Slovakia’s immigration system provides several options for employers of foreign nationals. Slovakia ​is a member of the European Union (EU) and the Schengen Area. If you have a higher education qualification and a contract or binding offer of work in Europe, then you may be eligible for a Blue Card. Once you have one, a Blue Card entitles you to work anywhere in the EU (apart from Denmark, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom).

Work Visa permits:

• Type-A permit allows you to work for any employer in Slovakia for an unlimited period of time. In order to be granted a Type-A work permit you must have lived and worked in Slovakia on a Type-B permit for a minimum of 4 years. The 4 year
• Work requirement is shortened to 3 years for nationals of the following countries: Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, Morocco, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, and Croatia.
• Type-B permit is valid for one employer and runs for one year, after which it can be renewed (by the same employer, usually for the same job or job classification). If you change employers, your new employer must apply for a new B permit – in which case you may need to return to your home country and re-apply for a residence visa before you can start your new job. Jobs filled using a Type-B work permit must pay a minimum of €39,802.

Once you have lived and worked in Slovakia for 4 years on the same permit, you can receive an unlimited A permit.

• Type-C permit is valid for only one year, allowing the holder to work for multiple employers. This is usually issued to temporary migrant agricultural or domestic workers, or to those whose length of stay in Slovakia is unconfirmed, such as asylum seekers. Type-C can be renewed.

An employment relationship can be terminated by :

1 Agreement, The agreement on the termination of the employment relationship must be concluded in writing. The contract must state the reasons for the termination of the employment relationship, if the employee requests it or if the employment relationship was terminated by agreement for the following reasons:

• the employer being wound-up or relocated while the employee does not agree with the change of the agreed place of work.
• the employee becoming redundant.
• the employee’s health condition causing long-term loss of ability to do the present work, or he mustn’t perform it due to an occupational disease or due to a threat of this disease, or the employee has reached the highest permissible exposure within the workplace.

1 Notice: Where notice has been given, the employment terminates upon expiration of the notice period. The notice period is at least 1 month unless the law stipulates otherwise. The length of the notice period is at least one month and is usually defined in the employment contract.

2 Notice given by the employer; An employer may only give notice to an employee for the following reasons:

• the employer being wound-up or relocated while the employee does not agree with the change of the agreed place of work;
• employee becoming redundant.
• the employee no longer complies with the requirements pursuant to special regulations.
• the employee no longer fulfils the requirements for the proper performance of the work determined by the employer in internal regulations.
• the employee does not carry out work duties in a satisfactory manner.
• there are reasons on the part of the employee for which the employer is entitled to terminate the employment immediately.
• the employee’s health condition according to medical assessment causing long-term loss of ability to do the present work or he mustn’t perform it due to an occupational disease or due to a threat of this disease, or the employee has reached the highest permissible exposure within the workplace. Failure of the employee to meet preconditions set by legal regulations to perform the agreed work;

3 Notice given by the employee; An employee may give notice to an employer for any reason or without giving a reason.

4 Immediate termination or termination in the probationary period. A fixed-term employment relationship also terminates upon the expiry of the agreed period. Employment relationship of a foreigner also terminates upon cancellation of the granted residence, expiry of the period for which the residence was granted, withdrawal or expiry of a work permit.

If the reason for employment relationship termination is clearly stated in the agreement, the person is entitled to severance pay. The reason must be either the dissolution of the employer, its relocation if you do not agree with the change in the agreed location for performance of work, or the redundancy of the employee. Otherwise, you can´t claim the severance to be paid. 

The severance pay depends on the length of the employment relationship:

• 1x average monthly earnings (employment relationship lasted less than 2 years),
• 2x average monthly earnings (employment relationship lasted at least 2 years and less than 5 years),
• 3x average monthly earnings (employment relationship lasted at least 5 years and less than 10 years),
• 4x average monthly earnings (employment relationship lasted at least 10 years and less than 20 years),
• 5x average monthly earnings (employment relationship lasted at least 20 years).