Traveling back to Slovakia after 1 January 2021

If you are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement but you were not in Slovakia at the end of the transition period (31 December 2020), you will need to prove that you are a Withdrawal Agreement beneficiary when traveling back after 1 January 2021, otherwise your passport will be stamped.

How to prove you are a Withdrawal Agreement beneficiary

If you can prove you are a Withdrawal Agreement beneficiary, your passport should not be stamped. These documents can serve as a proof:

  • Your new (non-EU and Withdrawal Agreement-compliant) residence card
  • If you have applied for the new Withdrawal Agreement-compliant residence card but not yet received it, you can carry your certificate of application (i.e. confirmation you have applied for the residence card which is part of the application form and which should be given to you by the foreign Police upon submission of your documents)
  • In case you have not applied for the new Withdrawal Agreement-compliant residence card yet, you can carry your valid EU residence card (under the previous free movement regime)
  • In case you have not applied for the new Withdrawal Agreement-compliant residence card yet and you don’t have a valid EU residence card, you can carry alternative evidence that you are resident in Slovakia, such as a tenancy agreement or a utility bill in your name, dating from 2020

Stamping your passport

If you cannot prove you are a Withdrawal Agreement beneficiary and that you are resident in Slovakia, i.e. if the documents you provide are not adequate or if in doubt, you may be asked additional questions at the border to enter the Schengen area, and your passport may be stamped. This will not affect your rights in Slovakia.

Border checks

As of 1 January 2021, the following applies to all UK nationals, including Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries:

  • The need to use the “ALL PASSPORTS” or “VISA NOT REQUIRED” lanes
  • Thorough border checks upon entry and exit
As of 1 January 2021, non-essential travel of UK nationals and their family members to Slovakia may be restricted due to COVID-19. Read who is exempt from the restrictions.
As of 21 December 2020, mandatory quarantine in the form of home isolation applies to all persons who have visited the UK in the past 14 days prior to their entry to Slovakia and those living with them in the same household. Submitting a negative result of a RT-PCR test for COVID-19 instead (to avoid the quarantine) is no longer possible. More information about relevant obligations is available here.

More information

See the British Embassy’s Travel Advice for entry requirements for both the UK and your return to Slovakia.

Get in touch with the British Embassy

If needed, you can get in touch with the British Embassy Bratislava via the contact form at www.gov.uk/contact-consulate-bratislava or by telephone on +421 2 5998 20 00.

We will be adding more information on this topic as it becomes available, so please keep an eye on this section.