Frequently asked questions

Ans: You shall visit the visa center in person when lodging the visa application. In the case of a child, the application shall be submitted by the legal guardian. This has no impact on the obligation of the child to be present in person, if required to submit the fingerprints.

In exceptional cases, the diplomatic mission may waive the requirement of your personal appearance when submitting the visa application. Further information will be provided by the diplomatic mission.

Ans: The diplomatic mission of the Schengen state, which is the main destination of your visit, is competent to process your visa application.

If you are going to visit several Schengen states, the Slovak diplomatic mission is competent to process your visa application if the Slovak Republic is the main destination of your stay(s) in Schengen in terms of the lengths and purpose of stay. If no main destination can be determined, the Slovak diplomatic mission is competent to process your visa application if Slovakia is the country of your first entry into the territory of the Schengen area.

Ans: The Schengen visa authorizes you to enter the Schengen area and stay in the Schengen member states for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, which entails considering the 180-day period preceding each day of stay.

If you have visited the Schengen area in the last 180 days and want to learn, for how long can you stay during your next visit, or find out whether you have not, by chance, overstayed during the last visit(s) the short stay calculator will help you do the calculations. Just enter the entry and exit date of your visits to the Schengen area, in chronological order and the calculator will then show to you the remaining number of days that you can stay in the Schengen area.

Ans: Until the day when the Visa Information System (VIS) has become fully operational in all regions the diplomatic missions placed a stamp in the travel documents of visa applicants indicating that the visa application was admissible. This stamp had no legal implications and was covered by a visa sticker if the visa was granted. Diplomatic and service passports were not stamped. Nowadays, diplomatic missions do not place admissibility stamps in the passports anymore.

Ans: Under Article 22 of the Visa Code, a Member State may require the central authorities of other Member States to consult its central authorities during the examination of visa applications lodged by nationals of specific third countries or specific categories of such nationals. Such consultation does not apply to applications for airport transit visas.

Ans: The decision on and the motivation of the refusal of a Schengen visa are notified to the visa applicant in writing by means of a standard form, containing also the information on the possible remedies.

Ans: You may appeal against the decision to refuse, annul or revoke a visa. The rules on appeal against the decision on refusal, annulment or revocation of a visa are set out in the Act No. 404/2011 Coll. on Residence of Foreigners and Amendment and Supplementation to Certain Acts.

The person concerned may appeal against the decision on the refusal/annulment/revocation of the visa at the diplomatic mission, which has issued the decision.

The appeal must contain information about the appellant; specify what is the incorrect in the decision and its discrepancy with legal regulations. The appeal must be submitted in the Slovak language; otherwise, official translation must be attached.

The appeal must be lodged within 15 days of receipt of the decision. In the case of a family member of the citizen of EU/EEA or the Swiss Confederation within 30 days of receipt of the decision.

When lodging an appeal the appellant is required to pay an administrative fee of EUR 80 (in respective currency) at the Embassy/Consulate General of the Slovak Republic in accordance with the item 240 e) of the Administrative Fee List of the Act No. 145/1995 Coll. on Administrative Fees in the wording of its later amendments. If the fee has not been paid, the diplomatic mission shall suspend the appellate procedure under § 9 of the Act No. 145/1995 Coll. If the appeal has been allowed the diplomatic mission shall reimburse the fee.

A general regulation on administrative procedure does not apply to the proceeding on the appeal against the decision issued by the diplomatic mission. This shall not apply, if it concerns a family member of a citizen of EU/EEA or the Swiss Confederation. The decision of the diplomatic mission is reviewable by court.

Ans: Territorial validity of the Schengen visa is specified on a visa sticker in the “Platné pre/Valid for” line. The visa may be valid for all Schengen Member States. In that case, “Valid for: Schengen States” is specified on the visa sticker entitling its holder to move freely within the entire Schengen area for the period of the visa validity and duration of stay.

In the case of a visa with limited territorial validity, the following examples may be indicated on the visa sticker: “Valid for: SK” (i.e., the visa is valid only for the Slovak Republic), or “Schengen States – PL” (i.e., the visa is valid for all Schengen countries except Poland).

Ans: A short-stay Schengen visa can be issued for one or several entries. If you have been granted a single entry visa and you leave the Schengen area, you cannot use the same visa for the re-entry. A multiple entry visa entitles you to repeatedly enter and leave the Schengen area during the period of its validity and permitted duration of stay.

Ans: Yes. A valid Schengen visa entitles you to enter the Schengen area via any Schengen border crossing or airport.

Ans: Your Schengen visa allows you to travel to Slovakia and usually to other Schengen States. But it does not automatically entitle you to enter the Schengen area. When arriving at the border checkpoint you may be asked to justify the purpose and conditions of your intended stay, and to provide documents confirming they you have sufficient means of subsistence, both for the duration of the intended stay and for the return to your country of origin or transit to a third country into which you are certain to be admitted, or that you are in a position to acquire such means lawfully.

In some cases the border checks may lead to denial of your entry into the Slovak Republic or the Schengen area.

You should never overstay your visa validity. Misuse of visa and overstay may result in your being expelled and banned from entry into the Slovak Republic or Schengen area for a certain period of time.

Ans: It is possible, in exceptional cases, to extend a short-stay visa up to 90 days within period of any 180 days. The validity of the visa can be extended by the respective police department if a foreign national cannot leave the Slovak Republic due to natural disaster, humanitarian grounds or serious personal reasons.

Ans: Third country nationals who have been granted a short-stay or long-stay visa, or who are exempt from the visa requirement upon entry, are obliged to inform, within three days of their arrival, a competent police department of the commencement, place and anticipated length of their stay. The nationals of EU/EEA or Swiss Confederation and their family members or foreign nationals with a preferential status are required to do so within ten working days of their arrival.

If you are staying in a hotel or other accommodation facility, the aforementioned obligation is performed by the accommodation provider.