Residency Requirement Removed
Effective July 15, 2026, the legal requirement to obtain residency before submitting a CBD application was removed. This is excellent news, as it eliminates a step in the process and allows the attorneys at the Citizenship Office of the Ministry of the Interior in Bratislava to evaluate your application directly.
If You Plan to Submit in Slovakia
This applies only to applicants who wish to submit their CBD application in Slovakia.
In practical terms:
Why Clients Are Still Applying for Residency
Although residency is no longer a legal prerequisite for CBD, applicants who wish to submit outside Bratislava are still filing a residency application under:
Section 45a, paragraph 1, letter b) ("reasons worthy of special consideration")
"§ 45a Special provision on permanent residence for five years
(1) The Ministry of the Interior may grant permanent residence for five years even without fulfilling the conditions set out in this Act, even repeatedly:
a) a stateless person,
b) for reasons worthy of special consideration."
The "reasons" that are "worthy of special consideration" have never been listed. It's the Ministry's discretion.
Key Point: The purpose of the residency application now is not to obtain residency approval. It is simply to have your "address" registered in the Foreign Police system so you receive a receipt showing your registered Slovak address. The district office requires this receipt in order to accept your CBD application outside Bratislava.
Whether the residency application is approved or denied has no impact on your CBD application. Your citizenship application will not be delayed while waiting for a residency decision.
Bratislava vs. Other District Offices
The Bratislava District Office is currently experiencing a significant backlog. Applications are taking approximately 6–9+ months to be forwarded to the Citizenship Office at the Ministry of the Interior, where CBD applications are actually reviewed by the attorneys.
To assist clients who choose this option, we have partnered with an interpreter in Bratislava who can accompany you to your appointment if you don't mind the extensive wait time for your application to be sent to the citizenship office for review.
We've been in contact with the Ministry of the Interior. They are aware of this issue and are considering administrative solutions. Until then, submitting both a residency application and a CBD application outside Bratislava remains the most effective workaround.

In the US, the CBD submission process requires you to submit your application at the consulates in New York or DC, depending on your state of residence. Due to the heightened interest in obtaining CBD, both consular offices are currently experiencing significant backlogs. As a result, applicants may have to wait over 6 months for an appointment date in DC, but the wait time for submission in NY is now exceeding one year. However, if you are flexible, you can expedite the submission of your Slovak citizenship application by choosing to travel to Slovakia for appointments, which will allow you to submit your application much sooner.
Please read the information below to see if this option is a good fit for you.
Do not make travel arrangements to Slovakia for appointments related to your Slovakia citizenship application until you have a confirmed appointment.
When applying in Slovakia, you will still need to submit a residency application. Please read the information at the top of this page for more information.
We service Kosice, Banska Bystrica, and Zilina. We service Bratislava in a very limited capacity. Please read the information at the top of this page for more information.
When completing the request form for your Slovak residency & CBD application appointments, you must provide specific date ranges for your availability. This way, we can monitor your upcoming availability.
Examples include: "The week of August 25th", "The entire month of October", or "Anytime in March or April".
It is strongly recommended that you obtain travel insurance with “cancel for any reason” coverage before your travel to Slovakia for appointments. We are not responsible for: Canceled or rescheduled appointments, interrupted or delayed travel, or extended stays and related expenses. Additionally, please note that we are not government officials, lawyers, or attorneys, and we do not provide legal representation regarding the CBD submission process or the Slovakia citizenship application.
Please fill out the request form.
Please read all of the following information carefully.
Ready to request a submission appointment in Slovakia?
Please fill out the request form.
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