Inviting a foreign national to Slovakia

General information on submitting tourist visa applications

The embassy or consulate is the competent authority for granting a Schengen visa, and applicants usually attend in person. , . The key document here is Regulation (EC) No 810/2009. It states that an applicant wishing to invite a foreign national to Slovakia must submit the application at least 3 months before the visitor’s arrival. The Regulation also provides that applicants can arrange an appointment, which takes place within two weeks of the request, in order to submit the application.

What applicants need to submit:

  1. a travel document – it must meet three requirements: it must be valid for at least 3 months beyond the planned date of departure, it must not be more than 10 years old, and it must have at least 2 blank pages.
  2. proof of adequate and valid travel medical insurance. Under the Regulation mentioned above, the insurance must be valid throughout the EU and cover at least the duration of the planned stay or transit. The minimum cover is €30,000.
  3. the following supporting documents, most commonly evidence of the purpose of the journey, proof of accommodation or proof of sufficient means to pay for it, documents showing that the applicant is financially independent enough to cover the costs of the stay, and a return ticket
  4. a photograph,
  5. a fee of €60; for children aged from six until they turn 12, the visa fee is €35
  6. consent to having fingerprints taken.

Admissible applications are decided within 15 calendar days of submission. If the application is admissible, the decision is made within 15 calendar days of the date on which it was filed. In certain exceptional cases, this period may be extended to a maximum of 60 calendar days.

Inviting a foreign national to Slovakia

Under the Act on the Residence of Foreigners, an invitation for a foreign national applying for a Schengen tourist visa is verified by the competent police department. Who can invite a foreign national to the Slovak Republic? Most often it is a Slovak citizen, but it may also be a legal entity with its registered office in the Slovak Republic, in which case business visas are issued. , business visas.. A foreign national who has been granted lawful residence in the Slovak Republic is also entitled to invite a foreign national to the Slovak Republic, although the law states that this does not apply to a person granted tolerated stay.

To invite a foreign national to the Slovak Republic, you must complete an application on the official form. The application includes the following details:

  1. details of the person inviting the third-country national – first name, surname, date and place of birth, nationality, address of residence in the Slovak Republic, identity document, consent of the inviting person and their relationship to the invited foreign national, where the inviting person is a natural person,
  2. the first name, surname, date and place of birth, nationality, permanent address and address of stay in the Slovak Republic of the invited foreign national; if the invited foreign national is travelling with their children, also the children’s first names, surnames and dates of birth,
  3. the purpose for which the invited foreign national is travelling to the Slovak Republic,
  4. an undertaking by the person inviting the third-country national to cover all costs associated with the invited foreign national’s stay and departure.

In addition to the completed application, supporting documents must be submitted proving:

  1. the purpose of the invitation,
  2. that the person inviting the foreign national to the Slovak Republic is able to pay all costs associated with the invited foreign national’s stay and departure. This is demonstrated by a confirmation of account balance, showing a total of twelve times the subsistence minimum plus funds for each day of the invited foreign national’s stay,
  3. a guarantee of accommodation for the foreign national.

Who verifies such an invitation?

The invitation is verified by the police department with the approval of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic, which also determines the length of the foreign national’s stay in the Slovak Republic; this may be granted for a maximum of 90 days. The invitation is valid from the date it is issued by the competent authority.