Slovakia: Information for stateless people and those at risk of statelessness fleeing Ukraine
2. ROUTES TO INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION
Slovakia grants two types of international protection (Asylum/Refugee Status and Subsidiary Protection), in
addition to Temporary Refuge introduced on 1 March 2022 (expanded on 17 March) for people fleeing the
war in Ukraine. These routes to protection are summarised in the table below. More details on Refugee
Status and Subsidiary Protection can be found here. More details on Temporary Refuge can be found here.
What is it?
Refugee Status (Asylum)
Subsidiary Protection
Temporary Refuge
Protection under 1951
Convention Relating to the
Status of Refugees
Temporary protection for
persons who do not meet
1951 Convention definition
but would be subject to
serious harm upon return
Yes
Temporary refuge for
persons fleeing the war in
Ukraine
Can stateless
Yes
and/or
undocumented
persons apply?
Where to
apply?
At the border or specific
asylum police authority
Same as Refugee Status
Procedure &
rights
After applying, transfer to
Same as Refugee Status
asylum centre in Humenné
to undergo quarantine and
placed in detention, then to
centre in Rohovce or
Opatovská Nová Ves; may
reside during procedure
but not travel and
documents are withheld;
decision should be given in
6 months but may be
extended; may get right to
work after 9 months;
School is mandatory for
children under 16
Yes, but only if they meet
eligibility criteria (i.e.
persons (& their family
members) who had
international protection or
equivalent national
protection or permanent
residence in Ukraine and
cannot return to country of
origin)
Registration at the border
or at large capacity centres
(Humenné, Michalovce,
Nitra, Žilina, Bratislava);
currently registration at the
Foreigners Police
Department for vulnerable
persons only (pregnant
women, elderly, etc.);
undocumented persons are
advised to register at the
Asylum Dept. in Humenné
People who apply at the
border are transported to
centres where they can
submit applications
(including electronically)
and then transported to
designated
accommodation; biometric
data is taken either at the
centre or by police if
applying elsewhere;
protection may be granted
immediately if documents
held, otherwise decision
within 30 days; during this
period accommodation
provided at Migration
Office in Humenné,