As of July 15, the rules governing the employment of foreign nationals in Slovakia have changed. And this is precisely the kind of situation where the news may seem technical, but the consequences can be very real.
The Central Office of Labor, Social Affairs, and Family has published a separate official clarification regarding legislative changes concerning the employment of third-country nationals. The changes are related to Act No. 128/2026 Z. z. and take effect on July 15, 2026.
When people hear about changes to the employment of foreign nationals, they usually assume that it’s just about a new work permit or some kind of benefit for a specific category of workers.
In practice, however, most problems do not arise at the stage when a person is first hired. Problems arise later, when the employer fails to provide the necessary information, misses a deadline, incorrectly documents the start of employment, or fails to notify the government agency that the foreign worker has not actually started working.
For third-country nationals, an employment contract alone does not always mean that a person can work legally.
There must be a valid basis for access to the labor market. Depending on the situation, this may include confirmation of the availability of a job opening, a work permit, a residence permit for employment, a Blue Card, temporary protection, or another basis provided for by law.
In this regard, the government does not merely verify the foreign national’s documents; it also reviews the employer’s actions.
Does the actual position match the one that was reported? Is the person working for the employer listed in the documents? Does the place of work match? Was the foreign national actually hired? Did the employer report the start or end of employment, or that the person never actually started working?
And this is where a dangerous illusion often arises.
The foreign national believes that the employer is handling all the paperwork. The employer thinks the accountant has taken care of everything. The accountant assumes that the staffing agency sent the notification. And the staffing agency is convinced that this is the employer’s responsibility.
As a result, the person is actually working, but their reporting obligation to the Úrad práce has not been fulfilled or has been fulfilled incorrectly.
For the foreign national, this could have consequences during an inspection, when changing employers, or when renewing a residence permit. For the company, this could result in suspicion of illegal employment, administrative proceedings, and a fine.
You should pay particular attention to situations where there is a change in job title, workplace, employer, working hours, or other information that was used when processing the foreign national’s paperwork.
One cannot assume that just because a person has already received a residence permit, they can then change their employment conditions as freely as a Slovak citizen.
In some cases, a change is indeed permitted. However, it may sometimes require a new notification, a new confirmation, or a separate review of the basis for employment.
A separate risk is associated with employees who have received their documents but have not actually started working.
An employer is required to report not only the start or end of an employment relationship, but also if a foreign national fails to report to work. The government needs to know whether the issued work permit is being used for its intended purpose or exists only on paper.
Simply put, starting July 15, employers and foreign workers need to scrutinize not only the employment contract itself but also the entire administrative process surrounding it even more carefully.
Who submitted the information? When was it submitted? To which agency? What details were provided? Do they correspond to the actual work performed?
When it comes to immigration matters, a person may have a valid contract and receive an official salary, yet still face problems if a required procedure was not followed correctly.
Therefore, it is a good idea to review the documents of all foreign workers right now, especially if they have recently started working, changed positions, changed employers, or changed their work location.
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Because if you know the rules, you have a chance to correct the mistake in time. If you don’t know the rules, the problem is often discovered only during the review or renewal of your residence permit.
As always, Slovakia Garant is here for you.
And if you want to verify the legality of employment, an employer’s documents, or the grounds for a foreign national’s employment, you can always schedule a consultation with one of our specialists.
