Online residence renewal in Slovakia from July 2026: all or nothing

Since 15 July 2026, an online application to renew a temporary residence permit (obnovenie prechodného pobytu) is held to a stricter rule than a paper one: if a single document is missing, the police will not accept it. The justification rests on artificial intelligence that does not work yet. The state does not count how many applications were turned away, and there is still no up-to-date official list of documents on the ministry's website.

In short

• The police accept an online renewal application only with a valid passport and every required document. The 30 days to add missing papers apply only to applications filed in person.
• If your application is not accepted, you get a notice in your electronic mailbox. No proceedings start, so there is nothing to complete and nothing to appeal.
• For business-purpose renewals you no longer need certificates of no arrears from the tax office, customs, Sociálna poisťovňa and health insurers. The duty to have no arrears remains.
• One certificate from the tax office proves your income or the tax you paid (service ID1086, 2.50 € online).
• Filing online is cheaper: 150 € instead of 200 € for business, 90 € instead of 140 € for employment.
• File well ahead, not on the last day of your permit.

One sentence that changes the rules

Amendment No. 128/2026 Z. z. to the Act on the Residence of Foreigners added a fifth sentence to § 34 ods. 2 of Act No. 404/2011 Z. z. In short: with an online renewal application, the foreigner must present a valid passport and attach every document the Act requires, otherwise the police will not accept the application. The original wording:

“K žiadosti o obnovenie prechodného pobytu podanej prostredníctvom elektronickej služby zavedenej na tento účel je štátny príslušník tretej krajiny povinný predložiť platný cestovný doklad a priložiť k nej všetky náležitosti podľa tohto zákona, inak policajný útvar žiadosť neprijme.”

Nothing changed for applications filed in person at the foreign police department (cudzinecká polícia). They are accepted with a valid passport, and you can hand in missing documents within 30 days. In justified cases the police extend this by another 15 days. They must tell you so in writing and say exactly what is missing (§ 34 ods. 4).

Online, that option does not exist. If anything is missing, the application is not accepted, no proceedings start, and there is nothing to complete or appeal. If you file on the last day of your permit, there is no time left to fix it.

Why: artificial intelligence that is not running yet

The government justified the requirement for complete online applications by planned document checks using artificial intelligence. The summary report on Slovakia's migration policy for 2023–2025 (rokovania.gov.sk) says the duty to file a complete application is introduced “z dôvodu plánovaného zavedenia kontroly týchto dokladov umelou inteligenciou, t. j. aby umelá inteligencia bola plne využitá” — because document checks by AI are planned, so that the AI can be used to the full.

We asked the Ministry of the Interior, under the Freedom of Information Act, whether such a tool works and since when. The Foreign Police Department of the Bureau of Border and Foreign Police (ÚHCP) replied on 28 September 2026:

“Využitie umelej inteligencie pri kontrole dokladov priložených k elektronicky podaným žiadostiam je v súčasnosti v štádiu prípravy. Nástroj zatiaľ nie je v prevádzke a jeho výstupy sa nepoužívajú ako podklad pre neprijatie žiadosti podľa § 34 ods. 2 zákona o pobyte cudzincov.”

In other words, AI checks are still being prepared, the tool is not in operation, and its output is not used to reject applications. The strict rule has applied for two and a half months. The tool it was made for does not exist yet.

What happens if your application is not accepted

For renewals, the law does not require the police to tell you what is missing. For a first application for temporary residence, § 32 ods. 1 says so explicitly. § 34 has no such provision.

According to ÚHCP, practice is better than the law. You learn about the rejection from a notice sent to your electronic mailbox. The notice states:

• the foreign police department that assessed the application,
• the reason “vrátane uvedenia konkrétneho nedostatku podania” — including the specific defect,
• the legal basis,
• a note that this is not a decision on residence but a refusal to accept an online application.

Once you fix the problem, you can file a new application. But the notice with the specific defect comes from how the system is set up, not from the law. ÚHCP did not say how soon after filing the notice arrives. The ministry did not provide an anonymised sample, saying it does not have one.

How many applications were turned away? Nobody knows

The ministry gave us statistics on applications to renew temporary residence from 15 July to 3 September 2026 (data as of 4 September 2026):

The rest are withdrawn applications (3 for business, 7 for employment) and 8 rejected or discontinued proceedings for business. Over seven weeks that is 3,663 applications. In the same period the police recorded three Ukrainian nationals whose business-purpose renewal proceedings were discontinued under § 34 ods. 4 for missing documents.

These numbers do not show how the new rule plays out in practice. By its own decision, the ministry “nedisponuje” — does not hold — the number of online applications that were not accepted. It cannot split applications into in-person and online either. An application that is not accepted never becomes proceedings, so it does not appear in the statistics.

We have filed a rozklad — an appeal to the minister — against this decision. Our argument: if the system automatically sends a notice every time it turns an application away, it must also record every such case.

There is no official list of documents

For online applications the law requires “všetky náležitosti” — every required document. Where do you find the list?

• According to the file properties, the renewal document list on the website of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs is dated 31 August 2020.
• The foreign police FAQ was last updated in July 2025.
• Asked where the current list is published, ÚHCP replied: “Momentálne prebieha aktualizácia informácií a dokumentov na stránke Ministerstva vnútra SR” — the information on the Ministry of the Interior website is being updated.

So the first official post-amendment list of documents we found is the reply to our information request.

Business (§ 22)

• proof of the purpose of stay, i.e. your business licence (§ 34 ods. 7); not needed if nothing has changed,
• proof of funds for your stay: a bank statement in your name showing a balance of twelve times the subsistence minimum, which is 3,542.64 € from 1 July 2026 (§ 32 ods. 14),
• proof of health insurance,
• proof of accommodation,
• proof of funding for the business, i.e. income or tax paid (see below).

Employment (§ 23 ods. 1)

Only proof of accommodation. Not needed if you work in international transport.

No document may be older than 90 days (§ 34 ods. 3).

Accommodation: what changed

The amendment replaced § 122 ods. 1 písm. a). Where the foreigner's sworn statement (čestné vyhlásenie) of owning the property used to be, there is now electronic consent. You can prove accommodation with:

1. electronic consent from a private person or accommodation provider via the online service,
2. a lease with the owner or user of the property (with a user, also a document showing their right to use it),
3. confirmation from an accommodation facility,
4. a sworn statement by a person or company that they provide you with accommodation (with a user, also a document showing their right),
5. a sworn statement by the landlord that the lease is still valid, if you submitted it in previous proceedings and it is valid for at least six more months.

The foreigner's sworn statement of property ownership, still listed in many older lists, is no longer in the law.

Certificates of no arrears are no longer needed

Until 14 July 2026, a business owner renewing residence had to prove they had no arrears with the tax office, customs, Sociálna poisťovňa and health insurers. The amendment removed this condition from § 34 and moved it to ongoing obligations (§ 111 ods. 10). If you breach it, the police can cancel your residence at the request of the institution concerned (§ 36 ods. 1 písm. f). It is no longer a reason to refuse renewal.

ÚHCP confirmed this:

“Policajný útvar pri obnovení prechodného pobytu na účel podnikania po účinnosti novely … od žiadateľa nevyžaduje potvrdenia o neevidovaní nedoplatkov, resp. pohľadávok po splatnosti, vydané daňovým úradom, colným úradom, Sociálnou poisťovňou a zdravotnými poisťovňami.”

That is, after the amendment the police do not ask for certificates of no arrears when renewing business-purpose residence. Information in circulation does not match this yet:

• The IOM Migration Information Centre, on its page about business-purpose residence last updated on 23 September 2026, says: “V deň podania žiadosti o obnovenie prechodného pobytu na účel podnikania nesmiete mať žiadne nedoplatky; inak bude žiadosť zamietnutá” — you must have no arrears on the day you apply, otherwise it will be rejected (mic.iom.sk).
• In our practice, a tax office was still issuing account-status certificates “pre účely cudzineckej polície na predĺženie prechodného pobytu” on 27 August 2026, citing a provision the amendment had repealed.
• The Act itself, in § 34 ods. 10, still refers to “potvrdenia podľa odseku 5”, although the new odsek 5 says nothing about certificates. ÚHCP said this reference “sa neuplatňuje” — is not applied.

§ 34 contains other outdated references too: odsek 1 points to grounds for refusal in “odsekoch 12 až 14”, though they are now in odseky 11 to 13, and odsek 12 refers to itself. Even the version of the Act in force from 1 October 2026 did not fix them.

Income and tax: one certificate from the tax office

The amendment changed what a business owner must prove, but not which document proves it.

A sole trader (živnostník, § 22 ods. 1 písm. a) must show taxable business income for the previous tax period above the threshold for filing a tax return under § 32 ods. 1 of Act No. 595/2003 Z. z. on Income Tax. For 2025 that is 2,876.90 € (half of 21 times the subsistence minimum of 273.99 €).

A company director or partner (konateľ, spoločník, § 22 ods. 1 písm. b) must show that the business paid tax for the previous tax period at least equal to the minimum tax under § 46b ods. 2 of the Income Tax Act. For 2025:

From the 2026 tax period there is a fifth band: with income over 5,000,000 €, the minimum tax is 11,520 €.

For this purpose the foreign police accept a single tax office certificate, which they have shown several applicants as a template. According to the Financial Directorate of the Slovak Republic (Finančné riaditeľstvo SR), the certificate has a prescribed form, but the Financial Administration (Finančná správa) has not published it, like most of its forms. You request it through the online service ID1086 “Vydanie potvrdenia o úhrade daňových záväzkov pre účely žiadosti o obnovenie povolenia na prechodný pobyt”, and the administrative fee is 2.50 € (item 143(b) of the fee schedule). The Tax Support Centre of the Financial Directorate confirmed the code to us in writing in October 2026. The same code was also used for the older certificate on the state of the taxpayer’s account, and tax offices handled requests inconsistently. So in the general submission (všeobecné podanie), write the full name of the certificate and the purpose you need it for in the “text podania” field. There is a version for individuals and one for companies.

The certificate for individuals is titled “Potvrdenie o podaní daňového priznania k dani z príjmov fyzickej osoby za rok … na účely obnovenia prechodného pobytu štátnemu príslušníkovi tretej krajiny” and contains:

• figures from the type B tax return: income under § 6 ods. 1 písm. a) to d), revenue for double-entry bookkeeping, tax payable and tax overpayment,
• a section “Potvrdenie o zaplatení dane (pre účely konania podľa § 34 zákona č. 404/2011 Z. z. o pobyte cudzincov)” with the amount and date of payment,
• a sentence that the tax office records no tax arrears as of the date of issue.

One document thus replaces the pair of certificates applicants usually submitted until now.

You cannot rely on how long it takes. There is no fixed deadline and it depends on the tax office. In Bratislava in September 2026 we saw anything from two days to more than a month. During tax return season, expect it to take longer. From our experience, request the certificate two to three weeks before you file the renewal. Remember that it, too, must not be older than 90 days.

Employment: a short list, but you depend on the labour office

When renewing for employment under § 23 ods. 1, according to ÚHCP, you attach only proof of accommodation. The law does not require health insurance or proof of funds for this purpose.

But the police will also refuse to accept the application if the Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (ÚPSVaR) has not sent them a confirmation that the vacancy can be filled, with consent, or if more than 180 days have passed since it was issued (§ 34 ods. 2). You do not attach this confirmation yourself, but you cannot succeed without it.

When renewing for the same job, ÚPSVaR issues the confirmation without looking at the labour market, and the employer does not have to report the vacancy in advance (§ 21b ods. 4 and 7 of Act No. 5/2004 Z. z. on Employment Services). The exception covers only the same job. If you change employer or job, the application is assessed from scratch.

For employees, a refused application has another consequence. The Employment Services Act ties the right to work during the proceedings to an accepted renewal application “spolu so všetkými náležitosťami” — with all required documents (§ 21 ods. 1 písm. h).

What to do before you file

• Weigh price against risk. Filing online, the fee for a business-purpose renewal is 150 € instead of 200 €, for employment 90 € instead of 140 € (item 24(d) and § 6 ods. 2 of Act No. 145/1995 Z. z. on Administrative Fees). But you will not get 30 days to add a missing document.
• To file online you need a residence card with a chip (eDoPP), an activated BOK code (how to get a BOK code) and an issued qualified electronic signature (how to get an e-signature). PDF attachments can be at most 10 MB (pes.minv.sk).
• Do not wait for the last day. The law only says you must apply no later than the last day your permit is valid. If the application is not accepted, the new one must arrive before that day. If you are not sure your documents are complete, filing in person gives you 30 days to add what is missing (how to book an appointment).
• As a parent, you can also file the online application for your child.
• Renewal is not a new card. The online renewal service cannot be used to apply for a residence card. You apply for the card through a separate service, and it is produced within 30 days of your biometrics being taken (§ 73 ods. 1).
• Certificates of no arrears are no longer needed, but the duty to have no arrears remains. Breaching it can lead to your residence being cancelled.

What we are still waiting for

We will update this article when we receive:

• the minister's decision on our rozklad, i.e. the number of online applications not accepted, a split by filing method and a sample rejection notice,
• an answer on how soon after filing the rejection notice arrives,
• an updated list of required documents on the Ministry of the Interior website.

Sources: Act No. 404/2011 Z. z. on the Residence of Foreigners (as in force from 15 July 2026), Act No. 128/2026 Z. z.; Súhrnná správa o stave plnenia úloh Migračnej politiky SR za roky 2023 až 2025; Act No. 5/2004 Z. z. on Employment Services; Act No. 145/1995 Z. z. on Administrative Fees; Act No. 595/2003 Z. z. on Income Tax; Ministry of the Interior letter No. KM-SK2-2026/004683-004 and decision No. KM-SK2-2026/004683-006 of 15 September 2026; reply of the Foreign Police Department of ÚHCP P PZ of 28 September 2026; Finančná správa SR; IOM Migration Information Centre; pes.minv.sk.