Slovak Living Abroad Certificate
The Slovak Living Abroad Certificate (Osvedčenie Slováka žijúceho v zahraničí) is a certificate issued to members of the Slovak Diaspora and their descendants by the Bureau for Slovaks Living Abroad (Úrad pre Slovákov žijúcich v zahraničí).
The Certificate entitles you to apply for a Slovak residence permit, which allows you to live, work and/or establish a business in Slovakia for up to 5 years.
Eligibility Requirements
Slovak Ethnicity (národnosť)
You will need to demonstrate that your ancestor was an ethnic Slovak, ie. that your ancestor’s official documents listed them as Slovak.
Any official document is eligible, but especially:
- Birth certificates
- Marriage certificates
- ID cards
- School records
- Census records
- Religious records
- Immigrant passenger manifests
- Naturalization records
National Awareness and Language Proficiency
You will need to at least understand basic Slovak, although there is no formal test. You should be able to complete the application process at the embassy in Slovak.
Additionally, you will need to prove that you’ve been engaged in spreading Slovak culture and customs abroad by any of the following:
- Personal declaration describing public activities, which demonstrate Slovak national awareness
- Statement by a local Slovak Diaspora organization
- Statement by two Slovaks living abroad – either two Certificate holders or Slovak citizens, who have de-registered their permanent residence (trvalý pobyt) in Slovakia
Good Character
You will need to prove that you have no criminal record, although negligent crimes are exempt. For a criminal record to be a definite disqualifier, any crimes committed must also be considered crimes under Slovak law.
Authentication and Translation of Documents
All non-Slovak documents must be translated to Slovak and all non-EU documents need to be either apostilled or “super-legalized”.