AKMV 
- Change of Residence Purpose – Who Can Submit an Application in Slovakia
- For What Purpose May a Foreigner Hold Residence?
- Change of Residence Purpose
- Change of Residence Purpose to Business
- Change of Purpose of Temporary Residence to Employment
- Change of Purpose of Temporary Residence from Study to Employment
- Change of Employment
- Time Limit for Decision on Change of Residence Purpose
- Fees for Change of Residence Purpose
In this article, we will go over the basic information regarding the change of residence purpose.
Temporary residence under Act No. 404/2011 Coll. on the Residence of Foreigners and on Amendments and Supplements to Certain Acts (hereinafter referred to as the “Act on the Residence of Foreigners”) is always granted for a specific purpose, such as business, employment, study, or family reunification. If the purpose for which temporary residence was granted ceases to exist, this is grounds for the revocation of the residence permit. However, in practice, situations often arise where one purpose of residence may expire, but the foreigner may qualify for another valid purpose. This situation will be explained in more detail in the article.
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If you are interested in legal services related to temporary residence, do not hesitate to contact us at office@akmv.sk or by phone at +421 915 046 749.
Change of Residence Purpose – Who Can Submit an Application in Slovakia
As of the wording effective from 1 July 2025, a third-country national may not submit an application for a change of residence purpose at the police department if they have been granted temporary residence:
a) for less than two years and intend to apply for temporary residence under § 22 (i.e., for the purpose of business),
b) under § 23(4) (i.e., for the purpose of seasonal employment),
c) under § 24(1)(a) (i.e., for the purpose of study, being a full-time secondary school student); this does not apply if the third-country national has successfully passed the final examination or school-leaving examination as part of secondary education in the Slovak Republic,
d) under § 24(1)(b) (i.e., for the purpose of study, being a university student); this does not apply if the third-country national has duly completed secondary education in the Slovak Republic or has obtained higher education of the first, second, or third degree,
e) under § 24(1)(c) (i.e., attending a language or professional preparation course for university studies).
For What Purpose May a Foreigner Hold Residence?
The individual purposes of temporary residence are defined in § 21 of the Act on the Residence of Foreigners as follows:
- business
- employment
- study
- special activity (including lecturing, sports, artistic activity, volunteering, activity of an accredited journalist in the Slovak Republic, etc.)
- research and development
- family reunification
- fulfilment of service duties by civilian components of the armed forces
- recognized status of a Slovak living abroad
- recognized status of a person with long-term residence in another EU Member State
Under temporary residence, a foreigner may carry out in the territory of the Slovak Republic only those activities for which the temporary residence was granted—i.e., activities corresponding to the specific purpose. Other activities may be performed only if explicitly permitted by law.
For example, a foreigner who has been granted temporary residence for a purpose other than study may study under § 20(3) of the Act on the Residence of Foreigners, or a foreigner with temporary residence for the purpose of study may engage in business under § 24(3) of the Act on the Residence of Foreigners.
Change of Residence Purpose
If a foreigner wishes to carry out an activity in the territory of the Slovak Republic other than the one for which their temporary residence was granted, they must submit a new application for temporary residence for the new purpose. You can read more about submitting a temporary residence application here.
The application must be submitted with the following documents:
- the prescribed application form (in the case of a change of residence purpose, the form for residence renewal is used),
- a valid passport,
- two colour photographs (3 x 3.5 cm),
- a document proving the new purpose of residence (e.g., if the new purpose is employment, then an employment contract or promise from the employer; if the new purpose is business, then a document proving business activity),
- a document confirming accommodation in Slovakia for at least 6 months from the granting of residence or for the entire duration of the intended stay (not required for cross-border commuters from neighbouring countries). This document may be:
- a notarized lease agreement (in which the applicant is listed as the tenant or one of the tenants; the signatures of both landlord and tenant must be notarized),
- a notarized declaration by the property owner(s) stating they will provide accommodation (with notarized signatures of all owners),
- or confirmation from an accommodation facility (hotel, hostel) confirming the provision of accommodation.
A title deed is no longer required.
- proof of financial coverage of stay:
- for stays up to 1 year: at least the amount of the subsistence minimum per month,
- for stays over 1 year: 12 times the subsistence minimum.
Proof may be: - for employment – a statement from the employer confirming the agreed salary,
- for other purposes – a bank confirmation of account balance in the applicant’s name and a bank statement for the last three months (if the account is held abroad).
- administrative fee paid via e-stamp (available for purchase at post offices or at the police department’s e-stamp machine).
Please note:
According to § 32(3) of the Act on the Residence of Foreigners, in the case of a residence application submitted due to a change of purpose, the applicant is not required to submit a certificate of good character (criminal record extract) if such a document was already submitted when applying for temporary residence for the original purpose.
Change of Residence Purpose to Business
A foreigner may have only one purpose of residence at a time—i.e., if they wish to engage in business, they cannot simultaneously be employed, and vice versa.
Tip
If a foreigner holds temporary residence for the purpose of employment, they may not change the purpose to business until 12 months of the granted residence for employment have elapsed.
When changing the residence purpose to business, the following documents must also be submitted:
- valid travel document / residence document,
- two recent colour photographs (3 x 3.5 cm),
- administrative fee (e-stamp),
- document proving the new purpose:
- for a sole trader (živnostník): trade licence certificate,
- if it concerns an existing business company in which the applicant intends to act as a statutory body (executive or board member): extract from the Commercial Register and minutes of the general meeting with notarized signatures of the shareholders appointing the applicant,
- for a newly established company: business plan,
- proof of accommodation,
- financial coverage:
- confirmation of account balance on a personal bank account in the applicant’s name, proving financial coverage of at least 12 times the subsistence minimum (the subsistence minimum from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021 is €214.83),
- plus confirmation of account balance on a business account held in the name of the company, proving coverage of at least 100 times the subsistence minimum (for sole traders: 20 times the subsistence minimum).
The police department shall grant temporary residence for the purpose of business for the anticipated period of business activity, but no longer than three years. In practice, however, residence is often granted for 1.5 to 2 years.
Change of Purpose of Temporary Residence to Employment
If the purpose of residence is changed to a new one—employment (regardless of the original purpose of residence), the applicant must submit an employer’s promise of employment (on the official form).
For temporary residence for the purpose of employment, please note that the job vacancy must be reported in advance on the istp.sk portal or through the competent Labour Office. Therefore, if someone is changing their residence purpose, they may submit the application for a change of residence purpose only:
- on the 21st day after the publication of the job vacancy, or
- on the 2nd day after the publication, if it concerns a job on the shortage occupation list.
The list of shortage occupations can be found on the website of the Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family here.
Change of Purpose of Temporary Residence from Study to Employment
Attention! Change Effective from 1 July 2025
A third-country national may not submit an application for a change of residence purpose at the police department if they:
c) hold temporary residence under § 24(1)(a) (i.e., for the purpose of study as a full-time secondary school student); this does not apply if the third-country national has successfully passed the final examination or school-leaving examination in Slovakia,
d) hold temporary residence under § 24(1)(b) (i.e., for the purpose of study as a university student); this does not apply if the third-country national has duly completed secondary school in Slovakia or obtained a first, second, or third degree of higher education,
e) participate in a language or professional preparation course for university studies under § 24(1)(c).
A change of purpose is therefore only possible if the applicant has successfully completed their studies at a secondary or higher education institution in Slovakia, as stated above.
It is common for third-country nationals who completed their studies at a Slovak university and found employment to need to change their temporary residence purpose—from study to employment. According to § 23a(1)(t) of Act No. 5/2004 Coll. on Employment Services:
“An employer may employ a third-country national who has successfully completed studies at a secondary school or university in the territory of the Slovak Republic.”
If a foreigner studied at a Slovak university, a key advantage is that they do not need to obtain a work permit or confirmation of the possibility to fill a job vacancy from the Labour Office. Instead, the employer must provide a statement confirming that neither a work permit nor the labour office’s confirmation is required. Only an information card on the establishment of the employment relationship must be submitted to the Labour Office.
According to the Act on the Residence of Foreigners:
“Temporary residence for the purpose of employment may be granted by the police department to a third-country national based on a work permit or to a third-country national for whom a work permit and confirmation of job vacancy filling are not required.”
Within 3 working days of completing their final state exam, the foreigner must notify the foreign police of the end of the original residence purpose. From this date, a 30-day grace period begins during which the foreigner may apply for temporary residence for the purpose of employment.
Failure to comply with legal obligations may result in the cancellation of temporary residence by the foreign police.
When applying for temporary residence for the purpose of employment, it is sufficient to submit:
- a diploma from a Slovak university, and
- a confirmation from the employer that no work permit is required.
Change of Employment
A change of employer must also be reported to the foreign police. The process begins with the obligation to report the job vacancy, followed by notification of the change of employment.
We have detailed the procedure for changing employers in our article: Change of Job Position or Employer During Valid Residence.
Time Limit for Decision on Change of Residence Purpose
The foreign police have 90 days to decide on a change of residence purpose from the date of receipt of a complete application. The application for a change of purpose does not need to be complete at the time of submission.
Fees for Change of Residence Purpose
Current fees charged by the foreign police can be found here: Foreign Police Fees.
