Author
The naturalisation process is regulated by the Act No. 40/1993 Coll. on citizenship of the Slovak Republic (Citizenship Act). The main condition for acquiring Slovak citizenship is a continuous permanent residence in Slovakia for at least eight years immediately preceding the submission of the citizenship application. Article 7(2) of the Citizenship Act provides for several exemptions to the length of residence requirement. In the case of asylum holders, they may, after meeting the other applicable conditions, apply for Slovak citizenship four years after being granted asylum status. No simplified naturalisation procedure exists for subsidiary protection holders. Stateless persons may, after meeting other conditions, apply for Slovak citizenship after three years of continuous residence in Slovakia immediately preceding the submission of the citizenship application.
Apart from the residence requirement, the applicants for the granting of Slovak citizenship also must:
– prove their integrity (Art. 7(1)(b) of the Citizenship Act),
– demonstrate knowledge of the Slovak language and general knowledge of the Slovak Republic (Art. 8(5-8) of the Citizenship Act),
– meet other specific conditions (Art. 7(1)(c-g) of the Citizenship Act),
– submit all necessary documents (Art. 8(3) of the Citizenship Act).
There is no legal entitlement to the granting of Slovak citizenship, even if the applicant meets all the conditions foreseen by law.
Persons granted asylum are exempt from administrative fees connected to the granting of citizenship. This exemption does not apply to subsidiary protection holders. They must pay a regular fee of €1000 in case the applicant is over 18 years of age.[1] In case of minor applicants, the administrative fee is €140 for children up to 15 years of age and €210 for children of 15 to 18 years of age.
An application for granting Slovak citizenship must be submitted in person at the district office in the seat of the region according to the place of permanent residence in Slovakia. The authority competent to examine applications for granting citizenship is the Department of State Citizenship under the MoI SR. The application shall be decided within 24 months from its submission.[2]
Citizenship is acquired upon receiving the citizenship certificate after taking the oath of a Slovak citizen of the Slovak Republic.[3] If the citizenship application is rejected, the applicant may submit a new application at the earliest two years after the date on which the rejecting decision becomes final.[4]
Between 1993 and 2021, Slovak citizenship was granted to 298 beneficiaries of international protection.[5] The statistics on the number of beneficiaries of international protection granted Slovak citizenship for 2025 are not publicly available. Moreover, the MoI did not provide the data following an individual request for information.
[1] Item 20 of the Schedule of Administrative Fees of the Act No. 145/1995 Coll. on Administrative Fees.
[2] Article 8a(7) of the Citizenship Act.
[3] Article 8a(10) of the Citizenship Act.
[4] Article 8a(13) of the Citizenship Act.
[5] MoI SR, Štatistická správa – rok 2021, 2022 available (in Slovak) here.