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Resettling in Slovakia

As a company with more than 14,000 Ukrainian team members, EPAM understands the challenges faced by millions of people across Ukraine, including the many who have been forced to leave the country. Our teams on the ground and around the world have been doing everything possible to support our Ukrainian colleagues and their families. Their safety is our top priority.

In supporting our colleagues, we have collected a vast amount of information about arriving and resettling in a new country, either temporarily or permanently. We are now sharing it here in the hope it could be valuable to you or someone you know.

Please note that the information is subject to change at any given time due to rapidly changing circumstances.

On this page, you can find information about the following

Entering the Country
Transportation
Accommodations
Healthcare
Working in Slovakia
Banking and Money Exchange
Phone Services
Permanent Relocation

ENTERING THE COUNTRY

BORDER CROSSINGS

For the people living in Ukraine who want to come to Slovakia, there are currently 3 border crossings: Ubľa, Vyšné Nemecké and Veľké Slemence.

Slovakia has set up so-called hotspots at the border crossings and in some municipalities to speed up the administrative process that needs to be completed upon entering the country.

Ukrainian men aged 18-60 are not able to enter Slovakia.

More information at https://www.ukraineslovakia.sk/.

ACTUAL WAIT TIMES AT BORDER CROSSINGS

Official Information from Ukraine ministry: https://kordon.customs.gov.ua/en/home/countries/sk/i

Another source (in Slovak only): https://www.stellacentrum.sk/dopravne-informacie/hranicne-priechody/

DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS

Entry will be granted to all eligible persons fleeing Ukraine. It is recommended that a biometric passport be provided, however entry will be provided to Ukrainians who do not have a passport.

Bring all documents you can that prove your identity. Entry into the territory of the Slovak Republic will be made possible after individual assessment for each person crossing the border.

A COVID-19 test and registration at korona.gov.sk/ehranica are not required to enter the Slovak Republic.

Ukrainian Citizens can stay in Slovakia up to 90 days.

REGISTRATION IN SLOVAKIA

If you are staying in an accommodation facility, the facility operators should report your stay.
If you are staying at a private accommodation, you must report your stay to the relevant department of the Foreign Police PZ according to your address. You must do this within three working days of entering the territory of the Slovak Republic

ARRIVING WITH PETS

Persons (refugees) who are accompanied by pets are required to fill in a form - permit/ДОЗВІЛ and hand into the Customs Service of the Slovak Republic upon entering the territory of the Slovak Republic directly at the border crossing point of entry.
Upon arrival at the destination in the other EU Member States, persons accompanied by pets are required to report their residence to the competent veterinary authority of the EU Member State concerned.

In case of questions, please contact the State Veterinary and Food Administration via email: [email protected]

Dog tax is required in Slovakia, however Ukrainian refugees do not have to pay it.

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TRANSPORTATION

BORDER CROSSINGS

Local municipalities provide free-of-charge shuttle transportation from several border crossing points. Check with the municipality at your crossing point for more information.

TRAIN TRAVEL TO SLOVAKIA

Emergency train goes daily from Čop to Košice: https://www.zssk.sk/aktuality/na-susedoch-nam-zalezi-zssk-zavadza-mimoriadne-evakuacne-vlaky-z-copu/

WITHIN SLOVAKIA - FLIGHTS

WIZZ Air is providing 100,000 free seats on short-haul flights departing from Ukraine's neighboring countries (Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania) in March.

They also recognize that many refugees have already started moving and may be stranded in other locations, so they are offering a 29.99 EUR and 69.99 EUR rescue fare on all other flights. Book your travel at https://wizzair.com/#/rescue

WITHIN SLOVAKIA - TRAIN TRAVEL

People with a Ukrainian passport can travel by train on the Slovak territory for free.

WITHIN SLOVAKIA - DRIVING

For Slovakia highways, you need to buy an electronic vignette here: https://sk-vignette.com/en/Index/

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ACCOMMODATIONS

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION

After crossing the border, representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations will help you with finding accommodation.

For more information about available accommodation housing, visit https://pomocpreukrajinu.sk/

You can also check sites such as: booking.com, airbnb.com

LONG TERM ACCOMMODATION

You have two options for long-term accommodation:

1. Finding your new home online

Pros:

It’s an easy & cheap way as you don’t have to pay extra for real estate. The website has also an English version.

Cons:

You must do all the paperwork and double-check all the documents required for Foreign Police.

The main site to find an apartment in Slovakia on your own is https://www.bezrealitky.sk/.

2. Finding an apartment via a real estate agency

Pros:

If your Slovak is not fluent yet, it’s a good idea to use a real estate agency. The main advantage is that all the paperwork is done properly. That’s important as you must register your place of residence in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and must inform you if any changes are made.

Cons:

Can be expensive. Usually, you must pay a month-rent + VAT to the estate agency.t is also usual to pay a reservation fee to book an apartment. This reservation is used to book your interest and make the owner not post the apartment as available. This reservation is usually then transformed into a refundable deposit.

Top links to rent an apartment in Košice are:

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HEALTHCARE

MEDICAL CARE

Health care will be provided to citizens affected by the war in Ukraine based on their status:

If you obtain temporary refuge status, you will be entitled to urgent medical care.
If Slovakia is a transit country, you have access to urgent medical care.
If you are a temporary refugee or an asylum seeker you are entitled to urgent and necessary medical care. This means the kind of health care that will be recommended by your doctor is an emergency service in the relevant region or city or a central hospital reception. It is necessary to provide documents about the started process for temporary refuge, asylum, or a residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic to receive care.

DENTAL CARE:

Dentists who provide free urgent dental health care are:

MEDICINE:

For people from Ukraine with the status of temporary refuge and transit (i.e., those who only pass through the Slovak Republic), prescriptions and medications have no restrictions. Medication can also be prescribed by a general practitioner and will be accepted by pharmacies, medicines, medical devices and dietetic food will be dispensed to the person in temporary refuge at no extra charge.

COVID-19

If you test positive for COVID-19, you will receive all necessary examinations and care. If you do not have insurance, the payment will be made from the state budget.

PSYCHOLOGICAL HELP

Phone line "Nezábudka" in Ukrainian language: 0800 222 450 (available 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.)

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WORKING IN SLOVAKIA

All Ukrainian refugees, as well as their family members (even if family members have different nationality, including any non-EU country), can obtain the temporary refuge in Slovakia.
The status of temporary refuge grants rights to work immediately.
The status of temporary refuge can be requested either at the point of crossing the border with Slovakia or at the local foreigner police office at the place where individual is accommodated.
Police will process the application immediately for individuals who have relevant IDs, i.e., they will have confirmation the same day.
In case an individual has no ID at all, the application will be processed within 30 days since additional background checks will be performed).
The application will be provided for an individual to be completed directly at the office of foreign police by respective police officers. Also, a translator will be present if needed. During the visit, individuals must have IDs with them (passports or any other available IDs), plus documents confirming family ties with relatives, e.g., birth certificates, marriage certificates, etc.). In case an individual already has an accommodation in Slovakia, i.e., owned or rented, a notarized confirmation from the landlord/owner is required, in case the individual would like this address to be indicated on his confirmation of temporary refuge.

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BANKING AND MONEY EXCHANGE

BANKING

Some Slovak banks help people from Ukraine to access their finances. Newly located ATMs are near the border crossings (Vyšné Nemecké), from which withdrawals by Ukrainian ATM cards are free of charge (this applies to some banks throughout Slovakia)

Banks are also offering opening free accounts, including issuing payment cards and access to internet banking and abolition of fees for transfers to Ukraine.

Here are requirements for opening an account at specific banks:

UniCredit Bank
Mandatory document: UA Passport only is sufficient (no proof of residence permit or visa is required).

Tatra banka
Ukrainian citizens can open an account at any Tatra banka branch, with only a passport. Passport attachment with address is needed to open an account. Tatra Banka is strengthening their branches in border areas with Ukrainian-speaking staff who will help clients with ATM service and basic services.

Slovenská sporiteľňa
A free account for a year is offered for Ukrainian citizens, including a payment card and internet banking. The account can be set up at any branch. The only mandatory document is valid UA identity card. Slovenská sporiteľňa has placed two ATMs near the Vyšné Nemecké border crossing.

Poštová banka
A solidarity account that can be opened by people coming from Ukraine to Slovakia for 12 months completely free of charge.

EXCHANGING UKRAINIAN HRYVNIA (UAH)

You can exchange hryvnia (UAH) to euros (EUR) at exchange offices in larger cities. We recommend checking the exchange rate and exchange fees in advance.

Among banks, only Tatrabanka offers exchange of hryvnia for euros , with the limit of 250 euros per day per person. Currently this service is offered only in Bratislava at the Tatrabanka branch on Hodžovo Square. Exchange near the hotspots in Michalovce and Humenne is planned in the near future.

Several banks are currently providing Ukrainian citizens with free ATM withdrawals with cards issued by Ukrainian banks, free opening of a bank account in Slovakia, as well as free transfers of money from their accounts to Ukraine.

CUSTOMS MONEY PROCEDURES

If you enter or leave the EU with EUR 10,000 or more in cash or checks without a specified consignee or certain gold items, you must inform the customs authorities whether you are travelling by air, road, rail, or sea.

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PHONE SERVICES

Orange Slovensko offers prepaid SIM cards for free. The prepaid SIM card includes 10 GB of data and € 2 credit for calls and SMS.

O2 Slovakia offers prepaid SIM cards O2 Freedom with € 5 credit and a free package of 15 GB of data per month.

You can get a SIM card by showing a Ukrainian identity card (passport, ID card, residence permit).

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PERMANENT RELOCATION

STAY WITH A VALID BIOMETRIC PASSPORT

If you have a valid biometric passport, you can stay in the territory of the Slovak Republic and the Schengen area for 90 days. In order to be able to stay legally in the territory of the Slovak Republic for a longer period, you will have to decide during this period whether you will apply for one of the forms of residence or apply for temporary refuge or asylum.

STAY AS A TEMPORARY REFUGEE

Temporary refuge is provided to protect foreigners from war, the consequences of a humanitarian catastrophe or a systematic or mass human rights violation in the country of origin. This is the fastest form of protection provided, which will provide foreigners with access to accommodation, food, health care and enable them to stay and work in the Slovak Republic.

You can apply for temporary refuge in person, either directly at the border or at the Aliens Police Department. Each adult needs to request temporary refuge in person. If you can prove your identity (passport, ID card), temporary refuge will be provided to you immediately after registration. If you do not have any documents, your application for temporary refuge will be decided in a short time within approximately 30 days. You will receive accommodation, food, urgent medical care and hygiene needs immediately.

In the current situation, it is more appropriate for the people of Ukraine to apply for temporary refuge status than asylum. If you apply for asylum, you will be able to work only after the decision on granting asylum or granting subsidiary protection, resp. if your application is not decided within 9 months from the beginning of the proceedings.

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Click ANOTHER Country to Read Our Latest Information and Updates

Please note that the information is subject to change at any given time due to rapidly changing circumstances.
Information varies by country.
Information for additional countries will be listed soon.

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LEGAL STATEMENT

All information provided on this website directly by EPAM or its affiliates or employees is deemed reliable at the time of posting but is not guaranteed to be accurate. None of the information provided on this website by third-parties is verified for accuracy. None of the information provided on this website constitutes legal advice, medical advice, or immigration advice and is provided solely for your information and to assist you to locate resources where you can obtain such advice. EPAM is not responsible for the content provided by third parties, the security of third party websites or links to those websites, or any typographical errors, misinformation, or misprints. Some third party websites linked to from this website are not secure and any information transmitted by you to the third party website can be intercepted and read. You should use such third party websites with caution and should not provide any information, including credentials or login information, to unsecure websites. All information is subject to change and EPAM is under no obligation to update information if it changes. Information is provided for personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any other purpose.