Granting Slovak citizenship is possible, for example in cases if the foreigner:
- has continuous permanent residence in the Slovak Republic at least eight years before submitting the application for citizenship of the Slovak Republic, or
- has continuous permanent residence in the Slovak Republic for at least ten years (eg. temporary residence) and at the time of submitting the application for citizenship of the Slovak Republic had already been granted a permanent residence permit or
- is married to a citizen of the Slovak Republic (Slovak citizenship by marriage), the marriage lasts and they both live in the marriage in the same household in Slovakia for at least 5 years immediately preceding the filing of applications for citizenship of the Slovak Republic
- must demonstrate his integrity (must have a clear criminal record)
- good command of the Slovak language in speaking and writing (must be demonstrated in the test)
- has basic and general knowledge about Slovakia (eg. Slovak history, geography etc.)
- must fulfil all obligations as a foreigner to the state (eg. timely pay taxes, pay proper health and social insurance, etc.)
When the condition of residence is not required
§ 7 of the Act no. 40/1993 Coll. on Citizenship of the Slovak Republic recognizes the specific exceptions to the obligation to prove residence in the Slovak Republic. The specific case, ie. if it is a person who:
- is a person who has significantly contributed to the benefit for the Slovak Republic on economic, scientific, technical, cultural, social or sport sphere, or it is in other interest of Slovak Republic
- has a continuous permanent residence for at least three years before reaching 18 years of age
- is a minor child, whose legal representative or guardian is a citizen of the Slovak Republic or a legal person designated by the court of the Slovak Republic, and has a continuous residence in Slovakia for at least two years immediately preceding application for the citizenship of the Slovak Republic
- is a refugee for at least three years immediately preceding application for the citizenship of the Slovak Republic
- was born in Slovakia and has permanent residence for at least three years immediately preceding application for the citizenship of the Slovak Republic
- has a continuous stay of at least ten years in Slovakia and at the time of application for the citizenship of the Slovak Republic it has been granted permanent residence permit, or is stateless and has a continuous residence in Slovakia for at least three years immediately preceding application for the citizenship of the Slovak Republic
- was released from the citizenship of the Slovak Republic and has a continuous residence in Slovakia for at least two years immediately preceding application for the citizenship of the Slovak Republic
- has parents who at the time of his/her birth one of them was Czechoslovak citizen and the other was foreigner and according to Law. 194/1949 Coll. on the acquisition and lose of Czechoslovak citizenship, parents – Czechoslovak citizen did not request the County National Committee for approval to the acquisition of the Czechoslovak citizenship and the applicant has a continuous residence for at least two years immediately preceding application for the citizenship of the Slovak Republic
Dual nationality in Slovakia
Effective since July 2010 a citizen of the Slovak republic loses the citizenship at the day when based of his expressed will in a form of request, declaration or other act which leads to alien citizenship acquirement he voluntarily acquires foreign citizenship. Effective from February 2015, former citizens of the Slovak republic who lost the citizenship can request due to an exception on granting the Slovak republic citizenship according to regulation of The Ministry of Interior of the Slovak republic on granting citizenship for special reasons.
Our services related with granting the citizenship in Slovakia
- preparation of necessary documents for obtaining Slovak citizenship
- legal advice on securing the necessary documents and checking the fulfilment of conditions
- representation in proceedings on granting Slovak citizenship
- other services based on client requirements
