Slovakia's plants employ more foreigners every year — over 147,000 in August 2026, with Filipinos the fastest-growing group — on a permit whose rules are precise: notify the vacancy, pass or avoid the test, file a complete application, wait for the Foreign Police. What makes the Philippine route different from a Serbian or Ukrainian one is geography: the national visa is issued in Jakarta, not Manila. This page is the process from brief to first working day with that step in its place.
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.
Act 151/2025 (1 September 2025) tightened the employer's side: proof of accommodation that meets minimum standards for the expected period of employment, an accommodation charge that is not disproportionate to the worker's net wage, start and end of employment reported within seven working days, and copies of the residence documents in the employer's file before work begins; it also extended seasonal work to 240 days. Act 128/2026 (15 July 2026) transposed the EU single-permit directive, started the decision deadline from the complete application, lengthened the national visa to 120 days, gave a worker who loses the job three months (six after two years) to find another, and introduced a digital residence document from 1 October 2026 that does not replace the card at border checks. Fines for illegal employment run from €4,000 to €200,000.
Slovakia has no embassy in Manila and no visa application centre in the Philippines. The Slovak Embassy in Jakarta states that applicants residing in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, East Timor and Brunei apply for the national visa in person there, that no other mission may issue it, and that decisions usually take five to seven working days within a legal limit of thirty. The Czech Embassy in Manila represents Slovakia for short-stay Schengen visas only. For a Slovak employer this means one return flight Manila–Jakarta per worker, booked by appointment, with a complete file — which we build into the plan and the budget from the first conversation rather than discovering it in month four.
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, unless the occupation is on the quarterly ÚPSVaR shortage list for the region and the employer employs fewer than 45 % third-country nationals — then the labour office confirms the vacancy without testing it. The old district rule (unemployment below 5 %) was abolished on 1 January 2023; the cap on third-country nationals, then 30 %, was later raised to the current 45 %.
The vacancy must be notified to the labour office at least 20 working days before the residence application is filed; 15 working days applies only to short-term seasonal work.
In person at the Slovak Embassy in Jakarta, which has jurisdiction for residents of the Philippines; the Czech Embassy in Manila issues only Schengen short-stay visas on Slovakia's behalf.
Up to 60 days from a complete application for temporary residence for employment (§ 33(8)(b) Act 404/2011, since 15 July 2024) — 30 days where the job is on the kraj shortage list and the employer meets the statutory condition; 90 days is the general period for other residence purposes. Since 15 July 2026 the period runs from the complete file; an incomplete application must be supplemented within 15 days of filing (one 15-day extension), otherwise the proceeding is stopped (§ 32(18)).
€250 for the first application, €140 for renewal, €10 for the card (€39 in two working days); the national visa fee in Jakarta is separate.
General information for employers, not legal or migration advice. Rules change; we re-verify before each hire.