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National Visa for Purpose of Family Reunification
Family members of beneficiaries of international protection are eligible for a national visa (type D). Article 15(2) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners provides that family members of asylum holders or subsidiary protection holders are granted a national visa if they do not constitute a threat to the state security or public order. The provision of the Act on Residence of Foreigners does not directly define who a family member is; instead, it refers to the Asylum Act. The national visa for family reunification with the beneficiary of international protection may be granted to:
- the spouse of a beneficiary of international protection, if their marriage continues, and continued also at the time when the beneficiary of international protection left the country of origin, and if the beneficiary of international protection gives a prior written consent to the reunification,
- unmarried children of a beneficiary of international protection or unmarried children of a spouse of a beneficiary of international protection, or
- parents or a person entrusted with the personal guardianship of an unmarried beneficiary of international protection younger than 18 years of age, if the beneficiary of international protection gives a prior written consent to the reunification.[1]
Family members may submit the application for a national visa immediately after the sponsor has been granted asylum or subsidiary protection in Slovakia. No deadline is imposed after which the application would no longer be accepted. The application for a national visa shall be submitted at the competent Slovak embassy or through an external service provider designated by the MoFEA SR.[2] Family members must appear in person and present a valid travel document, proof of their family relationship to the sponsor (e.g. a marriage or birth certificate), and, where applicable, proof of dependency.[3] The embassy shall examine the visa application within 30 days.[4]
In 2025, Slovakia granted no national visa for the purpose of family reunification with a beneficiary of international protection within the meaning of Article 15(2) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners.[5]
After arriving to Slovakia, family members of beneficiaries of international protection may decide to either apply for asylum or apply for a regular residence permit.
Family Reunification under the Asylum Act.
If a family member of a beneficiary of international protection applies for asylum, the application is examined under the regular procedure. The MO first assesses whether the applicant qualifies for asylum status (either under the 1951 Convention or constitutional asylum) or for subsidiary protection on the grounds of serious harm. Only if these conditions are not met does the MO proceed to examine whether the applicant fulfils the requirements for asylum for family reunification or subsidiary protection for family reunification (See Procedures: National forms of protection). The definition of family members eligible for asylum or subsidiary protection for family reunification corresponds to that of family members who may be granted a national visa for the purpose of family reunification.
Asylum for family reunification is initially granted for a period of three years. After this period, the family member may apply for a renewal and, provided that the conditions laid down in the Asylum Act are met, asylum for family reunification is subsequently granted for an unlimited period.[6] Subsidiary protection for family reunification is initially granted for one year, and may be repeatedly extended for periods of two years.[7] Asylum or subsidiary protection granted for family reunification is dependent on the protection status of the sponsor. Asylum for family reunification ceases ex lege if the sponsor’s asylum is withdrawn or if the sponsor waives asylum in writing.[8] Similarly, subsidiary protection for family reunification ceases ex lege if the sponsor’s subsidiary protection is withdrawn, not extended, or if the sponsor waives subsidiary protection in writing.[9]
In 2025, asylum for the purpose of family reunification was granted to 6 persons (5 from Afghanistan and 1 from Russia), while subsidiary protection for the purpose of family reunification was granted to 4 persons (1 from Afghanistan and 3 from India).[10]
Family Reunification under Act on Residence of Foreigners
Family members of beneficiaries of international protection may also be reunited through a regular residence permit. Due to the fact that asylum holders are considered as foreigners granted permanent residence[11] and subsidiary protection holders are considered as foreigners granted temporary residence,[12] their family members may be granted temporary residence for family reunification under the Act on Residence of Foreigners. The definition of a family member eligible for a temporary residence under Article 27 of the Act on Residence of Foreigners is broader than provided in the Asylum Act. Article 27(2) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners defines a family member eligible for temporary residence for the purpose of family reunification as:
- a spouse, if the spouse reached 18 years of age,
- an unmarried child under 18 years of age of the person granted temporary or permanent residence and/or of his or her spouse,
- a dependent unmarried child older than 18 years of age of a person with granted temporary or permanent residence and/or of his or her spouse, unable to take care of themselves due to a long-term unfavourable health condition,
- a parent of a person with granted temporary or permanent residence or of his or her spouse who is dependent on his or her care and lacks appropriate family support in the country of origin.
Additionally, the temporary residence for family reunification may also be granted to all direct ascendants of an asylum holder under 18 years of age.[13]
The application for temporary residence for the purpose of family reunification shall be submitted at a Slovak embassy abroad. A person who is legally residing in Slovakia and meets the conditions laid down by law[14] (e.g. has been granted a national visa) may submit the application for temporary residence within the territory of Slovakia at the competent foreign police department.
If the family member of an asylum holder submits the residence application within three months of the asylum being granted to the sponsor, he or she must provide only a valid travel document and proof of the family relationship to the sponsor.[15] In all other instances, the applicant must also provide a criminal record statement and proof of accommodation.[16] Applicants for temporary residence for family reunification whose sponsor was granted asylum or subsidiary protection are exempt from administrative fees. The residence application shall be examined within 90 days.[17]
Since October 2024, HRL has been assisting a Palestinian family (wife and 4 minor children) from the Gaza Strip, trying to reunite with their husband/father, who was granted asylum in Slovakia. As there is no Slovak Embassy in the Gaza Strip and the family is unable to travel to Tel Aviv where the Slovak Embassy is authorised to receive visa/residence applications of Palestinian citizens, HRL applied the MoFEA for a territorial and personal exemption allowing the family to submit their visa applications at other embassies and without the obligation to submit the applications in person. The MoFEA granted the territorial and personal exemption allowing the family to submit their visa application also at the Slovak Embassy in Cairo and in Beirut. On 1 April 2026, the family members were granted a Slovak national visa valid for one year, issued by the Slovak Embassy in Cairo. At the time of publication of this report, they remain awaiting evacuation.
[1] Article 10(1) and Article 13b(1) of the Asylum Act.
[2] Article 17(1) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners.
[3] Article 17(3) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners.
[4] Article 17(4) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners.
[5] Official response of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic (No. INF/000021/2026-LEG2-2) from 17 February 2026 to a request for information submitted on 6 February 2026.
[6] Article 20(2) of the Asylum Act.
[7] Article 20(3) of the Asylum Act.
[8] Article 14(2) of the Asylum Act.
[9] Article 15a(2) of the Asylum Act.
[10] The Response of the MO to a request for information submitted on 11 March 2026.
[11] Article 24(1) of the Asylum Act.
[12] Article 27a(1) of the Asylum Act.
[13] Article 27(1)(b) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners.
[14] Article 31(3) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners.
[15] Article 32(13) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners.
[16] Details are provided in Article 32 of the Act on Residence in Foreigners.
[17] Article 33(8)(a) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners.