December 2020), or not.