Slovakia: Information for stateless people and those at risk of statelessness fleeing Ukraine Rights upon recognition Permanent residence (permit for 10yrs), travel document, right to study, work, free healthcare, integration assistance, and travel in the EU Right to residence, residence permit for 1 year (then 2yrs upon renewal), ‘alien passport’ if no travel document, access to healthcare free if working, right to work including free meals, healthcare and hygiene supplies Tolerated stay permit valid until 4 March 2023, to be automatically extended for 6 months up to max. 1 year unless the Council of the European Union decides otherwise; right to work, access to education, healthcare, accommodation, social security allowances For more information, see: • • • • • • • Human Rights League Slovakia & Mareena, Information for people coming from Ukraine to Slovakia (also in UKR and SK) Human Rights League, FAQs Asylum and Subsidiary Protection Ministry of Interior of Slovak Republic, Temporary Refuge Ministry of Interior, Leaflet with QR codes on Temporary Refuge Right to Protection, Who are stateless persons who fled Ukraine after the Russian invasion on 24 of February, 2022 KIND & Child Circle, Note on unaccompanied children fleeing Ukraine European Commission, Information for people fleeing the war in Ukraine 3. STATELESSNESS DETERMINATION AND PROTECTION STATUS For stateless people, it is important to determine both a claim for international protection and their statelessness. Each application should be assessed and both types of status should be explicitly recognised so that even if international protection ceases, the person remains entitled to protection as a stateless person. Statelessness determination should be conducted either in parallel with or following the refugee status determination, with due regard to the primacy of the asylum claim and the principle of confidentiality for refugees in statelessness determination procedures. For more information, see: ENS briefing on statelessness determination & protection in Europe. Slovakia does not have a dedicated Statelessness Determination Procedure but there are some provisions in law for the protection of stateless people in Slovakia. Statelessness is usually dealt with in the course of the asylum procedure or an application procedure for residence or Slovak citizenship. According to the Act on the Residence of Foreigners (Act no. 404/2011 Coll.), stateless persons are recognised as stateless if they prove that they do not hold nationality of their country of birth, former residence or stay, or of their parents’ and siblings’ country of nationality. The Ministry of Interior may grant a residence permit for 5 years based on statelessness may grant a residence permit for five years based on statelessness at its discretion but there is no clear procedure for this, and the burden of proof is on the applicant. Stateless persons and persons at risk of statelessness are strongly advised to seek expert legal advice on their rights in Slovakia (e.g. from Human Rights League Slovakia and the Legal Aid Centre, a state-funded centre which provides legal aid to persons in material need).