Slovakia created a faster door for the one trade it needs most urgently: professional drivers. A government regulation lets third-country nationals from nineteen named countries — the Philippines among them — take up employment as bus or international truck drivers on a national visa within an annual quota, without the temporary-residence procedure first. This page sets out the regulation's terms, its limits, the 2026 conversion route, and the driving-qualification chain that follows.
Government Regulation 113/2023 declares the Slovak Republic's interest in granting national visas to selected groups of third-country nationals and, in the version in force from 1 January 2026, covers two occupations — bus drivers (8331001) and international truck drivers (8332006) — for nationals of nineteen countries, the Philippines among them, within a quota of 5,000 visas a year. The visa is granted for the duration of the employment up to one year and cannot be granted a second time; it is not available to a person who already holds or has applied for temporary residence for employment, and applying for temporary residence with a different employer is treated as a failure of the visa's purpose. The employer's part is the job offer in the named occupation; the driver's part is the application — for a Philippine resident, in person at the Slovak Embassy in Jakarta.
A Slovak employer hires a Filipino on a temporary residence permit for the purpose of employment under § 23 of Act 404/2011: the employer notifies the vacancy to the labour office (ÚPSVaR) at least 20 working days before the residence application is filed, the labour office issues a confirmation that the vacancy may be filled by a third-country national — without a labour-market test when the job is a shortage occupation in the region on the quarterly ÚPSVaR list and the employer employs fewer than 45 % third-country nationals — and the Foreign Police decide on the residence within 60 days of a complete application — 30 days where the job is on the kraj shortage list and the employer meets the statutory condition (§ 33(8) Act 404/2011; 90 days is the general period for other residence purposes) (fee €250; renewal €140; residence card €10 or €39 for the two-day service). Since 15 July 2026 the permit is a single document for stay and work, the decision deadline runs from a complete application, the national visa issued for collecting the permit is valid 120 days, and a worker who loses the job has three months (six after two years' residence) to find another. The point most employers miss: a Filipino does not file in Manila. Residents of the Philippines apply for the Slovak national visa in person at the Slovak Embassy in Jakarta, which decides in five to seven working days; the Czech Embassy in Manila represents Slovakia for short-stay Schengen visas only.
Until 2026 the driver visa was a one-year bridge with an awkward end. Act 128/2026 inserted § 21b(4)(f) into Act 5/2004: a national-visa holder may continue to be employed in the same job once the labour office has issued the vacancy confirmation for temporary residence for employment — so the operator notifies the vacancy during the visa year, the driver applies for temporary residence with the same employer, and the employment continues without a gap. We plan every driver visa with that conversion scheduled from month six.
The visa is immigration permission; driving a Slovak bus or truck needs the rest of the chain. The Philippines is a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention, so a conforming Philippine licence is exchanged in Slovakia; the Code 95 initial qualification and the driver qualification card are obtained through an accredited training centre with the state examination; the tachograph driver card follows; and for international haulage the carrier obtains the driver attestation under Regulation (EC) 1072/2009 for a third-country driver. Our group has deployed more than a hundred Filipino drivers in one round for a Baltic haulier under the same logic; in Slovakia the sequence takes two to three months after arrival, and we select drivers with documented heavy-vehicle experience so that the training is a confirmation, not a course from zero.
Recruitment runs through our own DMW-licensed agency, Prime Search Manpower Agency Inc. in Makati (licence DMW-027-LB-11182024): your company is accredited at the Migrant Workers Office in Vienna, which has covered Slovakia since October 2024, the job order is registered with the DMW, and every worker leaves Manila with a verified contract, medical clearance, pre-departure orientation and an Overseas Employment Certificate. Recruitment follows the employer-pays principle: no applicant pays for an interview, a trade test or a place on a shortlist. Your company is the employer from day one; we never employ or lease the workers.
Everything here is subject to Act No. 404/2011 Coll. on the residence of aliens and Act No. 5/2004 Coll. on employment services as amended (Acts 151/2025 and 128/2026), the quarterly ÚPSVaR shortage list, the Slovak consular practice for Philippine residents and Philippine DMW rules.
Yes — international truck drivers (8332006) and bus drivers (8331001) from the Philippines are covered by Government Regulation 113/2023 within the annual quota of 5,000, for up to one year, with the application filed in person in Jakarta.
No — it cannot be granted a second time. Since Act 128/2026 the driver can move to temporary residence for employment with the same employer once the labour office issues the vacancy confirmation.
No — only bus and international truck drivers. Production roles use temporary residence for employment, with the shortage-list exemption where it applies.
The Philippine licence is exchanged (Vienna Convention party), the Code 95 initial qualification and the driver qualification card are obtained in Slovakia, then the tachograph card and the carrier's driver attestation for international work — two to three months after arrival.
General information for employers, not legal or migration advice. Rules change; we re-verify before each hire.