Temporary refuge. Get protection, work permit and social security.

A simple way to apply for legal residence in Slovakia.
River bank
Foto: Anatoly Ramonov / Unsplash

9. February 2023

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Advantages of obtaining temporary refuge

If you are coming from Ukraine, ask the Slovak authorities to grant you the “Temporary Refugee” status and get rights that will make your life in Slovakia easier.

  • work without a work permit
  • study at a secondary school or university
  • minor children will be integrated into the school system
  • access to health care
  • access to accommodation
  • entitlement to material need benefit and related financial benefits
  • you don’t have to pay dog tax, accommodation tax, or municipal waste collection fee
  • you can travel freely in Slovakia.

Who is entitled to a temporary refuge

Citizens of Ukraine

If you are a citizen of Ukraine, you can apply for temporary refuge right after entering the territory of the Slovak Republic.

 

Your family members can also apply for temporary refuge if they lived in Ukraine before February 24, 2022. Family members include:

  • your spouse,
  • your minor children, or the minor children of your spouse,
  • parents of a minor child who is a citizen of Ukraine,
  • your close relatives who live in the same household with you and are totally or partially dependent on you.

Citizens of other states

You can apply for temporary refuge even if you are not a citizen of Ukraine, but one of the following conditions applies to you:

(1) You have a permanent residence in Ukraine, which was granted to you before February 24, 2022, and you cannot return to the country or region of your origin due to unstable and unsafe conditions there,

or

(2) You have been granted asylum or awarded international protection in Ukraine before February 24, 2022. 

In this case, your family members can also apply for temporary refuge as long as they lived in Ukraine before February 24, 2022. Family members include:

  • your spouse,
  • your minor children, or the minor children of your spouse,
  • parents of a minor child who is a citizen of Ukraine,
  • your close relatives who live in the same household with you and are totally or partially dependent on you.

Children under 18 without parents

How do minors under the age of 18 cross state borders without their parents?

How to proceed if a minor child under the age of 18 without parents is already in the territory of Slovakia?

You can read more in the article Conditions of entry to Slovakia.

How to apply for temporary refuge

Applying for temporary refuge is easy and usually takes no more than 20 minutes.

Come in person to any Help Centre or foreign police department. When applying, the staff will scan your biometric data (fingerprints). Therefore, even minor children must be present in person.

You can also apply online at the government’s Temporary Refuge Registration page. However, you must pick up the confirmation in person, and this also applies to minor children.

By obtaining the “Temporary Refuge” status you automatically be awarded the “Tolerated stay” along with all the benefits that will make your life in Slovakia easier.

Validity period

Temporary refuge is granted until March 4, 2024.

If you have already been granted temporary refuge with a date of validity until March 4, 2023, this document will continue to be valid for you at least until March 4, 2024 without the obligation to take further administrative steps.

Unless the Council of the European Union decides otherwise, it will be automatically extended by 6 months, but at most by one year.

Temporary address and its reporting

Even if you do not yet have accommodation, you can apply for a temporary refuge.

I already have accommodation

If you already have accommodation in Slovakia, attach one of the following documents to your temporary refuge application:

  • an affidavit (signed written statement) of all owners of the property where you will live stating they agree with you staying there,
  • a lease agreement concluded with the owner/owners of the property,
  • a confirmation from the accommodation facility on the provision of accommodation.

The signatures on the above-mentioned documents do not have to be certified.

We would like to remind you that even a foreigner with a temporary refuge has the obligation to report his address to the foreign police within 3 working days via the Residence report form, in person or by mail.

Moving to another address

If you are moving to another place in Slovakia, report the change of address at the municipal or city office in the place you will be staying at.

Moving to another EU country

If you want to move to another EU country and apply for temporary refuge there, you can do so.

But don’t forget that you can only get temporary refuge in one EU country.

Therefore, if you are issued a temporary refuge in another EU member state, the validity of your temporary refuge issued in Slovakia will automatically expire and you will also lose the benefits mentioned above.

Applying for temporary refuge is not mandatory

If you do not have a residence permit in Slovakia, but you have been here for a long time, we will advise you on what to do next. Get in touch with us.

I am a citizen of Ukraine

Based on the visa-free regime, you have the right to stay in Slovakia and the Schengen area for 90 days. However, without a temporary refuge or granted asylum, you cannot work and you do not have health insurance.

If you already have permanent or temporary residence in Slovakia, have applied for asylum, have already received asylum, or are under another protection regime, then you do not need to apply for temporary refuge.

Travel abroad

Your temporary refuge will remain valid even after you leave Slovakia.

European Union

With a confirmation of temporary refuge you can travel freely in the territory of the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days within 180 days.

Ukraine

You can travel to Ukraine and back to Slovakia without any worries. Your temporary refuge will still be valid.

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