On July 15, 2026, the countries of the European Union agreed to extend temporary protection for people who have left Ukraine until March 4, 2028. Currently, temporary protection is in effect until March 4, 2027, so this represents an additional year. Legally, however, temporary protection is not a residence permit. In Slovakia, this status is called \u201cdo\u010dasn\u00e9 \u00fato\u010disko\u201d and is governed by separate regulations. <\/p>\n\n
As of today, a political decision has been reached, but the final legal procedure has not yet been completed. The Council of the European Union is expected to formally adopt the relevant decision in the coming weeks. After that, the document will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and will enter into force the day after publication. Therefore, it is more accurate to say not that all formalities have already been completed, but that EU countries have agreed to the extension and that the final adoption of the legal act is expected shortly. <\/p>\n\n
Along with the extension, a new condition has been introduced that may prove to be no less important than the date of March 4, 2028, itself. EU countries have agreed that, going forward, temporary protection should be granted to new applicants only upon confirmation that they have fulfilled their military duties in Ukraine. <\/p>\n\n
As possible proof, the Council of the EU cites a passport bearing a stamp from Ukrainian border authorities indicating that the person legally left Ukraine, as well as a paper or electronic document confirming exemption from military service or its proper fulfillment. At the same time, the Council of the EU specifically emphasizes that the new restriction should apply only to new applicants. This additional condition should not apply to people who are already receiving temporary protection in one of the European Union member states. <\/p>\n\n
However, this is where the practical aspects come into play\u2014aspects that cannot yet be fully explained. We have yet to see the full text of the adopted decision and understand exactly who will be considered a new applicant. For example, how will they treat someone who previously had temporary protection, then renounced it or left the European Union, and later decided to reapply? A separate issue is how people who move from one EU country to another will be treated. These details should become clear from the final text of the decision and subsequent national guidelines. <\/p>\n\n
Now for the main question: Is Slovakia required to comply with this decision, or can each European Union member state decide for itself whether or not to extend the protection?<\/p>\n\n
Once the decision is formally adopted by the Council of the EU and enters into force, Slovakia will not be able to simply state that it does not wish to extend temporary protection until March 4, 2028. European Union decisions are binding on those to whom they are addressed. Slovakia participates in the common temporary protection system and will be required to ensure that the status continues for individuals who fall within the categories established by the European Union. <\/p>\n\n
In other words, Slovakia will be able to determine the technical procedure on its own, but it will not be able to shorten the deadline set by the European Union at its discretion and end temporary protection, for example, in March 2027. The government can decide how the information will be recorded in the registries, whether a separate government resolution will be required, whether plastic cards will need to be replaced, and how documents will be verified. However, the extension itself for the categories specified in the decision is no longer a matter of Slovakia\u2019s free political choice. <\/p>\n\n
Member states retain a certain degree of flexibility in their national implementation. They may establish administrative procedures, issue their own standard documents, organize registration through the police or immigration authorities, determine the procedures for accessing national social programs, and even extend protection to additional categories of people beyond the EU\u2019s minimum list. However, they cannot deprive individuals covered by the European decision of their fundamental right to temporary protection or set a shorter duration for them. The Temporary Protection Directive allows for the expansion of the circle of beneficiaries at the national level, but does not permit a state to arbitrarily reduce the mandatory European minimum. <\/p>\n\n
Denmark is a notable exception, as it does not participate in the European Temporary Protection Directive and applies its own national rules. However, this exception is irrelevant for Slovakia: Slovakia participates in the common European system and will be bound by the decision of the Council of the EU. <\/p>\n\n
What should Slovakia do now?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n First and foremost, we are awaiting the official position of the Slovak Ministry of the Interior. The government will need to clarify whether \u201cdo\u010dasn\u00e9 \u00fato\u010disko\u201d is extended automatically, whether people need to contact the police in person, whether the plastic cards need to be replaced, and how employers, health insurance companies, banks, and other institutions will be able to verify the validity of this status after March 4, 2027. <\/p>\n\n Clarification is also needed regarding the old-style documents. Some people still have paper confirmations, while others already have plastic cards with an expiration date. The status itself may be automatically renewed in the information system, but this does not yet answer the question of whether the physical document needs to be replaced and how to verify the validity of the status outside of Slovakia. <\/p>\n\n Can we expect Slovakia to provide such clarifications right now? Theoretically, yes. But experience from previous years shows that Slovak authorities are usually in no hurry to publish detailed instructions. <\/p>\n\n For example, the European Union\u2019s decision to extend temporary protection until March 4, 2026, was made as early as June 25, 2024. However, the Slovak Ministry of the Interior did not issue an official announcement regarding the implementation of this extension until February 26, 2025\u2014about a week before the previous term was set to expire. <\/p>\n\n The subsequent EU decision, which extended protection until March 4, 2027, was formally adopted on July 15, 2025. However, the official announcement by the Slovak Ministry of the Interior stating that temporary asylum in Slovakia would be automatically extended until March 4, 2027, was not released until February 18, 2026\u2014less than three weeks before the expiration of the term then in effect. <\/p>\n\n Therefore, the assumption that Slovakia\u2019s practical guidelines will not be available until February 2027 is quite realistic. The information may become available sooner, but past experience shows that many months can pass between a European Union decision and a detailed communication from the Slovak authorities. <\/p>\n\n This does not mean that the extension will be in doubt until February 2027. Once the EU Council has made a final decision, the legal framework will already be in place. But people will still have to wait for answers to practical questions: whether they need to submit an application somewhere, what to do with their card, how to confirm their status to their employer, and what documents will be required of new applicants. <\/p>\n\n For those who already have temporary protection in Slovakia, there is currently no reason to urgently contact the immigration police simply because of today\u2019s news. Your current status remains valid until March 4, 2027. You should wait for a formal decision from the EU and official instructions from the Slovak Ministry of the Interior. <\/p>\n\n At the same time, it is important to understand one more thing. Extending temporary protection until 2028 does not mean that the European Union has decided to make this status permanent. At the same time, the EU is discussing a gradual transition for these individuals to more sustainable grounds for residence\u2014employment, entrepreneurship, education, or family reunification\u2014as well as the future process for returning to Ukraine once conditions allow. If you want to understand how the extension of temporary protection affects your specific situation and whether you should continue to maintain this status or begin preparing to transition to a residence permit, you can contact Slovakia Garant for professional advice. We will review your situation and explain which option will be the most reliable given the new rules. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" News broke today that many are already summarizing in a single short sentence: The European Union has extended temporary protection for Ukrainian citizens for another year. Overall, this is true, but it is especially important now not to overlook the legal details, because there are several distinct stages between the political decision made by EU […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15220,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-15215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-residence"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n