Before coming to Slovakia

What to arrange at home

Prepare the originals as well as official translations. Without them the Foreign Police will not accept your application.

• Passport – must be valid longer than your planned stay (for temporary residence usually by at least 3 months). If it expires soon, renew it before you travel.
• Visa or residence permit according to the purpose of your stay: work, business, study or family.
• Employment contract or job offer from the employer.
• Criminal record extract from Vietnam (Phiếu lý lịch tư pháp). For a residence application it must not be older than 90 days.
• Education documents – diplomas, school reports, certificates.
• Birth certificates (yours and your children’s) and your marriage certificate.
• Official translations into Slovak – made by a sworn translator registered with the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic.
• Document verification – Vietnam is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so Vietnamese documents usually need full legalisation (superlegalisation). Check the exact procedure for each document with the Slovak Embassy in Hanoi.

Take photos of all your documents and save them in your phone and in your e-mail. If you lose your passport, the copies will help a lot.

How to verify Vietnamese documents

1. Notarised translation into Slovak (or English, if accepted) – at a notary office / justice department in Vietnam.
2. Consular certification – at Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Consular Department in Hanoi or the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ho Chi Minh City).
3. Legalisation at the Slovak Embassy in Hanoi – confirms the Vietnamese ministry’s signature and stamp.
4. After arriving in Slovakia – some documents must be translated by a sworn translator listed by the Slovak Ministry of Justice.

Also keep in mind

• Passport – at least 2 blank pages.
• Criminal record extract – the Vietnamese extract No. 2 (Phiếu lý lịch tư pháp số 2), not older than 90 days when you apply for residence.
• Diplomas – needed for recognition of education (nostrification) if you will work in a regulated profession.

Money for the first weeks

You usually receive your first salary only after your first full month of work, at the latest by the end of the following month. Have savings for at least 1–2 months of living costs.

• Rent and deposit – landlords often want the first rent and a deposit of 1–2 months’ rent at once.
• Transport – public transport tickets, later a monthly pass.
• Food and toiletries.
• Health – until you have Slovak health insurance, you pay the full cost of doctors and medicines.
• Bank account – some banks require a residence document. Until then, keep cash in euros and a payment card that works abroad.
• Sending money between Vietnam and Slovakia – compare both the fee and the exchange rate. Use only banks and licensed services, never unknown middlemen.

Estimated costs for the first 1–2 months

• Rent – €350–700 a month (room or studio; Bratislava is much more expensive than Košice, Nitra or Žilina).
• Deposit – €350–1,400, usually 1–2 months’ rent.
• Food and shopping – €200–350 a month; cooking at home saves a lot.
• Public transport – €25–50 a month (monthly pass).
• Medical check for the foreign police – €150–250.
• Fees, translations, copies – €50–150.
• Recommended total reserve – €1,200–2,500.

If you enter the EU with €10,000 or more in cash (or the equivalent in another currency), you must declare it at customs.

Send money through a bank (SWIFT) or licensed apps (e.g. Wise, Revolut) so its origin is clear. Amounts are estimates.

Beware of scams

Residence cannot be bought. Only the Foreign Police decides on residence. Anyone who “guarantees” residence for a fee is lying.

• Fake job offers – a salary that is too high, no written contract, payment in advance “for the job”.
• Paying for job placement – a legal employment agency must not charge you a fee for finding you a job.
• Fake agencies – every agency must have a licence. Check it in the list at upsvr.gov.sk.
• Keeping your passport – neither your employer nor an agency may keep your passport. It is illegal.
• Illegal work – working without a contract or without a permit can mean a fine, expulsion and a ban on entering the EU.

If in doubt, call the free helpline for victims of human trafficking 0800 800 818 or contact MIC IOM.

Cultural differences in practice

These are not rules or stereotypes, just practical experience that makes the first weeks easier.

• Authorities communicate in writing and by deadlines. When you receive a letter, look for the date by which you must reply.
• Punctuality – if you arrive late at an office or the doctor, you may lose your appointment.
• Employer – what counts is what is written and signed. Asking when you don’t understand something is normal and not disrespectful.
• Doctor – appointments are usually booked in advance, by phone or online.
• Communication – Slovaks speak directly, “no” means no. People shake hands when they meet and use the formal “you” (“Vy”) with strangers.
• Personal space – people keep more distance in queues and in conversation than in Vietnam.
• Official document – paper with a stamp and signature has legal force. Do not sign anything until you understand it. You have the right to ask for time and a translation.

Practical tips

• Arrive at an office, the doctor or a job interview 5–10 minutes early.
• With older people, at work and at offices, say „pán“ / „pani“ (Mr / Mrs) and use the formal „Vy“.
• On first meeting, avoid questions about income, age or private life.
• Offices require precision: the right form, a handwritten signature, every field filled in.

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Frequently asked questions