Long-term stay

Long-term residence is a type of permanent residence and is granted for an unlimited period of time. It can be granted to the applicant if:

• resides in the territory of the Slovak Republic legally and continuously for a period of five years immediately before submitting the application;
• his long-term residence has expired because he was granted a long-term residence in another EU member state, because of staying outside the territory of the Slovak Republic for more than 6 years or because of a continuous stay outside the territory of the member states for more than 12, or 24 consecutive months (blue card holder); or
• has five years of authorized continuous residence in the territory of EU member states as a holder of a blue card and has stayed in the territory of Slovakia as a holder of a blue card for at least two years immediately before submitting the application.

There are exceptions when long-term residence cannot be granted . It goes, for example about a person who:

• requests the granting of asylum or the provision of temporary refuge;
• has been granted a temporary residence permit for the purpose of study;
• has been granted a temporary residence permit for the purpose of a special activity (internship as part of a study outside the territory of the Slovak Republic, activity resulting from programs of the Slovak government or from EU programs, fulfillment of an obligation of the Slovak Republic resulting from an international agreement);
• has been granted temporary residence for the purpose of seasonal employment; or
• enjoys diplomatic privileges and immunities on the territory of the Slovak Republic according to international law.

Persons with temporary residence for the purpose of study and special activity must first obtain temporary residence for another purpose (e.g. employment or business) and only then can they apply for long-term residence. Some types of stays are not counted at all in the length of authorized and continuous stay for a period of five years (e.g. temporary stay for the purpose of seasonal employment, stay in the Slovak Republic on the basis of a national visa or the period during which the applicant enjoyed diplomatic privileges and immunities) or are counted only in half the amount (e.g. temporary stay for the purpose of study and some types of special activity).

A maximum of 6 consecutive months and a maximum of 10 months during which the applicant stayed outside the Slovak Republic is included in the period of continuous residence.