PhD student – third country national

• visa – national visa type D (long-stay) – application – preparation of all documents required for submitting the application for visa
• VISA requirements: Do you need a visa to enter Slovakia? – you can find out: HERE or Visa free regime – information by Ministry of Interior of SR
• if the PhD student falls under a visa-free regime or has been granted and holds a valid residence permit in another EU Member State, proceed to “AFTER ARRIVAL”
• preparation of all documents required for application for temporary residence permit for the purpose of study
• it is important to communicate and co-operate with the relevant SAS institute (with the coordinator of the institute), where the candidate was accepted to and also with the Euraxess Point SAS

VISA

• stay in Slovakia of duration more than 90 days – the applicant should apply for the national visa – type D (long-stay), which is necessary for applying for the temporary residence permit
• the application may be submitted at the diplomatic mission of the Slovak Republic accredited to the country of the applicant’s citizenship or applicant’s residence 
• it is recommended to book an appointment at the Slovak Embassy/Consulate office
• it is necessary to have all required documents ready for granting visa, and also those documents necessary for the temporary residence application
• visa is granted for 120 days (in connection with the granting of residence in Slovakia)
• Embassy/Consulate Office has 30 days for deciding on the application

required documents:

• Application form – national visa type D – signed by the applicant 
• Recent full-face color photograph – 3 × 3,5 cm
• Valid passport – please note, passport should be valid at least 3 months after the expected expiry of the visa applied for, the passport must be issued within the last 10 years 
• Documents proving the purpose of the stay – confirmation of admission to full-time study
• Document proving financial coverage of the stay – confirmation of scholarship
• Travel insurance covering the expenses for medical treatment in case of illness or injury – min € 30,000 insurance coverage
• Booked (flying) ticket
• Administrative fee: 90€ – visa granted in connection with a residence permit application to be submitted in the Slovak Republic
• A filled application form for temporary residence permit, which will be submitted in Slovak Republic at the Foreign Police
• + Criminal Record Extract for the purpose of submitting the application for temporary residence in the Slovak Republic 
  • from the country of origin of the applicant and from every country where he/she has stayed for more than 90 days during 6 consecutive months within the last 3 years (if any)
  • superlegalised/apostilled and translated to Slovak language by official translator (see information below)

All documents must be in the same format as for applying for a temporary residence permit at Foreign Police in SR, i.e.:

• superlegalized/Apostilled* – information here and please see The Hague Convention Members and Competent authorities in member states
• officially translated to Slovak language by certified translator included in The List of Experts, Translators and Interpreters registered with the Ministry of Justice of SR or by the Slovak Embassy or Consulate (if there is a capacity to provide this service). Documents in Czech language do not need to be translated into Slovak language.

Ensuring translation into Slovak language – Criminal record extract (CRE) :

• translation can be performed abroad or in the Slovak Republic

• for a translation performed abroad, it is necessary to request confirmation from the Slovak embassy that the translation was performed by an authorized person (does not apply to a translation performed in the Czech Republic)

• translation in the Slovak Republic is performed by an official translator

• procedure for performing a translation in the Slovak Republic – the foreigner sends a scan of the CRE to coordinator at the SAS institute and at the same time sends the original of CRE to the coordinator by courier company. The coordinator will ensure translation of the CRE scan into Slovak and when the original arrives in the Slovak Republic, coordinator will bind the original CRE with the translation and send it back to the foreigner by courier service.

MORE INFORMATION:

A national visa entitles its holder to stay in the territory of the Slovak Republic for the period for which it was issued. In the territory of other Member States, the holder of a valid national visa may stay for up to three months within any 180-day period under the same conditions as the holder of a residence permit issued by one of the Schengen Area Member States.

The diplomatic mission will enter the purpose of the temporary residence, which the visa holder will apply for at the Foreign Police, into the national visa granted in connection with the application for residence.

More info here Ministry of Foreign and EU Affairs of the SR.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION for doctoral students from India for the academic year 2025/2026:

The Embassy of the Slovak Republic in New Delhi informs about new appointment system for students for the academic year 2025/2026.

Universities will send the list of accepted students to the Embassy and the Embassy will inform the contact person from university that the list of the applicants was sent to BLS International – to New Delhi branch.

Students will receive the instructions directly from the university representative.

More information here.

Contact persons from universities :

• Slovak University of Technology:

name and surname: Mgr. Barbora Urbanová

email : barbora.urbanova@stuba.sk

tel. no.: +421 917 669 316

• Comenius University: (to be announced, for now please contact the university)

• Technical University in Zvolen:

name and surname : Mgr. Stanislav Gubančok, PhD.

email :  gubancok@is.tuzvo.sk

tel.n. : +421 45 5206011

• Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra : each Faculty has its own cotact person, please contact Faculty