Slovakia for Ukrainians: what to do after arrival

1

Arrival

The local status name is dočasné útočisko, temporary refuge. The application is in person because biometric data is collected.

Ministerstvo vnútra SR

Why this matters: An online form is not itself the grant of protection.

Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1912, as corrected on 5 August 2026, extends temporary protection until 4 March 2028. The military-obligation condition applies from 5 August 2026 and does not apply to a person who already had temporary protection in the same state on or before 4 August 2026 and continuously kept it. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2026/1912/oj/eng Checked 29 September 2026: nationally, dočasné útočisko status is automatically extended to 4 March 2027 (IOM MIC / Interior); a matching national announcement putting 4 March 2028 on documents is not yet confirmed.

2

Check whether your address has been reported

If you are staying visa-free and your hotel, landlord, or other accommodation provider did not report your stay to the police, this must be done within 3 business days after entry. This is separate from the dočasné útočisko application.

Cudzinecká polícia

Why this matters: Visa-free stay and dočasné útočisko are separate procedures. Reporting the address does not grant temporary protection.

3

Catch an appointment first — without it the application is usually refused

Without a booked Interior Ministry appointment, a dočasné útočisko application is usually refused. Slots often vanish in minutes (bots/resale). Pre-registration is not a booking. Then documents and an in-person visit.

Cudzinecká polícia

Why this matters: People waste days and hostel money assuming they can walk in. In practice: slot first, visit second. Two lived options: try yourself, or pay someone for a slot (~€150–200 on the market) only after a PIN in your name.

A slot intermediary ≠ a lawyer for status. UNHCR/IOM do not sell appointments. The official booking source is the Interior Ministry system.

4

Check military documents if you are a Ukrainian man aged 18–60

From 6 August 2026, new and repeat applications by Ukrainian men aged 18–60 are subject to a separate military-obligation evidence requirement.

Ministerstvo vnútra SR

Why this matters: If this condition applies to you, prepare the evidence and translation before the appointment so the application is not delayed.

5

Temporary refuge application

As of 27 September 2026, all Foreign Police departments accept dočasné útočisko applications. The Bottova 7 large-capacity centre in Bratislava has been closed since 6 August 2024. The online declaration only speeds up processing and is not an appointment.

Cudzinecká polícia

Why this matters: Personal attendance, biometrics, and an advance reservation through the Interior Ministry system are required.

6

After protection: check the 90-day deadline for the plastic card

After dočasné útočisko is granted, you receive confirmation of your status. If the status was granted after 15 December 2024, you must apply for the plastic residence card within 90 days.

Cudzinecká polícia

Why this matters: The plastic card is more practical for proving status and travel. A separate booking in the Interior Ministry system is required.

7

If you already hold temporary refuge and have pursued a qualifying purpose for 6+ months, check the temporary-residence route

Since 15 July 2026, a temporary-refuge holder may apply before temporary refuge ends for a residence document for a specific temporary-residence purpose if that purpose was actually carried out for at least six months immediately before filing and is still being carried out on the filing date.

Cudzinecká polícia

Why this matters: This is optional and not a reason to give up temporary refuge without preparation. For someone with stable employment, study, or another lawful purpose, it is a separate longer-term route worth evaluating.

Checked 1 October 2026. Nationally, temporary refuge is currently extended to 4 March 2027; the EU framework already extends to 4 March 2028, while matching Slovak national confirmation for 2028 is still pending.

8

If you have no long-term housing, check the subsidy route but do not expect an automatic apartment

Slovakia does not assign every temporary-protection beneficiary a private apartment after dočasné útočisko is granted. Support mainly works through a subsidy to an owner/accommodation provider hosting the person. For a new beneficiary, support generally covers the initial 60 days; longer support is limited to defined vulnerable categories.

Municipality / accommodation provider

Why this matters: This explains the practical reality: while waiting for Foreign Police, people often use a hostel, short-term rental, or friends, and housing still has to be solved separately after status.

The accommodation subsidy supports the hosting arrangement; it is not a guarantee that the state will find an apartment for you. Re-check current eligibility and vulnerable categories before filing.

9

How to access healthcare

After dočasné útočisko is granted, you are entitled to urgent and necessary healthcare even without public health insurance. Necessary care requires proof of temporary-refuge status.

Why this matters: Visa-free stay and dočasné útočisko provide different healthcare access, so the correct status document matters.

10

Enroll your child in school

Since 1 September 2025, compulsory education applies in Slovakia to children under temporary protection. For a child of compulsory-school age, the legal representative must apply for enrolment within 3 months after the dočasné útočisko procedure starts.

Why this matters: The school places the child based on previous education and Slovak-language level. Missing Ukrainian school records do not by themselves prevent placement.

11

Start working

With dočasné útočisko you may work in Slovakia without a separate work permit. Ordinary employment does not require a separate work-permit application.

Why this matters: Your status already authorises work. Business registration or self-employment is a separate procedure, so BESSMERA does not mix it into the first-employment step.

12

Save live-help contacts for when the booking system or housing blocks your route

In Slovakia, some of the hardest problems are solved faster by a call rather than another webpage: UNHCR can help in Ukrainian/Russian, Foreign Police answers migration questions, and NGOs can assist with authorities, school, interpretation, and housing.

UNHCR / IOM / Foreign Police

Why this matters: If you cannot book an appointment or do not understand a document requirement, BESSMERA should give you a person/number instead of sending you back to Google.