Dear clients,
From 01.07.2025 an amendment to the Act came into force, which obliges foreigners in Slovakia to register for renewal of residence exclusively through an electronic application via the portal of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic or to submit an application through electronic submission via the Slovensko.sk portal.
On the face of it, this is a step towards digitisation and streamlining of proceedings. However, the reality is exactly the opposite. As of 01.09.2025, a change has occurred, as a result of which the electronic system denies access to foreigners who have an activated BOK code, but their identity document has already expired.
The result is shocking:
- A foreigner cannot register an appointment to see the Alien Police.
- He cannot even submit an electronic application for renewal of residence.
In other words, the law commands foreigners to use electronic filing, but the electronic system simply denies them access.
The second fundamental problem
Even more absurd is the situation of those who have applied for renewal of residence in time - i.e. while the document is still valid (e.g. students until 31.08.2025). After the card expires, they can no longer log in to the Slovensko.sk portal, and thus have no possibility to check the status of their pending application.
The Ministry is silent
This condition represents a serious system errorwhich can have existential consequences for foreigners - they risk losing their residence status through no fault of their own, but because of a technical barrier created by the Ministry itself.
However, neither the Ministry of the Interior nor the creators of the system have so far provided any official explanation, offered any solution, or provided an alternative way for foreigners to fulfil their legal obligation.
The electronic system, which was supposed to simplify the process, has become an obstacle. Electronic system denies access to foreigners in situations where compliance with the law is objectively impossible. Instead of promoting legality and legal certainty, the Ministry's approach creates chaos, uncertainty and unnecessary stress for thousands of people.