Citizenship in Slovakia

Very often our clients ask questions: "How to get Slovak citizenship?", "How to get European Union (EU) citizenship?", "Is it possible to get Slovak citizenship for investment?", "What is the price/cost of getting Slovak citizenship?". Let's try to make sense of these difficult questions.

What is Slovak citizenship?

Citizenship is a stable legal relationship between a natural person and the state of the SR, the content of which is mutual rights and obligations under the legal regulations of the SR. From the moment of acquiring citizenship of the SR, the laws regulating the stay of foreigners in Slovakia cease to apply to the holder. For example, you no longer have to renew your residence permit.

There are several grounds for Slovak citizenship:

● Birth

Adoption/adoption

● Naturalization

Citizenship by birth

Perhaps the most common way to obtain Slovak citizenship, a child acquires citizenship at birth if:

At least one of the parents is a citizen of the Slovak Republic;

A child born in the territory of the Slovak Republic and his/her parents do not have any citizenship;

The child was born in the territory of the Slovak Republic, the parents are foreigners and the child does not acquire their nationality at birth.

If a child is born to a Slovak citizen and a citizen of another country, he/she acquires Slovak citizenship. Even if it turns out in the future that the Slovak citizen is not his/her natural parent, the child retains the citizenship of the Slovak Republic.

Thus, foreigners who want their child to become a Slovak citizen can, for example, obtain a temporary residence permit in Slovakia, renounce the citizenship of their country and give birth to a child in Slovakia. The children in this case automatically acquire the citizenship of the Slovak Republic.

Citizenship by adoption

Acquisition of Slovak citizenship by adoption is possible only if at least one of the adoptive parents is a citizen of the Slovak Republic. Similarly to the acquisition of citizenship by birth, it does not matter if the adoptive parents reside outside Slovakia. In this regard, it is important to note that unlike, for example, in the Czech Republic, adoption is only allowed for minor children.

Acquisition of Slovak citizenship by granting (naturalization)

This way of acquiring citizenship is different from the first two, because in this case you acquire citizenship at will. The person who wishes to acquire citizenship must submit an application and the public authorities must make a decision, having the right to grant or withdraw citizenship.

An alien who has continuous permanent residence in Slovakia for at least eight years before submitting the application is entitled to apply for citizenship of the Slovak Republic. The prerequisite is the absence of a criminal record, deportation decision or criminal proceedings. It is also necessary to pass an examination, oral and written, in the Slovak language. In addition, it is necessary to fulfill the duties of an alien according to the legal order of the Slovak Republic

If the eight-year period has not expired, an application for citizenship may be submitted by a foreigner who holds a temporary or permanent residence permit in Slovakia and:

●Married to a citizen of SR and has been married for at least 5 years;

●Has made a significant contribution in favor of the Slovak Republic in the economic, scientific, technical, scientific, cultural, social and sports fields, or it is in other interests of the Slovak Republic;

●This is a minor child, has continuous permanent residence in the Slovak Republic for at least two years immediately prior to the application, and his/her legal representative or guardian is a citizen of the Slovak Republic or a legal Slovak person;

●This is a Slovak living abroad and having permanent residence in Slovakia for at least three years immediately preceding the application;

●Has a residence permit for at least three years before reaching the age of 18;

●Lives in Slovakia for at least 10 years continuously and has already obtained a permanent residence permit;

● Does not have citizenship and permanent residence in Slovakia for at least three years immediately preceding the application;

Has been an asylum seeker for at least four years immediately preceding the application;

The fastest way to obtain citizenship is on the basis of a substantial contribution in favor of the Slovak Republic, but it is very rarely used, primarily for outstanding athletes or very large investors.

Slovaks living abroad can obtain Slovak citizenship relatively quickly. First they need to obtain the status of a foreign Slovak, which is often the most difficult step. Then on the basis of this status you can obtain a temporary residence permit in Slovakia, which is easier, and after you have temporarily resided for three years you can apply for citizenship.

Foreigners who are not Slovaks living abroad and want to acquire citizenship in a short period of time, like Slovaks living abroad, have the right to acquire citizenship within three years. First, they must obtain a temporary residence permit for any purpose, the most common being temporary residence for business purposes. Then they must renounce their citizenship, and within three years after obtaining the residence permit, they can apply for SR citizenship.

All others usually obtain citizenship 10 years after obtaining a temporary residence permit in Slovakia and have already obtained a permanent residence permit.

The issuance of citizenship of the Slovak Republic is carried out by the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic in a permissive manner, moreover, the Ministry examines applications for citizenship and submits the case to the Minister, and only the Minister of the Interior, according to the law, makes the decision personally.

During the application review, a three-person committee shall interview the applicant, which shall include the following steps:

The interview itself, which contains questions concerning the applicant’s identity, family, history, geography and socio-political development of Slovakia.

Reading aloud a newspaper article of at least 500 words, which the applicant will receive immediately prior to reading.

A brief description in the article that the applicant has read and is given 30 minutes to do so.

The deadline for making a decision is 24 months, and this deadline can be extended. In practice, decisions are taken in the first half of the term. A prerequisite for acquiring citizenship of the Slovak Republic is taking an oath.

The denial of citizenship has no effect on the validity of temporary residence or permanent residence, and you can reapply for citizenship 2 years after the denial.

How to get Slovak citizenship for investment?

Slovakia differs sharply from many European countries that grant citizenship for investments, such as, for example, Spain, Latvia, Estonia. SR citizenship is granted in exceptional cases to persons who have made a huge contribution to the country’s economy. It can be hundreds of millions or even billions of euros. So from a practical point of view this option cannot be useful.

What is the price of Slovak citizenship?

You must pay for this service when you accept the certificate of citizenship in person at the local county office. The fee is 700 euros.

Children under 15 years old pay 100 euros, young people between 15 and 18 years old pay 150 euros.

People are exempted from the fee: asylum seekers, immigrants from Chernobyl (Ukraine) foreigners over 65 years of age, disabled persons, citizens who lost their Slovak citizenship after January 1, 1993.

We hope this article was useful for you. If you have any questions on the topic of moving to Slovakia with subsequent legalization, obtaining residence permit and possibly citizenship in Slovakia, call our company, our experts will be happy to advise you.