Destination guide · Central Europe

Moving to Slovakia from the U.S.

Name: Slovakia
Address: Slovakia

Which residence permit fits a job, a business, studies, family or Slovak roots, the 2026 Blue Card and business-funds tests in euros, the four-rate income tax in force since January 1, 2026, the U.S. tax treaty and Social Security agreement, and what health insurance, property and paperwork involve, with every figure taken from, or calculated from, an official source and dated.

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Rules and figures checked: October 2026Official sources: 98

CurrencyEuro (€)€1 = $1.1367 (ECB, Sep 24, 2026)¹

EU / SchengenYes / YesEU since 2004, Schengen since 2007, the euro since 2009²

Retirement visaNoneNo retirement, digital nomad or investor permit among the purposes the law lists, by our reading³

EU Blue Card salary€1,944 a monthGross, for applications in 2026: 1.2 times the 2025 average wage, by our arithmetic; about $2,210^3,4

U.S. tax treatyYes, signed 1993Social Security agreement in force since May 1, 2014^5,6

Citizenship8 years’ permanent residenceAbout 13 years from arrival for most Americans, by our reading; no residence permit needed for some descendants since July 15, 2026, by our reading⁷

What changed recently

What Has Changed in Slovakia Since 2024

Slovakia has rebuilt its business residence permit, added a Slovak exam for long-term residence, raised taxes and health contributions, and opened citizenship to more descendants of Czechoslovak citizens. The changes, newest first:

October 1, 2026: a digital residence card in a mobile app (Act 128/2026)⁸.
September 23, 2026: the minimum wage for 2027 was set at €972 a month, up from €915 in 2026^9,10.
July 15, 2026: Act 128/2026 took effect. A person whose parent, grandparent or great-grandparent was a Czechoslovak citizen born in Slovakia no longer needs a residence permit in Slovakia to be granted citizenship, by our reading of Act 128/2026; as before, the language test does not apply, and applications can be made at a consulate^8,7. From that date, employment permit holders who lose their job have 3 months, or 6 after two years, to start a new one; the national D visa runs for 120 days^8,3.
July 1, 2026: the subsistence minimum rose to €295.22, which raised the funds a business residence applicant must show^11,3.
April 22, 2026: new EU rules for bringing pets apply; the United States is on the list that needs no rabies antibody test^12,13.
January 1, 2026: income tax went from two rates to four: 19%, 25%, 30% and 35% (Act 261/2025)^14,15. Health contributions rose: from 4% to 5% for employees, and, for 2026 and 2027, from 15% to 16% for the self-employed and self-payers¹⁶. From that date, the financial transaction tax applies only to companies and other legal persons¹⁷.
July 15, 2025: applicants for EU long-term residence must pass a Slovak exam at level A2¹⁸.
July 1, 2025: the business residence permit was overhauled: a business plan on the Ministry of Economy’s template, the Ministry’s opinion on the benefit to the economy, a fixed term of three years, applications only at an embassy, and a yearly cap of 8 applications at the Embassy in Washington and 8 at the Consulate General in New York. From that date, the funds test applies only to this permit^19,20,21.
January 1, 2025: VAT rose from 20% to 23%^22,23, and from that date the 15% rate for small-business income applies up to €100,000 of turnover^24,15.
July 15, 2024: the EU Blue Card salary test became 1.2 times the previous year’s average wage, instead of 1.5 times the average in the sector, and the card’s validity went from four years to five^18,3,25.

Still to come. The 2027 Blue Card figure will rest on the Statistical Office’s average wage for 2026, which had not been published as of October 7, 2026^3,4. The 16% health rate for the self-employed and self-payers, and the employer’s 11%, run until December 31, 2027¹⁶.

On this page

Who Slovakia suits
Residence permits and money tests
Permanent residence and citizenship
Step by step, in the right order
Cost of living
Health care
Taxes, the treaty and Social Security
Renting and buying
Where to live
Police registration, banks, driving, pets
Schengen, EES and ETIAS
A 12-month timeline
Questions
Sources

Is Slovakia for you?

Who Slovakia Suits, and Who It Frustrates

Slovakia suits Americans with a Slovak job offer, a place at a Slovak university, family already living there, or Slovak roots. It frustrates retirees, remote workers and investors, for whom, by our reading of the law, it has no permit, and anyone in a hurry to become a citizen.

In its favor

Slovak roots count: since July 15, 2026, a descendant of a Czechoslovak citizen born in Slovakia, back to a great-grandparent, can be granted citizenship without a Slovak residence permit, by our reading, and without the language test, for a fee of €30^7,26. A certificate as a Slovak living abroad gives five years’ residence with the right to run a business^3,27.
A Blue Card within reach: about €1,944 a month for applications in 2026, by our arithmetic, with a decision due within 30 days^3,4.
No inheritance, gift or transfer tax²⁸, and the gain on a home sold after five years is tax-free²⁹.
Your Social Security stays American: under the treaty it is taxable only in the United States⁵, and, by our reading, Slovakia’s exemption for compulsory foreign pensions covers it too³⁰; and a totalization agreement has been in force since May 1, 2014⁶.
Lower prices outside the capital: average asking prices ran from €1,674 per m² in the Nitra region to €3,882 in the Bratislava region in the second quarter of 2026³¹.
The euro and Schengen, since 2009 and 2007².

Against it

No retirement, digital nomad or investor permit. Temporary residence is granted only for the purposes the law lists, and none of them is retirement, remote work for a foreign employer or investment, by our reading of that closed list³.
A narrow door for business: since July 1, 2025, a business residence application is accepted only at an embassy, needs a business plan the Ministry of Economy judges, and is capped at 8 a year at each U.S. post^21,20.
Public health insurance waits for permanent residence unless you are employed or self-employed in Slovakia (a company representative is not covered, and a child is covered through an insured parent); a retiree or remote worker on a temporary permit needs private insurance, by our reading of the Health Insurance Act¹⁶.
A long road to citizenship: eight years of permanent residence, which most Americans reach only after five years on temporary permits, so about 13 years, by our reading^7,3.
Taxes went up in 2026: four income tax rates up to 35%, higher health contributions, and VAT at 23% since 2025^15,16,32.
Growing waiting lists: 96,653 proposals for planned operations were waiting on July 1, 2026³³.

Residence permits

Which Permit Fits You, and What It Takes in 2026

As an American you can visit Slovakia and the rest of the Schengen area without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period³⁴. To stay longer you need temporary residence, which the Foreign Police grant only for the purposes the Foreigners Act lists: business, employment, study, special activity, research, family reunification, Slovaks living abroad, and two narrower cases; the EU Blue Card is a separate permit. Each temporary residence is tied to one purpose, carried out in Slovakia³. A few ground rules apply to every route:

Where you apply: in person at the Slovak embassy or consulate for the country that issued your passport, or where you live; the embassy interviews you and sends its recommendation to the police. Because Americans need no visa, you may instead apply in person at a Foreign Police department in Slovakia and stay until the decision if your application is complete, except for business residence and intra-corporate transfers³.
Documents must be no older than 90 days: proof of the purpose, a criminal record certificate, and proof of housing for at least six months. Take out health insurance within three working days of collecting your residence card; most permit holders hand in a medical certificate within 30 days, and business, family and some other holders also hand in proof of insurance³.
Decision deadlines in law: 90 days in general; 60 days for employment with the labor office’s confirmation; 30 days for special activity, research, Slovaks living abroad and, among others, a citizen of an OECD country, such as the United States, who represents or works for a foreign investor in Slovakia³. These are legal limits, not waiting times we can vouch for.
Money of your own: since July 1, 2025, the law asks for funds only for business residence^19,3. For family reunification there is no set figure, though the police still weigh the family’s financial situation³.
Renewals: apply by the last day of your permit; it stays valid until the decision³.

Main routes for U.S. citizens, 2026: what each is for, the money test, how long the permit runs and the legal decision deadline. Checked October 7, 2026.
Route	Made for	Money or salary test, 2026	Permit length / legal deadline
Employment (single permit)	A job, on the labor office’s confirmation that the vacancy can be filled, or a work permit³	No euro figure in the Act³	Up to 5 years / 60 days with the confirmation³
EU Blue Card	A highly qualified job: a degree, or for jobs in the Act’s Annex 3, three years of degree-level experience in the past seven³	1.2 × the previous year’s average wage: €1,944 a month in 2026; €1,620 for recent graduates (our arithmetic)^3,4	5 years / 30 days³
Business	Sole proprietors, and people acting for a company or cooperative who are not employed by it³	A business plan, plus personal funds of 12 × and business funds of 20 ×, 40 × or 100 × the subsistence minimum³	3 years / the Ministry of Economy has 60 days for its opinion³
Study	Students; they may also run a business³	None set³	Up to 6 years³
Family reunification	The spouse (both 18 or older), minor children, and dependent adult children and parents of someone with temporary or permanent residence³	No set figure; the police weigh the family’s finances³	Up to the sponsor’s expiry date, at most 5 years³
Slovak living abroad	Holders of the certificate for non-citizens of Slovak nationality, or with a direct ancestor of Slovak nationality²⁷	None set³	5 years / 30 days³

Source: the Foreigners Act, version in force from October 1, 2026³. In dollars at the ECB rate of September 24, 2026 (€1 = $1.1367), €1,944 is about $2,210 and €1,620 about $1,841¹. The Statistical Office publishes the average wage that sets the Blue Card figure; the 2026 average, which will set the figure for applications in 2027, had not been published as of October 7, 2026⁴.

Application fees in 2026, at an embassy and at the Foreign Police in Slovakia. Checked October 7, 2026.
Application	At an embassy	At the Foreign Police	Renewal
Business	€350	€330; a first application must go through an embassy	€200
Employment	€250	€250	€140
EU Blue Card	€250	€250	€140
Family reunification	€200	€200	€100
Special activity	€140	€140	€50
Study or research	No application fee; only the residence card³⁵
Permanent residence (by our reading, long-term residence too)	€250	€250	—
Residence card	€10 within 30 days, or €39 within two working days
National (D) visa	€90 where it is needed for a residence permit; €15 to collect a granted permit

Source: Act 145/1995 on Administrative Fees, items 24, 240 and 242²⁶; the Ministry of Interior on study³⁵. At an embassy, applicants under 18 pay no fee for temporary or permanent residence²⁶. A national visa linked to residence runs for 120 days³.

Applying from the United States

Slovakia’s posts in the United States that take residence applications include the Embassy in Washington and the Consulate General in New York; both appear in the government’s business-residence quota²⁰. We could not read their own pages, so we cannot tell you which office serves your state, how appointments are booked, or what fees in dollars they charge; ask the Embassy or the Consulate General before you plan around a date. For every route except business, you can instead apply in person at a Foreign Police department after you arrive³.

No retirement, digital nomad or golden visa

The Foreigners Act grants temporary residence only for the purposes it lists, and the list, unchanged in the version in force from October 1, 2026, has no retirement, financially independent, digital nomad or investor purpose³. That nothing else exists is our reading of a closed list; as of October 7, 2026, we found no pending bill to add one. Check the Act’s current version on Slov-Lex before you plan. Business residence is not a workaround for remote work: the purpose must be carried out in Slovakia, and the business done there³.

For a retiree with no job, studies or business in Slovakia, the routes the law leaves are³:

Family reunification with a spouse or child who holds Slovak residence, as a spouse or a dependent parent³.
Slovak living abroad status, which gives five years’ temporary residence^3,27.
Five-year permanent residence for the spouse of a Slovak citizen with permanent residence, or a dependent relative in the direct line of a Slovak citizen³.
Permanent residence “in the interest of the Slovak Republic”, proved by a confirmation from a central state body. It is discretionary and names no investment amount³.

If you need a remote-work permit. Slovakia has none, by our reading of the Act; our Czech Republic and Slovenia pages cover two countries that do. If you hope to settle in Slovakia without a job or family there, talk to a Slovak immigration lawyer before you spend money on an application.

Working for a Slovak employer

Employment residence (the single permit): based on the labor office’s confirmation that a vacancy can be filled, a labor-market test, or on a work permit. It is granted for the expected length of the job, up to five years³.
If you lose the job: since July 15, 2026, the permit is not canceled if a new job starts within three months, or six months once you have held the permit for more than two years^3,8.
EU Blue Card: a monthly wage of at least 1.2 times the average monthly wage the Statistical Office published for the previous calendar year, or 1.0 times for someone who graduated no more than three years before applying³. The 2025 average was €1,620⁴, so for applications in 2026 the figure is €1,944, by our arithmetic. Until July 14, 2024 the test was 1.5 times the average in the sector, and the card ran four years²⁵.
Blue Card terms: issued for five years, or for the period of the labor office’s confirmation plus 90 days; the police decide within 30 days of a complete application, and if you are already lawfully in Slovakia you can apply at the Foreign Police. It is not withdrawn for unemployment of less than three months, or six months once you have held it for two years³.

Salary check

Does Your Salary Meet the 2026 Blue Card Figure?

Enter your gross monthly salary in dollars or euros. The figure is 1.2 times the 2025 average monthly wage of €1,620, or 1.0 times for a graduate of no more than three years^3,4: €1,944 or €1,620 a month, by our arithmetic. Dollars use the ECB rate of September 24, 2026 (€1 = $1.1367)¹; we compare to the exact cent.

A salary check only, for applications in 2026. The Blue Card also needs a higher qualification and a job offer³. For applications in 2027 the base becomes the 2026 average wage, which the Statistical Office had not published as of October 7, 2026⁴. Meeting the figure does not mean a permit will be granted.

Your own business

Who it is for: someone who does or will do business in Slovakia as a sole proprietor, or who acts for a company or cooperative without being employed by it. When granted, the permit is always issued for three years³. The Ministry of Interior’s own page, as of October 7, 2026, says “up to three years”; the law, since July 1, 2025, says three^19,35.
The business plan: on the Ministry of Economy’s template, with evidence that the business is feasible and sustainable, or a plan for an innovative project. The police ask the Ministry whether the business benefits the Slovak economy, and the Ministry has 60 days to answer^3,21.
Where: since July 1, 2025, a first application only at an embassy or consulate abroad^21,3; someone who has held another temporary residence for at least two years can apply at the Foreign Police to change its purpose to business³; and only 8 applications a year are accepted at the Embassy in Washington and 8 at the Consulate General in New York, out of 700 worldwide²⁰. Fee €350²⁶.
Renewing: a sole proprietor must show taxable business income for the previous year above the tax-return filing threshold, half the personal allowance, about €2,983.37 for the 2026 tax year (renewals in 2027), by our arithmetic; a company representative must show that the company paid at least the minimum corporate tax, from €340 a year at a turnover up to €50,000^3,29.
Watch out: signing an employment contract while you hold business residence is a ground for canceling it, and someone who has held another temporary permit for less than two years cannot switch to business residence at the Foreign Police³.

Funds check

Do Your Funds Meet the Business Residence Test?

Choose how you will do business and enter what you can show in your personal account and in a separate business account. The law asks for personal funds of 12 times the subsistence minimum, and business funds of 20 times for a sole proprietor, 100 times for a company representative or 40 times for an innovative project³. With the subsistence minimum at €295.22 from July 1, 2026¹¹, that is €3,542.64 in personal funds and €5,904.40, €29,522.00 or €11,808.80 in business funds, by our arithmetic. Dollars use the ECB rate of September 24, 2026¹.

For one applicant, on the subsistence minimum in force from July 1, 2026; from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 it was €284.13, so the figures were lower^11,36. The law does not say whether a one-off balance or a running balance is meant; ask the embassy. Meeting the figures does not mean a permit will be granted: the business plan, the Ministry of Economy’s opinion and the yearly cap decide most cases^3,20.

Study and family

Students get residence for the expected length of their studies, up to six years, and may also run a business. There is no application fee^3,35. After graduating, you can renew for nine months to look for work or start a business³.
Family reunification is open to the spouse, if both are at least 18, minor unmarried children, dependent adult children and dependent parents of someone with temporary or permanent residence. It runs until the sponsor’s permit expires, at most five years, and family members may run a business, except a dependent adult child or a dependent parent. We found no minimum period the sponsor must have lived in Slovakia; that is our reading of the Act’s silence³. The fee is €200²⁶.

Slovak roots

A non-citizen who keeps a Slovak national awareness and who, or whose direct ancestor, is of Slovak nationality can get a certificate as a Slovak living abroad²⁷. It brings five years’ temporary residence, with the right to run a business, refusal only on narrow grounds, and a decision within 30 days³. If a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent was a Czechoslovak citizen born in Slovakia, read the citizenship route below first.

General information, not advice. Quantum Jetset does not give legal, tax, immigration, financial or investment advice. The Foreign Police decide each case; check the law for your route and, if your case is not simple, speak to a Slovak immigration lawyer.

Staying for good

Permanent Residence and Citizenship

Slovakia has three kinds of permanent residence: for five years, unlimited, and EU long-term residence³. Citizenship takes eight years of permanent residence, except for some descendants of Czechoslovak citizens⁷.

Permanent residence

EU long-term residence is the route for most Americans: after five years of lawful, continuous stay immediately before you apply. Time on a study permit counts half, and absences of up to six months in a row and ten months in total do not break the stay, if you reported them³.
What you need: stable and regular resources, for which the Act names an employment contract, a bank balance and proof of receiving a pension; housing; health insurance; and a pass in a Slovak exam at level A2 at a language school or, since July 15, 2026, a public university. Under-14s, Slovaks living abroad and some applicants schooled in Slovak are exempt from the exam^3,18,8. The police decide within 90 days, and the fee for permanent residence, which by our reading covers long-term residence, is €250^3,26.
Five-year permanent residence is only for the spouse or dependent relatives of a Slovak citizen, their children, children of five-year permanent residents, and cases “in the interest of the Slovak Republic”; an American with no Slovak family does not qualify. After four years on it, you can apply for unlimited permanent residence³.

Citizenship

Residence: eight years of uninterrupted permanent residence immediately before you apply, a clean record, your tax, insurance and residence duties met, and a pass in the Slovak language and civics test⁷.
What that means in years: about five years on temporary permits to reach long-term residence, then eight of permanent residence, so about 13 years, by our reading. That long-term residence counts as permanent residence here is also our reading; ask the Ministry of Interior. The Act also lets the Ministry, at its discretion, grant citizenship after ten years of continuous stay if you already hold permanent residence when you apply, or, if you hold a Slovak residence permit, after five years of marriage to a Slovak citizen, living together in Slovakia immediately before you apply⁷.
The test: an interview on personal topics and on Slovak history, geography and politics; reading aloud a Slovak press article of at least 500 words; and writing down its content within 30 minutes, before a three-member commission. Applicants over 65, under 14, former Czech citizens, Slovaks living abroad and some holders of Slovak exams are exempt⁷.
Where, how long, how much: in person at the district office in a regional capital, or at a Slovak embassy or consulate. The Ministry decides within 24 months, and you become a citizen when you take the oath and receive the certificate⁷. The fee is €1,000 for an adult, €30 for a descendant of a Czechoslovak citizen, €560 for a holder of the certificate as a Slovak living abroad, and nothing for applicants over 65, disability pensioners or people with a severe disability²⁶.
Your U.S. passport: the conditions for citizenship do not include giving up another citizenship, by our reading of the Act; we found no Ministry statement on it, so confirm before you apply. The Act’s loss rule runs the other way: a Slovak citizen who voluntarily acquires another citizenship loses Slovak citizenship on that day⁷.

New since July 15, 2026: citizenship by descent without a residence permit. If at least one of your parents, grandparents or great-grandparents was a Czechoslovak citizen born in Slovakia, you can be granted Slovak citizenship without the eight years of permanent residence, and you are exempt from the language test, as such descendants already were under the older rule^7,8. You can apply at a consulate, as any applicant could before, and the fee is €30^7,26. The older rule, since 2022, also required a residence permit in Slovakia; that the new rule needs none is our reading of its removal from the Act^7,8.

Step by step

The Order of Operations, Step by Step

The sequence below is for a first temporary residence permit. Adjust it for your route, and remember that a first business residence application can only be made at an embassy³.

Choose the route by what you will do in Slovakia: a job points to employment residence or the Blue Card, a company to business residence, studies to study residence, family to family reunification, and Slovak roots to the Slovak-living-abroad certificate or citizenship by descent^3,7.
Check the money test with the calculators above: the Blue Card salary or the business funds³.
Gather the documents no more than 90 days before you file: proof of the purpose, a criminal record certificate and proof of housing for at least six months³.
File in person, at the embassy or consulate, or, for every route except business, at a Foreign Police department after you arrive visa-free³.
Attend the interview if you file at an embassy, then wait for the decision, allowing the legal deadline for your route³.
Travel on a national D visa if you need one; it runs for 120 days and costs €90, or €15 to collect a granted permit^3,26.
Report to the Foreign Police within three working days of arriving³.
Collect your residence card (€10) and take out health insurance within three working days; most permit holders hand in a medical certificate within 30 days, and business, family and some other holders also hand in proof of insurance^26,3.
Register for tax with the birth number on your card, if you will work freelance outside a trade license or rent out property (a trade-license holder is registered by the tax office)^37,38,29.
Open a bank account: as an EU resident you have a right to a basic account³⁹.
Exchange your U.S. driver’s license within 60 days after your first 185 days of residence⁴⁰.
Renew on time, by the last day of your permit, and count your years toward long-term residence³.

Cost of living

What Things Cost, From Official Figures

Prices are in euros. Dollar figures on this page use the European Central Bank’s reference rate of September 24, 2026: €1 = $1.1367, the rate used across our euro-country pages¹. Your costs are in euros, so their dollar value moves with the rate.

Start with inflation. Consumer prices were 3.1% higher in August 2026 than a year earlier, after 3.3% in July, and unchanged on the month⁴¹; on the EU’s harmonized measure, also 3.1%⁴². Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels rose 7.4%, transport 6.5%, health 4.8% and restaurants and hotels 4.7%, while food and soft drinks were 2.5% cheaper⁴¹. Within housing, water supply rose 22.4%, district heating 28.0%, sewerage 14.3%, gas 6.7% and electricity 4.8% in the year to August 2026⁴³.

Rents: no official figure by town

Slovakia publishes no official rent per square meter for its towns: neither the Statistical Office nor the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) publishes rent levels, and NBS’s price tables cover sale prices only^43,31. That is why this page has no rent table and no rent estimator; asking rents on listing portals are not official, and we do not quote them. For the trend: rents paid by tenants were 5.6% higher in August 2026 than a year earlier, and 0.2% lower than in July⁴³. NBS’s housing dashboard, last updated September 9, 2026, says rents fell in the first quarter of 2026, without giving a figure⁴⁴. For a real budget, use current listings with a margin, and see what buying costs under renting and buying.

Pay and the minimum wage

The average gross wage was €1,707 a month in the second quarter of 2026, about $1,940, 3.2% more than a year earlier; after inflation, real wages fell 0.5%. For 2025 as a whole the average was €1,620, 6.3% more than in 2024⁴. By region, where people work, the second-quarter average ran from €2,012 in the Bratislava region to €1,359 in the Prešov region⁴⁵. A separate earnings survey puts the 2025 median at €1,538 gross a month, and its own mean at €1,864; the two surveys measure different things, so do not mix their figures^46,4.

The minimum wage is €915 a month in 2026, about $1,040, or €5.259 an hour, up from €816 in 2025¹⁰, and will be €972 in 2027 (notice of September 23, 2026)⁹. It is not the figure any residence test uses: those use the subsistence minimum and the average wage³.

Electricity and gas

On Eurostat’s figures, households using 2,500 to 4,999 kWh a year paid on average €0.1985 per kWh of electricity, all taxes included, in the first half of 2026, against €0.1887 a year earlier and an EU average of €0.2896 in the second half of 2025⁴⁷. Natural gas cost €0.0626 per kWh, against an EU average of €0.1228 in the second half of 2025⁴⁸. Household prices are regulated: the regulator, ÚRSO, approves each supplier’s tariffs. For 2026, a government regulation sets the power price for “selected vulnerable” households at €72.70 per MWh with a €1.50 monthly charge, and cuts every approved tariff for them by €31.24 per MWh, before VAT⁴⁹. We could not confirm from an official page who counts as a selected vulnerable customer, or whether a newly arrived household can; ask your supplier.

Public transit

Bratislava’s price list below is the one DPB’s price page showed as current on October 7, 2026, valid from June 1, 2025⁵⁰; we could not confirm whether fares changed in 2026, so check with DPB before you budget. Košice has a tariff valid from July 1, 2026⁵¹. We did not check fares in other towns.

City transit fares: Bratislava, city zones 100 and 101 of the regional integrated system (price list valid from June 1, 2025), and Košice (tariff valid from July 1, 2026). Checked October 7, 2026.
Ticket	Bratislava (DPB)	Košice (DPMK)
Single, 30 minutes (paper / electronic)	€1.20 / €1.09	€1.20 / €1.10
Single, 60 minutes (paper / electronic)	€1.80 / €1.60	€1.40 / €1.30
24 hours	€5.40 paper, €4.85 electronic	€4.00
30-day pass, adult	€40.50	€30.00
30-day pass, reduced	€20.25 (students, pensioners, seniors)	€15.00 (reduced fares are half price)
90-day pass, adult	€108.20	€80.00
365-day pass, adult	€263.00	€240.00

Sources: DPB price list⁵⁰; DPMK tariff⁵¹. In dollars, €40.50 is about $46.04 and €263 about $299.

Build your own full budget, line by line and in both currencies, in the Relocation Planner workbook.

Health care

Public Insurance, What It Costs, and the Medicare Question

Slovakia’s public health care runs through compulsory health insurance, with three insurers: VšZP, Dôvera and Union⁵². Whether you can join depends on your residence and your work.

Who is in the public system

Permanent residents: everyone with permanent residence in Slovakia is in public health insurance¹⁶.
Without permanent residence, you are in only if you work for an employer based in Slovakia, or with an establishment there, and earn at least the minimum wage, or if you are self-employed and hold a residence permit, or belong to a few other groups. A dependent child under 18 with a residence permit is in if at least one parent or other legal representative is publicly insured in Slovakia¹⁶.
Company representatives: without permanent residence, a company director, a member of a statutory body or a partner of a Slovak company is not publicly insured for that activity, so on business residence as a company representative, budget for private insurance until permanent residence¹⁶.
Employees: the employer registers you; VšZP’s form for a foreign employee needs a copy of the employment contract and of your identity document⁵³.
Residence permits: you must take out health insurance within three working days of collecting your residence card, and holders of a business, family and several other permits must hand proof of it to the police within 30 days³. The Act sets no minimum cover for a private policy; ask the Foreign Police what they accept.

On a temporary permit and not working in Slovakia? The Health Insurance Act does not list you, so by our reading a retiree, or someone working remotely for a U.S. employer, on temporary residence cannot join the public system and needs private insurance for those years. Children under 18 with a residence permit are the exception: they are in if a parent is publicly insured in Slovakia¹⁶. Once you have permanent residence you are in, and if you have no job or business you pay as a self-payer, below.

What it costs: self-payers and co-payments

Self-payers, people in the system with no job, business or state cover, pay at least €121.92 a month in 2026, about $138.59: 16% of a minimum base of half the average wage (€60.96 for people with disabilities). Each month’s advance is due within 8 days after the month ends^54,55. The 16% rate also applies to capital income and other income⁵⁵. How a U.S. pension counts here we could not confirm; ask your insurer.
Emergency co-payments: €2 a visit to the outpatient emergency service; €10 at a hospital emergency department, or €2 between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. on working days and in some other cases. A hospital stay carries no daily charge for food and bed⁵⁶. We did not check co-payments on medicines, which vary by product.

Waiting times and family doctors

On July 1, 2026, 96,653 proposals for planned operations were on the national waiting lists, for 87,628 patients, 3.3% more than at the end of 2025 (93,550) and up from 62,895 at the end of 2024; 10,301 of them, 11%, had passed the legal maximum waiting time³³. Cataract surgery and knee and hip replacements are among the most common waits³³; on data to August 31, 2025, the median wait was 349 days for a total knee replacement, 266 days for a hip and 101 days for cataract surgery⁵⁷.

Family doctors for adults are short in places. The regulator’s assessment of the minimum network as of January 1, 2024 found 40 unfilled posts in Bratislava, and Trnava with only 64.9% of the posts it needs filled; summed over every district, about 533 posts were unfilled, by our arithmetic⁵⁸. Register with a doctor as soon as you are insured.

Emergencies

Call 112, the European emergency number, or 155 for an ambulance⁵⁹.

Medicare does not follow you

Medicare usually does not cover health care while you are outside the United States, and Medicare drug plans do not cover prescriptions bought abroad⁶⁰. Most Medigap plans include foreign travel emergency coverage, but it pays 80% after a $250 deductible, up to $50,000 in a lifetime, and only for emergencies that start in the first 60 days of a trip⁶¹. That is travel coverage, not residence coverage.

Whether to keep paying the Part B premium ($202.90 a month in 2026) is a real decision: if you drop Part B and re-enroll later, the premium rises by 10% for each full 12-month period you could have been enrolled but were not, usually for life⁶². Decide with your whole plan in view.

Taxes for Americans

Two Tax Systems, With a Treaty Between Them

Moving to Slovakia adds a second tax system; it does not remove the first while you remain a U.S. citizen. The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income wherever they live⁶³. The two countries have an income tax treaty, signed at Bratislava on October 8, 1993, the first between the United States and the Slovak Republic⁵, and a Social Security totalization agreement in force since May 1, 2014⁶. The treaty’s saving clause, article 1(3), lets the United States tax its citizens as if the treaty had not come into effect, with exceptions in article 1(4)(a) that include article 19(1)(b) on social security and articles 24 to 26, among them relief from double tax⁵. What follows is the map; the route is a job for a cross-border tax adviser.

When you become tax resident

You are a Slovak tax resident, taxed on your worldwide income, if you have permanent residence or a home in Slovakia, or if you are habitually present for at least 183 days in a calendar year; every day you are present, even in part, counts²⁹. Someone who is treated as resident in the other country under a tax treaty is a non-resident in Slovakia²⁹. The return is due within three months of the end of the year, so by March 31, and if part of your income comes from abroad you can extend that by notice by up to six whole months²⁹.

Income tax in 2026: four rates instead of two

Slovakia has one national income tax; municipalities levy only local taxes such as property tax^29,64. From the 2026 tax year, the consolidation package, Act 261/2025, replaced the two rates of 2025 with four, set as multiples of the subsistence minimum^14,29,15:

Income tax rates on wages, rents and other income of individuals, 2026, with the 2025 scale for comparison. Checked October 7, 2026.
Tax base for the year, 2026	Rate on that part	The law’s multiple of the subsistence minimum	2025
Up to €43,983.32	19%	154.8 × €284.13	19% up to €48,441.43
€43,983.32 to €60,349.21	25%	212.4 ×	25% above €48,441.43
€60,349.21 to €75,010.32	30%	264 ×
Above €75,010.32	35%	—

Sources: Financial Administration, 2026 and 2025 rates^15,24; Income Tax Act, section 15²⁹. In dollars, €43,983.32 is about $49,996 and €75,010.32 about $85,264.

Personal allowance: €5,966.73 for 2026, 21 times the subsistence minimum of €284.13 on January 1, 2026. It applies in full if your tax base is at most €26,083.13; above that it is €14,661.11 less one third of the tax base, and never below zero. It can be set only against income from employment and business, not against rent or other passive income³⁶.
Pensioners: if you already draw an old-age pension on January 1, including one from compulsory foreign insurance of the same kind, the allowance is reduced by the pension paid in the year, 13th pension included, and is lost if that total exceeds it³⁶.
Wages: the tax base from employment is your pay less the social and health contributions you must pay as an employee²⁹. In 2026 those are 9.4% for social insurance, by our sum of sickness 1.4%, old-age 4%, disability 3% and unemployment 1%⁶⁵, and 5% for health insurance¹⁶.
Small business income: a 15% rate applies to income from business and self-employment where business turnover is at most €100,000; it never applies to wages¹⁵.
Capital income such as interest is taxed at a flat 19%; dividends at a special rate of 7% (or 10%), and 35% in a case the Act names¹⁵. Which rate fits which dividend is a question for your adviser; we did not analyze it.
No regime for newcomers: we found no special regime for new residents, retirees or remote workers in the 2026 Income Tax Act: no flat tax for newcomers and no remittance basis²⁹.

Income tax estimate

Estimate Your 2026 Slovak Tax on a Salary

Enter your annual gross salary in euros. The estimate takes off the employee contributions of 9.4% for social insurance and 5% for health insurance^65,16,29, applies the personal allowance with its phase-out³⁶, and then the four 2026 rates, to the cent¹⁵. Dollars use the ECB rate of September 24, 2026 (€1 = $1.1367)¹.

A simplification for a resident employee with one job, by our arithmetic from the Act and the Financial Administration’s figures. It applies the contributions to the whole salary: the Social Insurance Act caps the monthly base for social contributions at 11 times one twelfth of the general assessment base of two years before, about €16,764 a month for 2026 by our arithmetic from the 2024 average wage of €1,524 (confirm the figure with the Social Insurance Agency)⁶⁵, and this estimate does not apply that cap, so it overstates the social contributions on a salary above it; employees’ health contributions have no cap, by our reading. It leaves out the monthly withholding steps, child and other credits, the pension rule on the allowance, the 15% rate on small-business income, income other than a salary, U.S. Social Security (which the treaty leaves to the United States), the health-contribution reduction for very low annual earnings, and U.S. tax itself. Your adviser works out the real figure.

Examples, by our arithmetic: 2026 Slovak income tax on a gross salary, after employee contributions of 14.4% and the personal allowance.
Gross salary a year	Employee contributions	Personal allowance	Taxed amount	Income tax	Tax as a share of salary	Left after tax and contributions
€20,000 (about $22,734)	€2,880.00	€5,966.73	€11,153.27	€2,119.12	10.6%	€15,000.88
€30,000 (about $34,101)	€4,320.00	€5,966.73	€19,713.27	€3,745.52	12.5%	€21,934.48
€45,000 (about $51,152)	€6,480.00	€1,821.11	€36,698.89	€6,972.79	15.5%	€31,547.21
€60,000 (about $68,202)	€8,640.00	€0.00	€51,360.00	€10,201.00	17.0%	€41,159.00
€100,000 (about $113,670)	€14,400.00	€0.00	€85,600.00	€20,553.02	20.6%	€65,046.98
€150,000 (about $170,505)	€21,600.00	€0.00	€128,400.00	€35,533.02	23.7%	€92,866.98

Contributions

Social and health insurance rates in 2026, as a share of the assessment base. Checked October 7, 2026.
Who pays	Social insurance	Health insurance, 2026
Employee	9.4%: sickness 1.4%, old-age 4%, disability 3%, unemployment 1% (our sum)	5% (4% in 2025)
Employer	Among others: sickness 1.4%, old-age 14%, disability 3%, accident 0.8%, guarantee 0.25% and the solidarity reserve fund 4.75%	11% (also 11% in 2025)
Self-employed	33.15%: sickness 4.4%, old-age 18%, disability 6%, reserve fund 4.75% (our sum)	16% (15% in 2025)
Self-payer, with no job or business	—	16% (15% in 2025)

Sources: Social Insurance Act⁶⁵; Health Insurance Act, section 12, which sets the employee’s 5% with no end date, and the transitional section 38ezk, which sets 11% for employers and 16% for the self-employed and self-payers from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027¹⁶. We did not total the employer’s social contributions, because one further charge was not part of what we read.

Pensions, Social Security and retirement accounts

The saving clause, and what it does not touch. Article 1(3) lets each country tax its residents, and the United States its citizens, as if the treaty had not come into effect. Its exceptions, in article 1(4)(a), include article 19(1)(b) on social security and article 24 on relief from double tax⁵. Article 19(1)(a), on private pensions, is not among them, so the United States can still tax its citizens on those⁵.

U.S. Social Security and other U.S. public pensions paid to a resident of Slovakia, or to a U.S. citizen, are taxable only in the United States (article 19(1)(b))⁵.
Foreign compulsory pensions are exempt in Slovakia. The Income Tax Act exempts social insurance benefits, including those from compulsory foreign insurance of the same kind, and the Financial Administration says this does not apply to pensions from other, non-compulsory schemes^29,30. No Slovak page we read names U.S. Social Security; that it falls under this exemption is our reading.
Private pensions for past employment are taxable only in the country of residence (article 19(1)(a)), and annuities likewise (article 19(2))⁵. A U.S. government pension paid to a U.S. citizen for government service is taxable only in the United States (article 20), but not once you are a Slovak citizen or hold Slovak permanent residence: the treaty then lets Slovakia tax it, with relief under article 24 (article 1(4)(b))⁵. Ask your adviser.
Relief from double tax (article 24): Slovakia deducts U.S. tax paid, other than tax charged solely because of citizenship, and for a U.S. citizen resident in Slovakia, income the United States taxes only because of citizenship is treated as arising in Slovakia to the extent needed to avoid double tax⁵.

A question for your tax adviser, not a rule we can state. A 401(k) or IRA is not a compulsory scheme, so the Slovak exemption for foreign compulsory pensions does not cover it³⁰, and whether the treaty treats it as a pension for past employment is our reading, not something the treaty says. How the Income Tax Act classifies regular and lump-sum withdrawals, including Roth withdrawals, we could not confirm; settle that, and whether to take anything out before you move, with an adviser who knows both systems.

No inheritance, gift or transfer tax

Inheritance and gift tax: none. The 1992 act was repealed, and its successor applies only to liabilities that arose by the end of 2004²⁸. Gifts and inheritances are also outside income tax, except gifts linked to a job or a business²⁹.
Real estate transfer tax: none on purchases since 2005; the 3% tax applied only to liabilities that arose by the end of 2004²⁸.
Selling property: the gain on selling real estate is exempt once you have owned it for five years, unless it was business property²⁹.
Wealth tax: we found none among Slovak taxes. The treaty covers capital as well, and leaves most of it to the country of residence (article 23)⁵.
VAT has been 23% since January 1, 2025, up from 20%, with reduced rates of 19% and 5%; the 2026 version of the Act still sets those rates^22,23,32.
Financial transaction tax: since January 1, 2026 only companies and other legal persons pay it (0.4% a transfer, at most €40); it has never applied to a private person’s non-business account¹⁷.

Social Security contributions and the totalization agreement

The U.S.–Slovak Republic Social Security agreement has been in force since May 1, 2014⁶. Self-employed people who normally work in the United States and move their business to Slovakia for five years or fewer stay in U.S. coverage and need a U.S. certificate of coverage; the Social Insurance Agency (Sociálna poisťovňa) issues the certificates for people covered in Slovakia. For Slovakia, the agreement covers old-age, early retirement, disability, surviving spouse’s and orphan’s benefits⁶⁶. We could not read the agreement’s rule for employees sent to Slovakia by a U.S. employer; check it with the SSA before you start work.

What you still file in the United States

U.S. filings for citizens living abroad, tax year 2026. Sources: IRS and FinCEN, checked October 4, 2026 (the 2026 exclusion amount and Form 8938), the rest September 25, 2026.
What	The rule
Form 1040	Due April 15; citizens living abroad get an automatic extension to June 15 (interest still runs from April 15)⁶³.
Foreign Earned Income Exclusion	Up to $132,900 of earned income for 2026, up from $130,000 for 2025⁶⁷. The tests are bona fide residence or 330 full days abroad in 12 months⁶⁸. It does not cover pensions, Social Security or investment income⁶⁹.
Foreign Tax Credit	Claim Slovak tax paid on Form 1116; no credit on income you excluded⁷⁰.
FBAR	Required when your foreign accounts together exceed $10,000 at any time in the year⁷¹; due April 15, with an automatic extension to October 15⁷².
Form 8938 (FATCA)	For taxpayers living abroad: over $200,000 at year end or $300,000 at any time (single); $400,000 and $600,000 (married filing jointly)⁷².

For U.S. tax preparation and planning, our sister brand eTaxNexus works with Americans abroad.

Questions to take to your tax adviser

On which date will I become Slovak tax resident, and does my former U.S. state still treat me as resident?
How will Slovakia classify and tax my 401(k), IRA and Roth IRA withdrawals, and should I take anything out before I move?
Does my U.S. Social Security or another U.S. pension cost me the Slovak personal allowance?
If I am self-employed, does the 15% rate apply to me, and which Social Security system covers me?
Which of the 7%, 10% and 35% rates applies to my U.S. dividends, and how do the Slovak and U.S. credits work on them under article 24?
Do I need a certificate of coverage before I start work in Slovakia?

Renting and buying

Two Kinds of Lease, No Transfer Tax, and Buying as an American

Renting: two kinds of lease

An apartment can be rented out under the Civil Code or under the separate Short-Term Lease Act (Act 98/2014)^73,74. Ask which one your lease uses before you sign.

Civil Code lease: fixed-term or open-ended; if the term is not agreed, it is open-ended. The lease is protected: without agreement, the landlord can end it only on grounds the law lists, such as needing the apartment for close family or more than three months’ arrears. The notice period is three months, starting on the first day of the month after the notice is delivered⁷³. We found no deposit cap in the Civil Code’s rules on apartment leases.
Short-term lease: in writing, for a fixed term of at most two years, which can be extended twice by up to two years each time. The deposit may not exceed three months’ rent plus service charges, and the unused part must be returned within one month. Notice is at least one month, and rent can rise at most by the increase in prices or inflation⁷⁴.
The landlord’s tax registration: leases are not registered anywhere, but a landlord must register with the tax office by the end of the month after first renting out a property²⁹. On a short-term lease the landlord must prove that registration to you, and a landlord who has not registered must give you at least two months’ notice⁷⁴.

Buying: who can buy, and what it costs

Americans can buy. A foreigner may acquire real estate in Slovakia, except property whose acquisition special laws restrict⁷⁵. One such law covers farmland: a citizen of a state whose law does not let Slovaks buy farmland there may not buy it in Slovakia. Gardens, plots inside a municipality’s built-up area and plots under 2,000 m² outside it do not count as farmland⁷⁶. Whether U.S. law, which differs by state, meets that test is a question for your lawyer.
No transfer tax on a purchase since 2005: the 3% tax applies only to liabilities that arose by the end of 2004²⁸.
Land registry fee: €100 to apply on paper to enter your title in the cadastre, or €50 electronically; €300 on paper or €150 electronically if you ask for a decision within 15 days²⁶. We did not check notary or lawyer fees, or VAT on new builds.
Annual property tax is municipal. The statutory base rates are 0.25% of the tax base for land and €0.033 per m² a year for buildings and apartments, and each municipality can raise or lower them by ordinance, within limits⁶⁴. File the return by January 31 of the year after you acquire the property⁶⁴.
Selling later: the gain is free of income tax after five years of ownership²⁹.

What property costs

The National Bank of Slovakia publishes average asking prices per square meter, from listings, by region; there are no figures for individual towns³¹. In the second quarter of 2026 the national average was €3,041 per m², about $3,457, 1.2% more than in the first quarter and 9.5% more than a year earlier; apartments rose 10.2% in a year and houses 3.1%^31,77. NBS’s analysts wrote on August 4, 2026 that prices in Bratislava had probably reached a ceiling, that regional towns were rising fastest and that rural areas were starting to fall; the note says it gives the analysts’ views, not the bank’s official position⁷⁷.

Average asking prices per m² by region (NBS), with the change from a year earlier by our arithmetic, and the Statistical Office’s index of actual sale prices, all dwellings, second quarter of 2026 against a year earlier. Checked October 7, 2026.
Region (main towns)	Q2 2026	Q1 2026	Q2 2025	Asking price, year on year	2025 average	Sale-price index, year on year
Slovakia	€3,041 (about $3,457)	€3,005	€2,777	+9.5%	€2,799	+13.6%
Bratislava region (Bratislava)	€3,882 (about $4,413)	€3,845	€3,549	+9.4%	€3,598	+16.2%
Košice region (Košice)	€2,796 (about $3,178)	€2,682	€2,508	+11.5%	€2,469	+7.9%
Prešov region (Prešov, Poprad)	€2,310 (about $2,626)	€2,412	€2,178	+6.1%	€2,129	+8.9%
Žilina region (Žilina)	€2,303 (about $2,618)	€2,282	€2,038	+13.0%	€2,049	+11.0%
Trnava region (Trnava, Piešťany)	€2,064 (about $2,346)	€2,015	€1,935	+6.7%	€1,945	+11.9%
Trenčín region (Trenčín)	€1,908 (about $2,169)	€1,878	€1,690	+12.9%	€1,720	+11.6%
Banská Bystrica region (Banská Bystrica, Banská Štiavnica)	€1,841 (about $2,093)	€1,865	€1,714	+7.4%	€1,693	+12.4%
Nitra region (Nitra)	€1,674 (about $1,903)	€1,627	€1,503	+11.4%	€1,501	+9.9%

Sources: NBS, prices by region³¹; Statistical Office, transaction-price index⁷⁸. The two measure different things: NBS averages asking prices from listings, while the index follows the prices actually paid, and rose faster, by 13.6% nationally and 16.2% in the Bratislava region⁷⁸. By type, apartments averaged €3,430 per m² nationally in the second quarter of 2026, one-room apartments €4,089, two-room apartments €3,629 and three-room apartments €3,161, and houses €2,163⁷⁹.

Price estimate

What the Regional Asking Price Gives for Your Size

Choose a region and the floor area you want. The estimate multiplies NBS’s average asking price per square meter for the second quarter of 2026 by your area³¹, and converts at the ECB rate of September 24, 2026¹.

An average of asking prices over a whole region, apartments and houses together, not a valuation: an apartment in central Bratislava or a house in a village can differ widely from it, and the price actually paid can differ from the asking price⁷⁸. Land registry fees and any lawyer’s or agent’s fees are extra.

Short-term rentals

Municipalities levy an accommodation tax per person per night, which also covers apartments in apartment buildings and family houses; each municipality sets the rate, and the host must notify the municipality no later than the day the renting starts⁶⁴. The EU regulation on data sharing for short-term rentals, (EU) 2024/1028, has applied since May 20, 2026⁸⁰; we could not confirm whether Slovakia has set up a registration procedure under it. If you plan to rent a home to visitors, ask a Slovak adviser which rules apply before you buy.

Our position on property. We take no developer or property commissions. We may receive a referral fee from some professional partners. It never changes what you pay, and we tell you when it applies.

Where to live

Eleven Towns, Compared on Official Numbers

Slovakia had 5,409,407 permanent residents at the end of 2025, about 10,000 fewer than a year earlier; Bratislava grew, while most other towns in our table shrank⁸¹. We compare eleven towns below on population^81,82, regional asking prices³¹, regional pay⁴⁵ and climate normals for 1991–2020 from the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute^83,84. Our groupings are starting points for a scouting trip, not verdicts.

The Capital

Bratislava, with 480,902 people at the end of 2025, is the largest city, and grew in 2025 while most towns in our table shrank⁸¹; the U.S. Embassy is there⁸⁵. It is also the most expensive: asking prices in its region averaged €3,882 per m² in the second quarter of 2026, and actual sale prices rose 16.2% in a year^31,78. Pay is highest too, at €2,012 a month on average⁴⁵, and its January the mildest in our table⁸³.

Consider: Bratislava

The West, Close to Bratislava

Trnava, with 63,184 people, held its population in 2025, and Piešťany has 26,086⁸¹. Asking prices in the Trnava region averaged €2,064 per m², and €1,674 in the Nitra region, the lowest of any region³¹. The western stations have the least rain in our table, about 570 to 580 mm a year⁸⁴. In 2024 Trnava had only 64.9% of the family-doctor posts it needs filled, the lowest share of the eleven towns on this page⁵⁸.

Consider: Trnava · Piešťany · Nitra · Trenčín

The East

Košice, with 222,286 people, is the second city, and has its own transit tariff, valid from July 1, 2026, with a 30-day pass at €30^81,51. Asking prices in its region averaged €2,796 per m² and rose 4.2% in the second quarter of 2026, the fastest of any region, while the Prešov region fell by more than 4%^31,77. Pay in the Prešov region is the lowest in Slovakia, €1,359 a month⁴⁵.

Consider: Košice · Prešov

Mountains and the Center

Poprad has 48,034 people and the coldest normals in our table: a January mean of −3.8°C (25°F) and a July mean of 17.0°C (63°F)^81,83. Žilina has 79,873 people and Banská Bystrica 73,054, and Banská Štiavnica 9,208⁸¹. Asking prices run from €1,841 per m² in the Banská Bystrica region to €2,303 in the Žilina region³¹.

Consider: Poprad · Žilina · Banská Bystrica · Banská Štiavnica

Population at the 2021 census and at the end of 2024 and 2025, with the town’s region, the region’s average asking price per m² and its average gross monthly wage, both in the second quarter of 2026. Checked October 7, 2026.
Town	Census, Jan 1, 2021	Dec 31, 2024	Dec 31, 2025	Region	Asking price per m², region	Average wage, region
Bratislava	475,503	479,389	480,902	Bratislava region	€3,882	€2,012
Košice	229,040	223,678	222,286	Košice region	€2,796	€1,643
Prešov	84,824	81,702	81,223	Prešov region	€2,310	€1,359
Žilina	82,656	80,257	79,873	Žilina region	€2,303	€1,521
Nitra	78,489	75,945	75,301	Nitra region	€1,674	€1,445
Banská Bystrica	76,018	73,533	73,054	Banská Bystrica region	€1,841	€1,536
Trnava	63,803	63,180	63,184	Trnava region	€2,064	€1,600
Trenčín	54,740	54,130	54,104	Trenčín region	€1,908	€1,548
Poprad	49,855	48,352	48,034	Prešov region	€2,310	€1,359
Piešťany	27,681	26,379	26,086	Trnava region	€2,064	€1,600
Banská Štiavnica	9,628	9,293	9,208	Banská Bystrica region	€1,841	€1,536

Sources: Statistical Office, population by municipality⁸¹ and the 2021 census⁸²; NBS, prices by region³¹; Statistical Office, wages by region⁴⁵. Prices and wages are regional, not town figures: Prešov and Poprad, Trnava and Piešťany, and Banská Bystrica and Banská Štiavnica share their region’s figure.

Climate normals 1991–2020 at SHMÚ stations: mean temperatures, the mean daily low in January and high in July, and precipitation. Monthly figures are our averages of SHMÚ’s daily normals. Checked October 7, 2026.
Town (station)	January mean	January daily low	July mean	July daily high	Year mean	Precipitation a year
Bratislava (Bratislava airport)	0.2°C (32°F)	−2.8°C (27°F)	22.0°C (72°F)	27.8°C (82°F)	11.2°C (52°F)	575 mm (23 in)
Piešťany (Piešťany; Trnava is about 30 km away)	−0.8°C (31°F)	−4.1°C (25°F)	20.8°C (69°F)	27.4°C (81°F)	10.3°C (51°F)	576 mm (23 in)
Nitra area (Hurbanovo, about 60 km from Nitra, a lowland reference only)	0.0°C (32°F)	−3.0°C (27°F)	22.0°C (72°F)	28.5°C (83°F)	11.2°C (52°F)	571 mm (22 in)
Banská Bystrica (Sliač, about 15 km away)	−2.6°C (27°F)	−6.2°C (21°F)	20.0°C (68°F)	27.2°C (81°F)	9.1°C (48°F)	715 mm (28 in)
Košice (Košice airport)	−1.9°C (29°F)	−4.8°C (23°F)	20.7°C (69°F)	26.6°C (80°F)	9.9°C (50°F)	613 mm (24 in)
Poprad (Poprad)	−3.8°C (25°F)	−8.1°C (17°F)	17.0°C (63°F)	23.4°C (74°F)	6.9°C (44°F)	637 mm (25 in)
Žilina, Trenčín, Prešov, Banská Štiavnica	No station in SHMÚ’s public tool; we give no figures

Source: Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute, daily normals 1991–2020 for temperature and cumulative precipitation^83,84. SHMÚ publishes a daily curve, not a monthly table, so the monthly and yearly means are our averages of its daily values; the precipitation is SHMÚ’s own cumulative normal at December 31. The station for each town is the choice of our researcher. Fahrenheit and inch conversions are our arithmetic. Compare Slovakia with other destinations.

Practical matters

Paperwork: Police Registration, Banks, Driving, Pets and Schools

Reporting to the Foreign Police, not the town hall

Foreigners do not register their address with the municipality: the law on reporting residence covers Slovak citizens only⁸⁶. Instead you deal with the Foreign Police³:

On arrival: as a visa-free visitor, report the start, place and expected length of your stay within three working days of entry, unless your accommodation provider does it for you; once you hold a residence permit, report the start of your residence within three working days of entry³.
Moving house: report a change of address within five working days³.
Long absences: tell the police in writing before you spend more than 180 days in a row outside Slovakia³.
Away from your address within Slovakia: tell the police before you stay somewhere in Slovakia other than the place of your granted residence for more than 30 days in a row³.
More than half of each year in Slovakia: a holder of temporary residence must spend more than half of the permit’s time in each calendar year in Slovakia, except a researcher or someone using EU mobility³.
If the purpose ends: tell the police within three working days that the purpose of your residence, such as your job, has ended³.
Health insurance: take it out within three working days of collecting your residence card, and be able to prove it at a residence check³.

Your birth number and tax number

The Ministry of Interior assigns a birth number (rodné číslo) to every foreigner granted permanent, temporary or tolerated residence, and it appears on the residence card; a person without residence can ask for one³⁷. You need it to register for tax: the application asks for it, and the tax office registers you and assigns a tax number (DIČ) within 30 days³⁸. If you start freelance or other self-employment outside a trade license, or rent out a property, apply for registration by the end of the following month; a trade-license holder is registered by the tax office from the register data²⁹.

A bank account

Banks must open a basic account for any consumer resident in the EU, including one without residence in Slovakia, within ten working days. They may refuse only where money-laundering rules forbid the account, or where you already have a comparable account in Slovakia. You give your name, birth number, address and identity document details³⁹. We did not check the maximum monthly fee or how each bank handles U.S. customers; ask the bank before you choose.

Driving on a U.S. license

Slovakia recognizes a valid license issued by a state party to the 1949 Geneva or the 1968 Vienna road traffic convention, and an international driving permit for one year from its issue⁴⁰; that this covers U.S. licenses is our reading. Once you have residence, you must apply to the police to exchange your license within 60 days after the first 185 days of residence; if you do not, the foreign license becomes invalid in Slovakia⁴⁰. The Act says the police exchange a valid convention license and does not mention a driving test; ask the police what papers they want, such as a translation, before you go⁴⁰.

Pets

New EU rules for pets have applied since April 22, 2026, and the United States is on the list in Annex II of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636, so a dog, cat or ferret coming directly from the United States needs no rabies antibody (titer) test^12,13. For each animal⁸⁷:

A microchip, then a rabies vaccination given at 12 weeks or older, which becomes valid 21 days after the first shot. Slovakia does not use the exemption for younger animals⁸⁷.
An official EU animal health certificate, valid for 10 days from issue to the document check at the EU point of entry, and the owner’s declaration; at most five animals with one owner⁸⁷.
Points of entry for travelers with pets include the airports of Bratislava, Košice, Piešťany, Poprad, Sliač and Žilina, on a list dated 2017⁸⁸.

The veterinary authority’s page is dated July 11, 2023 and cites the EU pet rules in force before April 2026⁸⁷; the titer-test exemption comes from the 2026 regulations^12,13. We found no official figure for fees at the point of entry; ask your airline and the border veterinary post before you book.

Shipping your household

Your belongings come in free of customs duty and VAT if you have lived outside the EU for at least 12 months and have owned and used them for at least six months before the move⁸⁹. Clear them within 12 months of setting up your residence, and do not lend, pledge, rent out or sell them for 12 months without telling customs first; goods can arrive before you if you undertake to move within six months and give a security⁹⁰. Alcohol, tobacco, commercial vehicles and trade equipment other than portable tools are excluded⁸⁹.

Schools

School attendance is compulsory for ten years, from the school year after a child turns six until the end of the school year in which the child turns 16, and one year of preschool is compulsory from age five⁹¹. Children of foreigners with residence are educated on the same terms as Slovak children, Slovak-language courses are organized for them, and the head teacher places a child in a grade after assessing previous schooling and language⁹¹. We did not check English-language schools; ask the schools in the town you are considering.

Your U.S. services, and emergencies

The U.S. Embassy in Bratislava: postal address P.O. Box 309, 814 99 Bratislava; phone +421-2-5922-3000, which also reaches the after-hours duty officer in a life-or-death emergency involving a U.S. citizen (02-5922-3000 from a Slovak phone)⁸⁵.
Passport renewals, birth registration and notarial services are by appointment only; a notarial seal costs $50, paid through pay.gov on the day^92,93.
In an emergency, call 112, or 155 for an ambulance, 150 for fire and rescue and 158 for the police⁵⁹.

Entry rules

Before the Permit: Visiting Under EES and ETIAS

Slovakia has been an EU member since May 1, 2004, in the Schengen area since December 21, 2007, and in the euro area since January 1, 2009². As an American you can visit without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area³⁴, and within three working days of arriving you report your stay to the Foreign Police unless your accommodation provider does it for you³. The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) started progressively on October 12, 2025; since April 10, 2026, when it became fully operational, it records your entries and exits with fingerprints and a facial image instead of passport stamps, which lets border systems detect overstays automatically⁹⁴. Once you hold a Slovak residence permit or long-stay visa, you are not registered in the EES; you show the permit with your passport⁹⁵.

As of October 7, 2026, ETIAS, the EU travel authorization for visa-free visitors, is not yet in operation and collects no applications; the EU says it will announce the start date several months ahead⁹⁶. When it starts it will cost €20 (free under 18 and over 70) and last three years or until your passport expires^97,98. Residence permit and long-stay visa holders will not need it⁹⁸. The Schengen, EES and ETIAS section of our FAQ explains the 90/180 count.

Timeline

A Realistic Twelve Months

Built backwards from the rules above, for an employment permit or a Blue Card, where the legal deadlines are 60 and 30 days. Business residence needs a much earlier start: the Ministry of Economy alone has 60 days for its opinion, and each U.S. post takes only eight applications a year. Your own dates depend on your route and on how quickly your documents come together.

Months 12–9

Decide and test

Choose the route and run the salary or funds check. Line up what your permit rests on: the job offer, the business plan, the university place or the family member already there. Book a session with a cross-border tax adviser about your 401(k), IRA and pensions. Plan a scouting trip within your 90 visa-free days.

Months 9–6

Prepare the file

Ask the Embassy or the Consulate General how to book. Start pet preparations: microchip first, then the rabies vaccination, which counts only from 21 days after it is given. Make an inventory of household goods you have owned and used for at least six months.

Months 6–3

Apply and wait

Order the criminal record certificate and secure housing for six months, so that every document is no more than 90 days old when you file. File in person and attend the interview, then allow the legal deadline for your route.

Months 3–1

Prepare the move

Read the lease: ask whether it is a Civil Code lease or a short-term lease, and check the deposit. Arrange private health insurance if you will not be in public insurance (see Health Care). Time the pet’s EU health certificate so that it is no more than 10 days old when you reach the EU border.

Arrival

Report and register

Report to the Foreign Police within three working days. Collect the residence card and take out health insurance within three working days; hand the medical certificate to the police within 30 days (on a business or family permit, the proof of insurance too). Then the bank account and, if needed, the tax registration.

By month 12

Settle in

Clear your household goods within 12 months of settling. Exchange your driver’s license within 60 days after your first 185 days of residence. Put the Slovak return (March 31), the U.S. return (June 15 for Americans abroad) and the FBAR on the calendar, renew your permit by its last day, and start counting your five years toward long-term residence.

Questions

What Americans Ask Us About Slovakia

Does Slovakia have a retirement visa?

No. The Foreigners Act grants temporary residence only for the purposes it lists, and retirement is not one of them; that no other route exists is our reading of that closed list³. A retiree can come through family reunification, Slovak living abroad status, or five-year permanent residence as the spouse or dependent relative of a Slovak citizen³.

Can I live in Slovakia and work remotely for my U.S. employer?

Not on a permit of its own: Slovakia has no digital nomad permit, by our reading of the Act’s closed list, and business residence requires doing business in Slovakia³. Our Czech Republic and Slovenia pages cover two countries that have such a route.

How much do I need to earn for a Slovak EU Blue Card?

For applications in 2026, at least 1.2 times the 2025 average monthly wage of €1,620, which is €1,944 gross a month by our arithmetic, about $2,210; or €1,620 if you graduated no more than three years ago^3,4.

Can I get a business residence permit at the Foreign Police in Slovakia?

Not as a first application. Since July 1, 2025, a first business residence application is accepted only at an embassy or consulate abroad, and the Embassy in Washington and the Consulate General in New York may each take only 8 a year^21,3,20. You need a business plan and funds of at least €3,542.64 in a personal account and €5,904.40 in a business account as a sole proprietor, by our arithmetic from July 1, 2026^3,11. Someone who has held another Slovak temporary residence for at least two years can ask the Foreign Police to change its purpose to business³.

My great-grandmother was born in Slovakia. Can I become a Slovak citizen?

Possibly, if she was a Czechoslovak citizen born in Slovakia. Since July 15, 2026, a descendant of such a citizen, back to a great-grandparent, can be granted citizenship without the eight years of permanent residence, and no longer needs a residence permit in Slovakia, by our reading of the change. The language test does not apply, you can apply at a consulate, and the fee is €30^7,8,26.

Will Slovakia tax my U.S. Social Security?

No. Under article 19(1)(b) of the U.S.–Slovakia treaty, U.S. Social Security paid to a resident of Slovakia or to a U.S. citizen is taxable only in the United States⁵, and, by our reading, Slovakia’s exemption for compulsory foreign pensions covers it too³⁰. If you already draw it on January 1, it reduces the personal allowance by the amount paid in the year, by our reading that it counts as a compulsory foreign pension³⁶.

What are the income tax rates in 2026?

Four rates on the tax base: 19% up to €43,983.32, 25% up to €60,349.21, 30% up to €75,010.32 and 35% above. There is one national income tax, and a 15% rate for business income where turnover is at most €100,000^15,29.

Do I get public health insurance as soon as I arrive?

Only if you work for an employer in Slovakia earning at least the minimum wage, or are self-employed with a residence permit. Everyone with permanent residence is covered, and so is a dependent child under 18 with a residence permit if a parent is publicly insured in Slovakia; a non-working adult American on temporary residence is not, by our reading, and needs private insurance¹⁶.

Can Americans buy property in Slovakia?

Yes. Foreigners may acquire real estate except property restricted by special laws, such as farmland, which reciprocity rules can bar^75,76. There is no transfer tax; the land registry fee is €100 on paper or €50 electronically^28,26. Owning property is not a ground for residence, by our reading of the Act’s closed list of purposes³.

Can I drive on my U.S. license?

For a while. Once you have residence, apply to exchange it within 60 days after your first 185 days of residence; if you do not, it becomes invalid in Slovakia⁴⁰.

Do I need ETIAS to visit Slovakia?

Not as of October 7, 2026: ETIAS is not yet in operation, and the EU says it will announce the start date several months ahead⁹⁶. The Entry/Exit System has recorded entries with fingerprints and a facial image since its progressive start on October 12, 2025⁹⁴.

Sources

Every Figure on This Page, and Where It Comes From

We use official sources only: Slovak laws in the version in force, read on Slov-Lex, the Ministry of Justice’s legal portal; the Ministries of Interior, Economy and Labour and the Financial Administration; the Statistical Office’s STATdata database, the National Bank of Slovakia, the Health Care Surveillance Authority, the state health insurer VšZP, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute, the state veterinary authority, the central government portal and the Bratislava and Košice transport companies; the EU, Eurostat and the European Central Bank; and U.S. federal agencies and the U.S. Embassy in Bratislava. Slovak-language titles are given in English. Slov-Lex says its web text is for information and the PDF is binding. Each source was read on the date shown; where a page carries its own date, the title says so. Where we could not confirm something, we say so in the text. If you spot something that has changed, email [email protected].

Euro foreign exchange reference rates (USD, September 24, 2026). European Central Bank. Official page. Checked September 25, 2026.
Slovakia: EU member since May 1, 2004, euro since January 1, 2009, Schengen since December 21, 2007 (EU country profile). European Union. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 404/2011 on the Residence of Foreigners, version in force from October 1, 2026. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Average monthly wage in the economy, quarterly (STATdata cube pr0204qs, updated September 2, 2026). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (STATdata). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Convention between the United States and the Slovak Republic for the avoidance of double taxation, signed at Bratislava on October 8, 1993. Internal Revenue Service. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
U.S. international Social Security agreements (Slovak Republic: in force May 1, 2014). Social Security Administration. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 40/1993 on Citizenship of the Slovak Republic, version in force from July 15, 2026. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 128/2026 amending the Foreigners Act and the Citizenship Act, as published. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Notice 232/2026 on the minimum wage for 2027, published September 23, 2026. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Minimum wage amounts. Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Measure 155/2026 on the subsistence minimum from July 1, 2026, as published. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131: non-commercial movement of pet animals. EUR-Lex. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636: Annex II list of countries (United States of America). EUR-Lex. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 261/2025, the consolidation package (four income tax rates from 2026), as published. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Income tax rates for individuals for 2026. Financial Administration of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 580/2004 on Health Insurance, version in force from July 1, 2026. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 279/2024 on the Financial Transaction Tax, version in force from January 1, 2026. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 160/2024 amending the Foreigners Act, as published (Blue Card recast; Slovak exam for long-term residence from July 15, 2025). Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 178/2025 amending the Foreigners Act, as published (business residence from July 1, 2025). Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Government Regulation 182/2025 on the maximum number of business residence applications per embassy, in force from July 1, 2025. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Foreigners running a business in the Slovak Republic. Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 222/2004 on Value Added Tax, version in force from July 1, 2024 (the 20% standard rate). Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 222/2004 on Value Added Tax, version in force from January 1, 2025 (23%, 19% and 5% from that date). Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Income tax rates for individuals for 2025. Financial Administration of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 404/2011 on the Residence of Foreigners, version in force from February 14, 2024 (the earlier Blue Card rule). Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 145/1995 on Administrative Fees, version in force from September 1, 2026 (items 11, 20, 24, 240 and 242). Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 474/2005 on Slovaks Living Abroad, version in force from December 1, 2022. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 554/2003 on the Real Estate Transfer Tax (applies only to liabilities arising by the end of 2004; repeals the inheritance and gift tax act), version from July 1, 2016. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 595/2003 on Income Tax, version in force from January 1, 2026. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Old-age pension paid from abroad. Financial Administration of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Residential property prices by region (average asking prices per m²). National Bank of Slovakia (NBS). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 222/2004 on Value Added Tax, version in force from January 1, 2026. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Almost 100,000 proposals for planned care on waiting lists (press release of August 14, 2026, PDF). Health Care Surveillance Authority (ÚDZS). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Regulation (EU) 2018/1806: visa exemption for stays of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period (Annex II: United States). EUR-Lex. Official page. Checked October 4, 2026.
Foreigners agenda: residence (study applications carry no fee). Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Personal allowance for 2026 (non-taxable part of the tax base). Financial Administration of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 301/1995 on the Birth Number, version in force from July 15, 2024. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 563/2009, the Tax Procedure Code, version in force from September 1, 2026 (registration and tax number). Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 483/2001 on Banks, version in force from August 1, 2026 (section 27d, the basic account). Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 8/2009 on Road Traffic, version in force from October 1, 2026 (sections 102 and 104, foreign driving licenses). Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Consumer price indices by division, monthly (STATdata cube sp0110ms). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (STATdata). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Harmonized index of consumer prices, monthly (STATdata cube sp0109ms). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (STATdata). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Consumer price indices by item, monthly (STATdata cube sp0111ms). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (STATdata). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Residential real estate dashboard (last updated September 9, 2026). National Bank of Slovakia (NBS). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Average monthly wage by region, quarterly (STATdata cube np3112qr). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (STATdata). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Gross monthly wage and median, 2025 (STATdata cube np1103rr, updated July 13, 2026). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (STATdata). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Electricity prices for household consumers, 2,500 to 4,999 kWh a year, all taxes included (dataset nrg_pc_204). Eurostat. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Gas prices for household consumers, 20 to 199 GJ a year, all taxes included (dataset nrg_pc_202). Eurostat. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Government Regulation 359/2025 on electricity prices for selected vulnerable customers in 2026, version in force from January 15, 2026. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Price list of the Bratislava regional integrated transport system, valid from June 1, 2025 (PDF, listed on DPB’s price page as the current list). Dopravný podnik Bratislava (DPB), the city transport company. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Conditions of carriage and tariff valid from July 1, 2026 (PDF). Dopravný podnik mesta Košice (DPMK), the city transport company. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Financial results of the health insurers as of June 30, 2026 (press release of August 12, 2026, PDF): all three insurers, VšZP, Dôvera and Union. Health Care Surveillance Authority (ÚDZS). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Insurance for a foreigner employed in Slovakia. VšZP, the state-owned health insurer. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Voluntarily unemployed person (self-payer). VšZP, the state-owned health insurer. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Change of contribution rates and advance payments from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027. VšZP, the state-owned health insurer. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 577/2004 on the scope of health care covered by public health insurance, version in force from August 1, 2026 (section 38a, co-payments). Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Waiting lists for operations: press release of November 21, 2025 (PDF, data to August 31, 2025). Health Care Surveillance Authority (ÚDZS). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Results of the assessment of the public minimum network of general practitioners for adults as of January 1, 2024 (PDF). Health Care Surveillance Authority (ÚDZS). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Emergency numbers (life situation: services provided through the emergency call system). Slovensko.sk, the central government portal. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Travel outside the U.S. Medicare.gov. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Medicare coverage outside the United States (Product 11037, April 2026). Medicare.gov. Official page. Checked September 25, 2026.
Avoid late enrollment penalties. Medicare.gov. Official page. Checked September 25, 2026.
U.S. citizens and resident aliens abroad. Internal Revenue Service. Official page. Checked September 25, 2026.
Act 582/2004 on Local Taxes, version in force from September 1, 2026 (property tax, accommodation tax). Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 461/2003 on Social Insurance, version in force from September 1, 2026. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Agreement between the United States and the Slovak Republic (pamphlet). Social Security Administration. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
IRS releases tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2026 (IR-2025-103, October 9, 2025). Internal Revenue Service. Official page. Checked October 4, 2026.
Figuring the foreign earned income exclusion. Internal Revenue Service. Official page. Checked September 25, 2026.
Foreign earned income exclusion: what is foreign earned income. Internal Revenue Service. Official page. Checked September 25, 2026.
Foreign tax credit. Internal Revenue Service. Official page. Checked September 25, 2026.
Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR). FinCEN, U.S. Treasury. Official page. Checked September 25, 2026.
Comparison of Form 8938 and FBAR requirements. Internal Revenue Service. Official page. Checked October 4, 2026.
Act 40/1964, the Civil Code, version in force from July 31, 2026 (sections 685 to 719, lease of an apartment). Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 98/2014 on Short-Term Lease of an Apartment, version in force from July 1, 2016. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 202/1995, the Foreign Exchange Act, version in force from April 1, 2025 (section 19a). Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 140/2014 on the Acquisition of Ownership of Agricultural Land, version in force from February 11, 2019. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Housing price growth slows at mid-year (analysts’ comment of August 4, 2026, PDF). National Bank of Slovakia (NBS). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Transaction price indices of residential property by region, quarterly (STATdata cube sp3801qr, updated August 31, 2026). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (STATdata). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Residential property prices by type of apartment and house. National Bank of Slovakia (NBS). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 on data collection and sharing relating to short-term accommodation rental services. EUR-Lex. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Permanently resident population by municipality, as of December 31 (STATdata cube om7010rr; switch the indicator to December 31). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (STATdata). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Population at the 2021 census by municipality (STATdata cube om7802rr). Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (STATdata). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Air temperature: daily normals 1991–2020 by station (Bratislava airport shown; other stations in the station list). Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Precipitation: cumulative daily normals 1991–2020 by station (Bratislava airport shown; other stations in the station list). Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Contact us (emergencies involving U.S. citizens). U.S. Embassy in Bratislava. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 253/1998 on Reporting the Residence of Citizens, version in force from September 1, 2026. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Arriving in or returning to the EU from third countries with a pet (page dated July 11, 2023). State Veterinary and Food Administration (ŠVPS). Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Travelers’ points of entry for pets (Slovakia: list dated October 2017). European Commission, Food Safety. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Relief from customs duty, VAT and excise duty (personal property on moving). Financial Administration of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Council Regulation (EC) No 1186/2009 setting up a system of reliefs from customs duty (articles 7 to 9). EUR-Lex. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Act 245/2008, the Education Act, version in force from September 1, 2026. Slov-Lex, the legal portal of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Notarial services. U.S. Embassy in Bratislava. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Passports. U.S. Embassy in Bratislava. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Entry/Exit System (EES). European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. Official page. Checked September 28, 2026.
Entry/Exit System fully operational from 10 April 2026: who is exempt. European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. Official page. Checked September 25, 2026.
ETIAS, the EU travel authorization for visa-free visitors. European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. Official page. Checked October 7, 2026.
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1411: ETIAS fee of €20. EUR-Lex. Official page. Checked September 25, 2026.
Regulation (EU) 2018/1240 establishing ETIAS. EUR-Lex. Official page. Checked September 25, 2026.

General information, not advice. Quantum Jetset does not give legal, tax, immigration, financial or investment advice. Rules and costs change; check the official sources above and speak to a qualified professional before you act. Figures are as of October 7, 2026.

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