First [legal] Aid Kit for Foreigners Prv [prvna] pomoc pre cudzincov

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Welcome to Slovakia This is a practical guide for you, whom has decided to temporarily or permanently settle in Slovakia, which was published with the support of the European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals and the Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows. In this brochure we present an overview of the life situations and questions that lawyers of the Centre for Residence and Citizenship at the Human Rights League dealt with in working with foreigners. We understand that the success in obtaining and renewing residence often lies within the details and would thus like to prevent any misunderstandings considering the time available. Therefore we want to offer both a general overview and illustration of the anonymous stories of our clients and portray the practical "instructions" on how to cope with the situations. We consider it important to draw your attention to the fact that the personal life stories in this guide are individual reactions and recommended practices which may or may not be entirely appropriate for you. You must verify the detailed information in documents such as the Act on Residence of Foreigners with your lawyer or directly with the public office with which you come into contact. Furthermore, the guides ambition is to offer you a basic overview of the rights and obligations which the law bestows on you in order to have your rights and responsibilities effectively protected apart from exceptional circumstances. If you already live in Slovakia and you have a legal problem, which you do not understand, this brochure may be of guidance to you.

The rights and obligations of foreigners in Slovakia

It is very important that you are well aware of your rights as well as obligations to make your stay in Slovakia as pleasant as possible and free from unnecessary complications. Your right of residence, which you were granted, or which you have applied to the Foreign Police for, means that you have a certain legal status in Slovakia. The obligations and rights may vary according to the type of residence you requested. A residence for newcomers and immigrants living here for a short time is called temporary residence. Residence for spouses of Slovak nationals and for settled migrants is called permanent residence and has three forms: permanent residence for five years, permanent residence for an unlimited time, and long term stay in the EU. In certain unfavourable situations, it is possible to protect your interests or even life and avoid a status without residence by applying for a tolerated residence. TEMPORARY RESIDENCE - RIGHTS If you have a temporary residence in Slovakia, after 5 years, you may be granted a permanent residence which allows you to settle permanently.
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You can study and perform activities for which you were granted the residence

Your family members (husband/wife, parent, or child) living abroad can apply for family reunification You have access to public health insurance if you are employed You can purchase a property in Slovakia (apartment, house) You have the right of entry and residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic and may return anytime during the validity of the residence card You can apply for permanent residence after 4 years of legal residence

TEMPORARY RESIDENCE DUTIES As a foreigner with temporary residence you are under the Act of Residence of Foreigners and required:

to notify the Foreign Police within 5 days of important changes in your status, change of your name, personal status (marriage, divorce), nationality and travel document data to notify the Foreign Police, within 5 days from moving, a change of accommodation to notify the Foreign Police in writing if you want to travel abroad and be more than 180 consecutive days outside the territory of the Slovak Republic to obtain medical insurance (even if you are not employed) and to prove, within three working days from the reception of your residence card, that you have health insurance in the Slovak Republic and will have medical insurance throughout your whole stay to never be completely without financial reserves during your whole stay you need to be able to prove the financial coverage of at least a subsistence amount (currently 194.58, but in July 2013 this amount will be changed) for each remaining month of the stay and not more than one year in advance (total approx. 2400) to protect documents issued by the police against loss, theft, damage, or misuse (otherwise you risk a high fine) to report the loss, theft, or damage of the travel document or documents issued by the police within 5 working days from the day you became aware of the incident to notify the police if you are planning to stay away from your registered residence for more than 30 days to notify the police on the change of your accommodation and notify the police of your new accommodation by providing them, for instance, a new lease contract with notarized signatures and a title deed (List vlastnctva) not older than 90 days if the purpose of your stay ended (if you finished work or graduated from a university) it is required to notify, within 3 working days, the Foreign Police and leave the country by the last day of your legal residence or at the time that the police will allow you to stay after your residence was cancelled to return your health insurance card to the health insurance company with which you have been insured if the insurance expires or if your stay in Slovakia ends

Consequences of failure to comply with these obligations may result not only in high fines, but also the abolition of residence and may have a negative impact on your family or future application for citizenship. Therefore, we strongly recommend complying with them. PERMANENT RESIDENCE - RIGHTS As a permanent resident you can:
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live and work freely within the territory of the Slovak Republic leave and return to the Slovak Republic when you choose apply for citizenship of the Slovak Republic after 8 years (after 5 years if you are a husband/wife of a Slovak national) apply for family reunification with family members who live outside the SR invite any other foreigner to Slovakia for a tourist visit have the right and the duty to be insured by the public health insurance even if you are not employed study freely vote in local elections have a driver's license (at the District Traffic Inspectorate you can check whether your driver's license is recognized in Slovakia)

PERMANENT RESIDENCE - DUTIES If you have permanent residence in Slovakia, then you must in particular:

comply with all laws and legal regulations of the Slovak Republic pay taxes and contributions properly have a public health insurance from the date of permanent residence prove that you have documents of residence at the request of the police notify the police on the change of your accommodation by providing them a new lease contract with notarized signatures and a title deed (List vlastnctva) not older than 90 days notify the Foreign Police in writing, if you want to travel abroad and be more than 180 consecutive days outside the territory of the Slovak Republic never be completely without financial reserves during your whole stay you need to be able to prove the financial coverage of at least a subsistence amount (currently 194.58, but in July 2013 this amount will be changed) for each remaining month of the stay and not more than one year in advance (total approx. 2400) protect documents issued by the police against loss, theft, damage or misuse (otherwise you risk a high fine) report the loss, theft or damage of the travel document or documents issued by the police within 5 working days from the day you became aware of the incident. In this case, you will probably receive a fine that you failed to protect your documents and you will be issued a new document.

TOLERATED STAY If you have a tolerated stay, it is only a temporary solution of your legal status. Your rights and obligations are dependent on what purpose and why you were granted the stay. Since there are more options, check your opportunities, rights and obligations (the right to work or be medically insured) with the lawyer. The conditions of employment of the third country nationals are enacted in Articles 21 to 24 of the Act No. 5/2004 Coll. on the Employment Services. In accordance with Article 22 (7) of this Act foreigners do not need the work permit in the following cases: when he/she is a victim of human trafficking and his/her tolerated stay in the territory of Slovakia has been prolonged;

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when he/she is granted tolerated stay for the reason of respecting his/her family and private life; when he/she is granted tolerated stay because he/she was subjected to employment under exploitative working conditions, in case his/her presence in the Slovak territory is necessary for the purposes of the criminal proceedings.

Foreigners with any other type of tolerated stay cannot work legally in Slovakia regardless of the length of their tolerated stay. Therefore, if you have tolerated stay based of Article 58 (1) a) or b) of the Act on the Residence of Foreigners, it means there is an obstacle in your administrative deportation or your travel out of Slovakia is not possible and your detention is not reasonable; therefore, you cannot receive legal employment. The provision of Article 59 (5) of the Act of the Residence of Foreigners prohibits all foreigners with tolerated stay to run a business. Important for you is also the information about health care you are entitled to when you have a tolerated stay. Based on the Act No. 580/2004 Coll. on the Health Insurance foreigners with tolerated stay do not fall into the categories of foreigners entitled for public health care insurance. It means that as a foreigner with tolerated stay you can only have private health care insurance (through a private health insurance company) in which case you will sign a contract with them and pay for the insurance. This does not apply in the case you are employed (if you have a right to get legal employment see above); in the case you have a work contract, your employer is obliged to pay your health insurance and you are entitled to receive a health insurance card. If this is the case you have the right for the similar health care as Slovak nationals. In the case you have private health insurance, your health insurance company should inform you on the extent of the health care you are entitled to. If you do not have any health insurance, you are entitled to an emergency health care only. Without health insurance you have to cover all the expenses related to the medical treatment provided to you. If you have any doubts about your life or family situation, contact a lawyer. For free legal advice you can contact experienced lawyers of the Human Rights League, seated at Hurbanovo Square 5, 3rd floor.

The next section of the guide explores the various life situations of foreigners in Slovakia.
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For students graduating from universities 16. I am a doctorate student at a university and will end my study in June. However, my residence card is valid until September. I would like to stay in Slovakia, because I have friends and a fianc here, but I dont know how to proceed. Until when can I legally stay in this country after the end of my study? According to the Act on Residence of Foreigners it means that your purpose of residence expires by passing the final state examination. The police will cancel your residence in 30 days and you will have to leave the country regardless of the expiry date of your residence card! How many days may I still legally stay in the country and how many days do I have to leave Slovakia? Add to the last day of your stay 30 days of legal transitory period for finding a new job or a new purpose of stay. If the police cancel your residence after the expiration of this period in the decision of cancellation they will indicate another period, during which you can leave the country. By adding these two periods you will get the maximum period, during which you are authorised to stay in the territory of the Slovak Republic, so this period is always individualized. After the expiration of this period we urgently recommend you to leave the country, because failure to comply with the decision of the police and violation of the Act on Residence of Foreigners may seriously complicate your life both in the present and in the future. How will the police learn that I have terminated my study? The foreign police department will be informed about the termination of your study by the university, which according to Article 115 of the Act on Residence of Foreigners is obliged to inform the police about your terminated study within three days. What are my options? If you are alone but want to stay to live in Slovakia the best option for you would be to find an employer during your study, who will engage you immediately after leaving school. In the transitory period of 30 days granted to graduates by the act for finding a job you will not be able to do more than to file an application for a work permit to the labour office (locally competent labour office at the place of employment). The labour office will make a decision within 30 days so that you can run to the Foreign Police department with the issued work permit and file the application for the change of purpose of temporary residence on the last day of this period. If you want to change the purpose of residence you will need, among other things, to document the new purpose of residence (e.g. work permit), your new accommodation (according to the housing type, e.g. rental contract with notarised signatures and the certificate of ownership not older than 90 days) and financial means for the stay (approx. 2 400), e.g. by employers confirmation on the amount of your income or by the account statement. You should check in advance the list of documents required by the law or consult with a lawyer the application must be complete to be accepted by the police. You should always have 2

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photographs (3 x 3.5), a valid passport, and duty stamps in the amount of administrative charge determined for your purpose of residence. If you stay in this country with your family you can try and ask the police to proceed with the cancellation of your residence later, with regard to your private and family life. If you have any doubts regarding your life or family situation contact a lawyer! The lawyers of the Human Rights League, Hurbanovo nmestie 5, 3rd floor, will gladly give you advice. If I have no time to consult a lawyer, what provisions of the Act on Residence of Foreigners may I refer to in dealings with the Foreign Police Division? You can refer to Article 36 (2) and (3) of the Act No. 404/2011 Coll. on residence of Foreigners and on amendments of certain acts. For those who have lived in Slovakia for a long time and consider Slovak citizenship 17. I moved to Slovakia from Bolivia because of my wife and have had permanent residence in this country since September 2008. I would like to know how I can get Slovak citizenship. What conditions must I fulfil?

A foreigner may apply for citizenship of the Slovak Republic after 8 years of permanent residence. However, you personally may apply for citizenship of the Slovak Republic already after 5 years, provided you have married a citizen of the Slovak Republic, this marriage still lasts, and you and your spouse have been living in the common household in the territory of the Slovak Republic for at least 5 years immediately preceding the submission of the application for citizenship. In you, as spouse of a citizen of the Slovak Republic have already had continuous permanent residence for 5 years in Slovakia you may submit the application for citizenship virtually at any time to the district office located in the region according to your place of residence. The application will be accompanied by many documents, so you must prepare the list in advance and consult any doubts with lawyers or employees of the district office located in the respective region. You will prove particularly your integrity (by extract from the criminal records of the Slovak Republic and the country of origin) and knowledge of Slovak language and general knowledge of the Slovak Republic in the form of an interview with the commission on the day of submission of the application. Additionally, you will have to prepare the application and a concise CV. These documents must be accompanied by your identity card, certificate of birth, civil status record (in your case the record of marriage) and document of residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic. As far as the following documents are regarded, it may be rather complicated because they depend on your personal situation, particularly: confirmation of payment of taxes and charges issued by the tax authority, customs authority, and the community; extract from the commercial or trade register; employers confirmation of employment relationship and copy of employment contract; confirmation of payment of contributions to public health insurance scheme and length of insurance relationship issued by the health insurance company; employers confirmation of payment of income tax and contributions to public health
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insurance scheme; social insurance scheme and old-age pension scheme; confirmation of study; confirmation of payment of pension benefits and confirmation of registration of the applicant for job; confirmation of the source of income sufficient for financing of the stay; and close persons in the territory of the Slovak Republic if you are voluntarily unemployed. The employees of the citizenship department of the district office located in the region of your residence will gladly give you advice in case of doubts regarding the list of documents accompanying the application. For additional information and specimens please visit: www.minv.sk/?formulare_a_vzory_tlaciv_ovvs_mat How much will I pay for citizenship? You will pay the administrative charge of 700, but only if citizenship is granted to you. Only asylum seekers and Chernobyl evacuees may be exempted from payment of this charge. If I have no time to consult a lawyer, what act regulates the acquisition of citizenship? The acquisition of citizenship is regulated by Act No. 40/1993 Coll. on citizenship of the Slovak Republic. The conditions for its granting are described in Article 7 and Article 8. For those who do not want to be employed but want to carry out a particular activity 18. I come from Belorussia and would like to work as a volunteer in a non-profit organisation. May I apply for residence in Slovakia without being employed in this country? Will the Slovak authorities let me live in Slovakia when I am only a volunteer, not an employee? Yes, the Act on Residence of Foreigners recognises this purpose of residence. The application for residence for the purpose of special activity, such as volunteering, is always lodged personally. If you need a visa and it is granted to you, you may personally submit the application also in Slovakia, at the Foreign Police department in the place of your voluntary work. 3 The police will decide on your application within 30 days of its reception, so you could manage to do it during the period of validity of visas without having to travel outside the Slovak Republic. What should I pack in my bags before departure to Slovakia? It is important for you to bring to the territory of the Slovak Republic all required documents, especially a valid passport. Before departing, you should certainly obtain the proof of integrity (Vpis z registra trestov), e.g. in the form of the extract from criminal record of your country or origin. The proof of integrity must be properly certified for use in Slovakia before your departure, in this case by attachment of apostille, i.e. apostilled, by the administrative
The application for residence may also be submitted to the representative office of the Slovak Republic in other country.
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body of your country. For more details please visit www.hcch.net/index_en.php?act=conventions.authorities&cid=41). Subsequently, you may have the document translated into Slovak by a sworn translator. What do I actually need for submission of the application? Regardless of the type of residence applied for, you always need to submit a valid passport and all documents at once, including a duty stamp (available at a post office) serving for payment of administrative charge. The documents must be completed, to the last signature and stamp, otherwise the officers may not handle your application on the same day. Note: According to the law the police will only accept perfect and complete applications. Attention: Documents must not be older than 90 days and must be translated and properly authenticated. Documents issued abroad may be translated into Slovak by a sworn translator only and must be properly authenticated for use abroad (by means of superlegalization or apostillation; in rare cases the authentication is waived only exceptionally, where an international treaty grants an exemption). Any signatures, e.g. in contracts and statutory declarations, must be notarized. A single stamp missing on a document may cause that you fail to submit the application and have to return to the police! You will need documents verifying your: Accommodation, Purpose of Residence, Financial Means for the Stay, and Integrity. The confirmation of accommodation may be documented in different ways, depending on the place where you will live. If you intend to stay in a private apartment in any case you will need a so-called Certificate of Ownership (List vlastnctva) not older than 90 days. You will also need the rental contract with notarized signatures of the parties or statutory declaration of the accommodation operator that he/she will provide an accommodation for you. You must also obtain from your future organisation the confirmation of voluntary work including declaration that they will provide you with financial means and livelihoods during the period of your stay. The fee for granting of residence in this case will be 99.50. It is paid in the form of duty stamps 4 that you must buy at a post office in advance. Once you have prepared all required documents, including 2 photographs (size 3x3.5), attach them to the official application form iados o udelenie prechodnho pobytu which you can download from: www.minv.sk/?dokumenty-na-stiahnutie-1. Final practical advice: You must come to the Foreign Police department during business hours (check them in advance), as early in the morning as possible, and take the sequence number so that you can be handled on the same day. If your police department is located in a big city take with you a bottle of water and something to read.

It is always good to verify the method of payment and amount of fee in advance because the amount of administrative charges is subject to change.

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For those who consider the change of employment or purpose of residence 19. I come from Cameroon and currently live in Slovakia, where I have a job and residence permit. As my employment contract will expire soon, the residence permit will not be prolonged to me. I would like to stay here for at least three months after the expiration of my residence permit to find a new job. How should I proceed to get visas for these three months? Visas for three months cannot be obtained in the territory of the Slovak Republic in this manner. We recommend you to find a new job before your residence permit expires to be able to submit the new work permit to the police no later than 30 days after the expiration of your residence permit, so that it can be renewed. I read everywhere that I have to submit a new application in my home country on the basis of an invitation letter sent to me by someone from Slovakia, but I want to obtain it here, because I am staying in Slovakia. The invitation letter is usually sent for the purpose of issue of tourist visas for a stay not exceeding 90 days, but you need a residence permit for a period longer than 90 days. As you already have the residence permit, you do not have to return to the country of origin, but you must change it in time. All you have to do is bring the a new confirmation of purpose of temporary residence in 30 days of the date when your previous employment relationship ended to the Foreign Police. For those whose marriage failed 20. I come from Uruguay and am married with a Slovak. We have been together for 11 years, but I only applied for permanent residence in the Slovak Republic 2.5 years ago, so I have had permanent residence in this country for 2.5 years. I work in business but my wife and I will divorce. I dont know what to do. Will my residence permit expire by divorce? Yes. If you and your spouse do not live together or divorce within 5 years of the date of issue of the residence permit the police may cancel your permanent residence. We advise you to lodge an appeal against the decision of the police in case of the cancellation of residence and to object that according to Article 50 (2) (a) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners the consequences of cancellation of permanent residence would be inadequate to the reason, in regards to your private and family life and relationship with your children. We have children. May they expel me from Europe? They may expel you in cases that are stipulated by Article 82 of the Act on Residence of Foreigners. We are particularly referring to situations where you stay to live in Slovakia after the expiration of your residence permit and thus you would stay here illegally. The act deals with cases of deportation where the foreigner is a threat to national security, has been convicted of intentional crime, violated regulations on narcotics, proved his identity by false documents, concluded marriage of convenience, illegally crossed the state border, lied to state authorities issuing the residence permit or carries out an activity for which he has not been granted the residence permit in the Slovak Republic.

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Wouldnt it be an option to get married again and thus obtain permanent residence? We certainly do not recommend you to get married again only to obtain a new residence permit! Such conduct would be inappropriate and could be qualified as fraud and marriage of convenience. Moreover, as we mentioned above, you could be expelled if the marriage of convenience is proved. How much time after divorce do I have? When your marriage is legally divorced the proceedings for cancelation of permanent residence will be initiated. You may lodge an appeal against it, referring to Article 50 (2) (a) above. It is not certain if you have to leave Slovakia. An option would be to apply for the change of type of residence during the validity of your residence permit. In your specific case, it would be advisable to consider the option of temporary residence for business purpose. For those who want to get married in Slovakia 21. I want to get married in Slovakia. I am Slovak, but my fiance is Russian. After submitting documents required for before and after the wedding, we would like to finally live together. How and when can I obtain permanent residence for my fiance? If they grant permanent residence to her will she be able to live here with me without a visa? Yes, you can apply for residence at the Slovak Foreign Police department in the place of your residence or at the representation office of the Slovak Republic in the country of your fiance. The prerequisite is that she has all the documents required for submission of the application 100% prepared and completed, ,otherwise her application will be refused. What documents do I need and how long will it take? Regardless of the type of residence applied for, you need to submit a valid passport and all documents at once. The documents must be completed to the last signature and stamp, otherwise the officers may not handle your application on the same day. Note: According to the law, the police will only accept perfect and complete applications. Attention: Documents must not be older than 90 days, must be translated, and must be properly authenticated. Documents issued abroad may be translated into Slovak by a sworn translator only and must be properly authenticated for use abroad (by means of superlegalization or apostillation; in rare cases the authentication is waived only exceptionally, where an international treaty grants an exemption). Any signatures, e.g. in contracts and statutory declarations, must be notarized. A single stamp missing on a document may cause that you fail to submit the application and have to return to the police! You will need documents verifying your: Accommodation, Purpose of Residence, Financial Means for the Stay, and Integrity. The confirmation of accommodation may be documented in different ways, depending on the place where you will live. If you intend to stay in a private apartment you will need a socalled Certificate of Ownership (List vlastnctva) not older than 90 days, as well as the
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rental contract with notarized signatures of the parties or statutory declaration of the accommodation operator that he/she will provide an accommodation for you. You must obtain from your future organisation the confirmation of voluntary work including a declaration that they will provide you with financial means and livelihoods during the period of your stay. You will pay no fee for the granting of residence because you are exempted from it according to the Act on Administrative Charges. Once you have prepared all required documents, including 2 photographs (size 3x3.5), attach them to the official application form iados o udelenie prechodnho pobytu that you can download from: www.minv.sk/?dokumenty-na-stiahnutie-1. Final practical advice: You must come to the Foreign Police department during business hours (check them in advance), as early in the morning as possible, and take the sequence number so that you can be handled on the same day. If your police department is located in a big city take with you a bottle of water and something to read. Legal options for those whose residence has been cancelled or has not been renewed (Appeal) 22. I come from Turkey and obtained the temporary residence permit for business purposes for a period of one year, valid from 2011. Before its expiration I applied for renewal of my residence permit. However, my company did not achieve profit in 2011 and the Foreign Police refused my application for the reason that I did not fulfil the condition set out in Article 34 (6) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners. What can I do? Can I defend myself against the decision of the Foreign Police? Each decision of the Foreign Police must contain so-called instruction. It is usually in the end of the decision and informs the party to the proceedings whether, in what time-limit and to what body, he or she may lodge an appeal. The proceedings before the Foreign Police have an administrative character, in this case the Administrative Procedure Code (Act No. 71/1967 Coll. on administrative procedure) applies. According to the provision of Article 54 of the Administrative Procedure Code an appeal may be lodged within 15 days of the delivery of the decision. The appeal must be addressed to the Foreign Police department, which issued the decision refusing the application for renewal of the residence permit. If this department does not grant your appeal, it will forward it within 30 days to the superior authority (competent Foreign Police directorate) which will decide on the appeal. Do I have to leave the Slovak Republic or may I stay in its territory pending the decision on my appeal? Article 55 (1) of the Administrative Procedure Code provides that timely lodged appeal has a suspensive effect. The administrative authority may exclude the suspensive effect if an urgent general interest requires it or if a party to the proceedings or other person may suffer irreparable damage by postponement of enforcement of the decision. Therefore please read carefully the instruction in your decision, which should indicate whether lodging of an appeal has or does not have a suspensive effect. If lodging of an appeal has a suspensive effect, the decision on rejection of the application for renewal of the temporary residence permit
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becomes enforceable after the delivery of this decision. In this case you do not have to leave Slovakia during the appellate procedure, because according to Article 34 (15) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners, your residence due to the Slovak Republic pending the decision on your request for renewal of temporary residence permit is regarded as legal. What remedies do I have if the appellate body confirms the decision rejecting my application for renewal of residence permit? Article 59 (4) of the Administrative Procedure Code provides that there is no appeal against a decision of the appellate body on an appeal, which means that if the appellate body confirms the decision, it becomes valid and enforceable. The validity of decision means that its legal effects arise and that the proceedings for decision on your application for renewal of residence permit are terminated. A valid decision is reviewable by a competent court on the basis of a filed action, but your residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic during the legal proceedings is not regarded as legal and you should leave the territory because Article 250c (1) of the Civil Procedure Code (Act. No 99/1963 Coll.) provides that an action does not have a suspensive effect for enforceability of a decision of an administrative authority, but at the request of a party the presiding judge may resolve on the postponement of enforceability of the decision if an immediate enforcement of the contested decision may cause serious damage. You must be represented by a lawyer in the legal proceedings. When do I have to leave the territory of the Slovak Republic? According to Article 111 (1)(p) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners a foreigner whose application for renewal of temporary residence permit has been rejected is obliged to leave in 30 days of the enforceability of the decision, unless he is authorized to stay in the territory of the Slovak Republic for other reasons. In practice it means that (unless suspensive effect has been excluded) you have to leave within 30 days of the delivery of the decision on the appeal, provided that this decision is unfavourable, i. e. the appellate body confirmed the decision of the first-instance body rejecting your application for renewal of temporary residence permit. For some types of residence the Act grants a foreigner a transitory period of 30 days during which it does not cancel his residence permit, so the foreigner has time to change the purpose of his residence and to obtain a new residence permit. However, it concerns predominantly students and employees according to Article 36 (3) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners. What risk do I take by not leaving within the determined period? By failure to fulfil the obligation to leave within the period determined by the Act you commit an offence, according to the provisions of Article 118 of the Act on Residence of Foreigners, for which a fine up to 1 600 may be imposed. Moreover, according to Article 82 (1)(p) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners failure to fulfil the obligation to leave may be the reason for deportation and prohibition of re-entry; therefore, you risk proceedings for deportation being initiated against you. In these proceedings the Foreign Police may issue a decision ordering your deportation and imposing the re-entry ban for one year (for illegal residence up to five years)! For the purpose of enforcement of deportation (if you do not leave within the period determined in the decision ordering deportation or, for example, if you do not have a valid passport or financial means to travel) the police authority, according to Article 88 (1)(b) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners, has the right to arrest and transport you to the Police Detention Centre for Foreigners. For those who would like to leave after expiration of residence permit but are
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unable do so 23. I come from China and have been granted transitory residence for study purposes in Slovakia. I was expulsed from the university, because I was unable to continue to pay the tuition fees. The Foreign Police cancelled my temporary residence for the reason set out in Article 36 (1)(a) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners, i.e. because the purpose for which I was granted temporary residence ceased to exist. The decision entered into pratice and now I have to leave the territory of the Slovak Republic. What can I do if I am unable to leave? My passport expired and I have no money for travelling. What options do I have? I fear being arrested! If you cannot leave the country because you have no valid passport and/or financial means for travelling, but are able to obtain an emergency travel document, to obtain financial means required for travel (possible donation from family members), and to organise your travel alone, you can apply for so-called tolerated residence at the competent Foreign Police department until you obtain the necessary travel document and arrange your travel. In this case you can apply for tolerated residence according to Article 58 (1)(b) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners, i.e. for the reason that your leaving is impossible and detention unnecessary. You will submit the application personally to the competent Foreign Police department. According to Article 59 (1) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners you are obliged to attach to your application for tolerated residence documents proving circumstances by which you justify your request for tolerated residence, i.e. the Foreign Police will require from you to prove your inability to travel. In practice, such document may be the confirmation from the representation office of your home country that you have submitted the application for an emergency travel document. Tolerated residence may also temporarily solve the legality of your residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic until the moment you arrange everything necessary for your return. What should I do when I am unable to organise my travel back home myself? When you are unable to organise the travel from the territory of the Slovak Republic yourself, you can contact the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and apply for inclusion in the Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) programme. However, due to the effective date of the amended Act on Residence of Foreigners (1 May 2013), the inclusion in this program is conditional upon the issue of decision on deportation. According to Article 82 (8) of the Act, the police department will issue the decision on deportation by reason of illegal residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic without imposition of the entry ban, if the citizen of a third country voluntarily comes to the police department and applies for assisted voluntary return to his or her home country. In the decision of deportation, the police department will determine a period for leaving the country not exceeding 90 days, which may be prolonged, even repeatedly, in justified cases relating to the implementation of assisted voluntary return. During the implementation of your return within the assisted voluntary return programme you are obliged to cooperate with IOM; if you intentionally avoid the implementation of assisted voluntary return according to Article 84 (1)(e) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners the Foreign Police will ensure the enforcement of the decision on deportation, including your detention, if necessary. Do I have the right to some type of residence in Slovakia if I am unable to return to my home country because I fear my safety and life might be in danger there?
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Article 81(1) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners provides that an alien may not be deported to a state, where his life could be threatened on the ground of his race, nationality, religion, membership of a particular social group or political opinion or where he would face torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Neither may an alien be deported to a state, where he was sentenced to death or where this penalty may be imposed on him in ongoing criminal proceedings. According to paragraph 2 of this legal provision A foreigner may not be deported to a state where his freedom would be menaced on the ground of his race, nationality, religion, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. If you believe that you fulfil one of these conditions which constitute so-called obstacles to deportation, you may submit the application for tolerated residence according to Article 58 (1)(a) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners, i.e. if the obstacle to deportation according to Article 81 exists. However, it does not hold if a foreigner by his conduct endangers security of the state or has been convicted of a crime and presents a threat to the Slovak Republic. Moreover, if you fear persecution on the ground of race, nationality, religion, membership of a particular social group or political opinion or are afraid of serious harm in the country of origin you have the right to apply for asylum at any time. Persecution is a serious or repeated conduct that seriously infringes the fundamental human rights; serious harm is death penalty or its execution; torture,inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; or serious and individual threat to a persons life or inviolability by reason of indiscriminate violence in situations of international or internal armed conflict. You can submit an application for asylum at the police department established at the asylum centre in Humenn. During the asylum proceedings your residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic is regarded as legal and if you do not have financial means for accommodation you will be transferred from the reception centre in Humenn to the accommodation centre (in Rohovce or Opatovska Nova Ves). The asylum seeker card will be issued to you. What waiver of the right to appealmeans... 24. I am Ukrainian. I worked together with other Ukrainian women in a bakers shop. All of us had temporary residence in the Slovak Republic and thought our documents were in order. A friend of ours arranged our work and residence permits for consideration. One day, early in the morning, the Foreign Police came to the bakers shop and wanted to see our passports and permits. We showed them what we had on us. They told us that we were working for a differentemployer than indicated in the work permit to which our residence was bound. They took us to the police department and issued the decisions on deportation and detention. They also asked us all if we wanted to use our right to waive the right to appeal. We did not understand their question. Of course, we wanted to use any right granted to us by law and signed the reports. The lawyer who visited us at the police detention department explained to us that we could not lodge an appeal against the decisions and that the red stamps in the decisions meant that the decisions were valid and hence final. Article 53 of the Administrative Procedure Code provides that a party to the proceedings has the right to appeal against a decision of an administrative authority, unless the law provides otherwise or unless the party to the proceedings waived the right to appeal in writing or orally for the record. It is a general right of a party to administrative proceedings, including proceedings pending before the Foreign Police. According to the Comments to the Administrative Procedure Code (Koiiarov, 2004) to be valid, the waiver of the right to appeal must have the form of an express declaration of will of the rightful party to the
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competent administrative authority made in the form prescribed by the law (in writing or orally for the record) after the notification of the decision to the party to the proceedings (...). The notification of the decision means its delivery in written form. The waiver of the right to appeal by its nature is an expression of will of the party to the proceedings not to exercise, in a particular case, his legal right to lodge an appeal against invalid decision of the administrative authority and hence his legal claim for revision of the decision by an appellate administrative authority after lodging of the appeal (Koiiarov, 2004). It essentially means that you have used the right not to defend against the decision, which is disadvantageous for you. What consequences will I bear for the waiver of the right to appeal? Your decision will enter into force from the moment of the waiver of the right to appeal is signed, becuaseyou will not be able to use the regular remedy (appeal). But the waiver of the right to appeal also has other consequences. The option to lodge an appeal should be used whenever the party to the proceedings obtains new information and evidence that can significantly influence the decision. If the party to the proceedings does not apply them in the appeal he will be unable to achieve a retrial of the case (...). The failure to use the opportunity for lodging of an appeal or waiver of the right to appeal will cause the decision to not be reviewed in court (Koiiarov, 2004). The revision of a valid decision of an administrative authority using an action is namely conditional upon the exhaustion of regular remedies (which you waived because you did not know the consequences of this act). The lawyer adds: If a party to the proceedings has the capacity for legal acts and declared his will to waive the right to appeal in a language that he understands (in the presence of an interpreter), according to the case law of Slovak courts, the waiver of the right to appeal is final and cannot be revised by use of regular remedies. Such remedies and appeals are refused by judicial and administrative authorities. How will I know that my decision is valid? The administrative authority, in this case the Foreign Police, will mark the validity of the decision using a red stamp on the first page of the decision, including the date of marking of validity. If your decision bears this stamp it means that the decision is valid and you cannot lodge an appeal against it. General advice: In general we advise you to not sign any document if you do not exactly understand the legal consequences of signing it. If you have not been properly informed about the legal consequences of the waiver of the right to appeal in the language that you understand or you are not sure if you want to use this right, do not waive it, because you cannot withdraw or remedy the waiver of the right to appeal, i.e. such waiver is final. For those Foreigners who have tolerated residence 25. I am a stateless alien and come from former Yugoslavia. In 2006 I obtained tolerated residence and since then it has been regularly prolonged to me by the Foreign Police. As an alien with tolerated residence I live in a homeless shelter,, have no financial means, and I am not allowed to work. My tolerated residence will expire within one week and
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I wanted to apply for its prolongation at the Foreign Police department, but I had no duty stamps on me, because I cannot afford to buy them. They refused to accept my application and turned me away. What can I do? How can I prolong my residence? Are the Foreign Police obliged to accept my application for tolerated residence? The Foreign Police are obliged to accept the application for tolerated residence or its prolongation, but if you apply for tolerated residence according to Article 58 (1)(a) (leaving is impossible and detention is unnecessary) and according to Article 58 (2)(b) (where the respect for private and family life so demands) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners, you are obliged to enclose in your application documents confirming the circumstances by which you justify your request for tolerated residence. An application according to Article 58 (2)(b) must be accompanied by a document, not older than 90 days confirming your integrity, which is the extract from the criminal record of your country of origin and of the state in which you stayed more than 90 days during six consecutive months in the last three years. Article 19 (3) of the Administrative Procedure Code provides that if the application does not have all prescribed essentials the administrative authority will help the party to the proceedings to remove the deficiencies or invite him/her to remove them within a determined period. The administrative authority will also inform him/her that the proceedings will otherwise remain. If something is missing in your application, the Foreign Police department will decide according to Article 29 (1) of the Administrative Procedure Code on the stay of the proceedings and invite you to remove the deficiencies, i.e. complete the missing documents (the decision of the stay of the proceedings will indicate how many days you have for their completion). If you need a longer period you can apply for its extension. If you fail to remove the deficiencies within the determined period the Foreign Police will stay to the proceedings according to Article 30 (1)(d). What can I do when I do not have enough money to buy duty stamps? A duty stamp is a stamp by which you pay the administrative charge for an act required from the Foreign Police, e.g. acceptance and handling of the application for residence, issue of the certificate of residence, aliens passport, etc.). The amount of the administrative charges are determined by the Act No. 145/1995 Coll. on Administrative Charges. The Act has a particular importance for foreigners. Item 24 of the quoted act determines the amount of administrative charges for acceptance or handling of applications for some type of residence (temporary, permanent, tolerated) as well as the amount of administrative charges for issue of the certificate of residence and the aliens passport. The administrative charge for acceptance or handling is 99.50 for the application for tolerated residence and 33 for the application for prolongation of tolerated residence. Therefore, if you want to renew your residence, the Foreign Police have the right to collect from you a fee up to the amount of 33. Information on actual amounts of administrative fees should be displayed in the waiting room of the respective Foreign Police department. If it happens not to be displayed there, you have the right to require the police officer at the counter who received your application to show you the valid wording of the Act on Administrative Charges. You will find the answer to your question at the end of Item 24 which deals with exemption from administrative charges. Payment of administrative charge for the application for tolerated residence or its prolongation are exempted for persons under 18 years of age,
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persons who apply for tolerated residence according to Article 58 (1)(a) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners, i.e. by reason of the existence of obstacle to deportation, as well as persons who apply for tolerated residence according to Article 58 (2)(a) and (c) and (3) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners. If you do not belong to any of these groups and apply for tolerated residence or its prolongation for another reason (your deportation is impossible and detention unnecessary for the respect for family and private life) according to Item 24 of the Act on Administrative Charges the Foreign Police may waive the collection of the charge according to this Item or to decrease the charge for a humanitarian reasons or on the grounds of reciprocity. Therefore, if you live in a homeless shelter and have no financial means or believe that the charge should be remitted or at least reduced to you for other humanitarian reasons, you can request the immigration police department to apply this legal authorization in your case. My tolerated residence permit expired, but the authorities still have not decided on my application for prolongation of tolerated residence. Is my residence in your country, while awaiting the pending decision on the application, legal? Article 58 (4)(c) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners provides that tolerated residence in the period of handling of the application for tolerated residence. Similarly, the period of handling of the application for prolongation of tolerated residence should be regarded as tolerated residence as well, so your residence while awating the pending decision on the application is legal. Permanent residence for a stateless person 26. I come from Moldavia and have two small children. I have lived in Slovakia for over 20 years, but have no documents, so I dont want to and cannot leave Slovakia. I was repeatedly a party to the asylum proceedings, but asylum was not granted to me. The Foreign Police tried to deport me, but neither Moldavia nor Ukraine (where I was born) confirmed me as their citizen. The decision on deportation was cancelled and indicated that I was stateless. Does any option of residence exist for people like me? May a stateless person apply for other types of residence than tolerated residence? Article 46 (2)(b) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners provides that the Ministry of Interior may grant permanent residence of unlimited duration also without fulfilment of the conditions set out in this act to a stateless person. A stateless person according to the Act means a person who is not regarded as a citizen by any of the states according to their respective laws. How will I prove my stateless status? Article 43 (6) of the Act requires that a person who claims to be stateless, and for this reason applies for permanent residence of unlimited duration, must prove that he/she has no citizenship of the state d) where he or she was born e) where he or she had previous domicile or residence, and f) whose citizenship parents and other family membersreside. The fact that you have no citizenship from any of the conditions referred to above may be
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difficult to prove. It can be usually proved by confirmations from these states that you are not their citizen. You can submit the application for such confirmation at the representation office of the state of your origin or any other states. However, if you have no documents proving your identity or a valid passport and the representation office of the respective state is not established in the territory of the Slovak Republic, it may be impossible for you to obtain any confirmation. But if the Foreign Police have already recognised you as a stateless person in other proceedings (e.g. deportation proceedings) they should recognise you as such person also in the proceedings for permanent residence without requiring you to submit any documents or confirmations proving your stateless status. However, if you have any documents or evidence proving or supporting your alleged stateless status, please submit them in the proceedings. What documents must accompany the application for permanent residence of unlimited duration submitted by a stateless person? The application for permanent residence of unlimited duration is submitted using an official form accompanied by 2 photographs with dimensions 3 x 3.5 cm and a duty stamp administrative charge in amount of EUR 165.50 (Item 24 (c) of the Act on Administrative Charges). If you do not have financial means you can apply for remission or decrease of this charge for a humanitarian reason. However, you have no legal claim for remission of administrative charge on the basis of authorization given to the administrative authority, i.e. the administrative authority will decide on your application for remission/decrease of the administrative charge at its sole discretion. Although the quoted provision of the Act on Residence of Foreigners provides that the Ministry may grant permanent residence of unlimited duration to a stateless person (without fulfilment of the conditions set out in this Act), the practice shows that besides the evidence of stateless status the immigration police requires the proof of identity (birth certificate will do) and accommodation (certificate of ownership, rental contract or statutory declaration of other person that he or she will provide you with accommodation, including a notarized signature). Certificate of tolerated residence and aliens passport... 27. I come from Afghanistan. I was detained at the police detention department, but after the expiration of the detention period I was set free. Since I cant return to Afghanistan, I applied for tolerated residence. Tolerated residence was granted to me and I received the certificate, but I did not receive the decision confirmation on its granting. The confirmation from the police does not contain a reference to the provision of the Act according to which tolerated residence has been granted to me. How will I know it is confirmed? Article 59 (8) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners provides that if the police department grants an application for tolerated residence or application for prolongation of tolerated residence they will issue to the third-country national, instead of the decision, the confirmation of granting or prolongation of tolerated residence in the Slovak Republic, indicating the date of granting the prolongation of tolerated residence. The confirmation will indicate the duration of tolerated residence but not the reason for its granting or reference to the provision of the act, according to which the Foreign Police granted tolerated residence. If you are not sure by the provision of the Act according to which tolerated residence was
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granted to you inform the Foreign Police department because they are obliged to provide you with this information. Am I entitled to be issued any type of document as a foreigner with tolerated residence? Article 74 (2) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners provides that an aliens passport will be issued by the police department to a third-country national to whom tolerated residence has been granted who does not hold a valid passport and whose passport cannot be obtained even through the representation office of the state , . Note: Foreigners passport is a document that authorizes a third-country national to travel abroad, i.e. foreigners passport authorizes you to leave the territory of the Slovak Republic but does not authorize you to return to the territory of Slovakia. The foreigners passport does not replace a travel document. The application for the foreigners passport is submitted personally at the respective Foreign Police department and the police department will issue the foreigners passport within 30 days of the submission of the application. The administrative charge for issue of the foreigners passport according to Item 24 ( l) of the Act on Administrative Charges is 33. Exemption from the payment of this charge are persons who apply for tolerated residence according to Article 58 (1)(a) and (2)(a) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners, and persons to whom tolerated residence has been granted according to Article 58 (2) (c) and (3) of the Act on Residence of Foreigners. The validity of the passport will be determined by the Foreign Police for a necessary period, but no longer than 1 year. The duration of the foreigners passport is usually determined according to the duration of granted tolerated residence. Entry ban and record in the Schengen Information System... 28. I am a citizen of Macedonia and received the decision on deportation and imposition of the entry ban. Does this ban mean that I am cannot enter the territory of the whole Schengen zone or only the territory of the Slovak Republic? Article 77 of the Act on Residence of Foreigners provides: in the decision on deportation, the police department may impose a ban on entry into the territory of the Slovak Republic or territory of all member states. The police department will impose a ban on entry into territory of the Slovak Republic or territory of all member states if it does not determine the period for leaving in the decision on deportation. From this provision, the police authority may not impose an entry ban on a foreigner if the police authority has not determined the period for leaving in the decision on deportation. If the police authority has not determined the period for leaving in the decision it will impose an entry ban on the foreigner. In other words, an entry ban imposed only in relation to the territory of the Slovak Republic or in relation to all member states results from the decision itself. From our experiences, the police department usually determines in decisions on deportation only a ban on entry into the territory of the Slovak Republic. However, the police department enters information about deportation and entry ban into the Schengen Information System (SIS), to which all states of the Schengen Area have access. Due to such information, a foreigner who has a record on a ban of entry into a member state, may be denied entry in other member states. The Foreign Police will inform the foreigner whose deportation and entry ban are recorded in SIS information about consequences of such record. According to
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Article 69c of the Act No. 171/1993 Coll. on the Police Corps each affected person may inquire in Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic for information abouthis/her personal data processes, including the possibility to inquire in writing for information which his/her data have been entered in SIS. Every person is also entitled to a correction or removal of their personal data from SIS in a written request. Rights of parties to the proceedings conducted at the administrative authority 29. I am Slovak living abroad and my spouse, a third-country national, applied for a prolongation of temporary residence for the purpose of family reunification. The Foreign Police accepted her application but then stayed the proceedings and invited her to remove deficiencies within a determined period. We have removed the deficiencies, but to our big surprise, my spouse received a decision on the stay of the proceedings, because we allegedly did not remove all identified deficiencies. We repeatedly visited the Foreign Police department and submitted all required documents, which the police accepted without informing us about potential deficiencies. Do we not have the right before the issue of such serious decision affecting the legal position of my spouse in the territory of the Slovak Republic to be informed that the police still see deficiencies in our application? Is the Foreign Police obliged to provide assistance and information to parties of the proceedings? The Foreign Police as an administrative authority is obliged to closely cooperate with the parties of the proceedings, provide them with assistance and information so that they do not suffer any detriment in the proceedings, and to provide them with an opportunity to make comments to the basis of the decision these fundamental principles are stipulated in Article 3 (2) of the Administrative Procedure Code as follows: In the proceedings, the administrative authorities are obliged to closely cooperate with the parties of the proceedings, interested parties, and other persons concerned by the proceedings. The administrative authorities are also obliged to provide them an opportunity to effectively defend their rights and interests, in particular to make comments on the basis of the decision and to submit proposals. The administrative authorities are obliged to provide assistance and information to the parties to the proceedings, interested parties, and other persons affected by the proceedings so that they do not suffer any detriment due to their unfamiliarity with legislative arrangements. This provision expresses the principle of active involvement of the parties to the proceedings, which according to E. Kuerov (Administrative Proceedings Comments, Heurka 2002) should be understood as a procedural right and a procedural obligation of a party to the proceedings, in particular during the identification of information to serve as the basis for decision. However, this principle does not only give rise to the obligation of cooperation, but also to the procedural right of a party to the proceedings, to which correspond the following obligations of the administrative authority: c) To provide assistance and information to a party to the proceedings, interested parties, and other persons so that they do not suffer detriment in the proceedings due to the unfamiliarity with legislative arrangements

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d) To prove them an opportunity to effectively defend their rights and interests, in particular to make comments to the basis of the decision and to submit proposals (before the issue of the decision) Is the Foreign Police obliged to invite a party to the proceedings to study the file before the issue of the decision? The right to study the file before the issue of the decision is directly related to the obligation of the Foreign Police as an administrative authority to always provide the parties to the proceedings, interested parties, and other persons concerned by the proceedings an opportunity to effectively defend their rights and submit proposals. This obligation is also specified in Article 33 (2) of the Administrative Procedure Code that provides: The administrative authority is obliged, before the issue of the decision, to provide the parties to the proceedings and interested parties an opportunity to make comments to its basis and to the method of its identification and to propose its completion, where appropriate. An administrative authority should therefore always provide a party to the proceedings not only to familiarise itself with the file before the issue of the decision but also to make comments to the documents in the file and, if appropriate, to propose completion of evidence or submit new evidence that is available to the party to the proceedings but still have not been submitted in the proceedings. 30. I married a national of Tunisia and after the wedding my husband applied for permanent residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic for the purpose of family reunification. As the proceedings on the application for permanent residence do give him a right of residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic, he waited for the decision of the Foreign Police in Tunisia and I represented him in the proceedings before the IPD. The proceedings were repeatedly extended and I had been given several opportunities for inspection of the file at the IPD, but they did not hand the file to me (they only showed me some documents taken out from the file by a police officer). During each inspection of the file I was repeatedly interrogated and asked very intimate to degrading questions. From my point of view, my friends and parents were asked inadmissible questions, too. Is this a usual procedure? What are my rights as a party to the proceedings? Unless the Act on Residence of Aliens excludes it, the proceedings for granting of permanent residence and other proceedings before the Foreign Police are governed by the general Act on Administrative Proceedings Administrative Procedure Code, which regulates the conduct of the proceedings. the procedure of identification of documents serving as the basis for the decision in Article 3 stipulates the basic principles of administrative proceedings as follows: 1) Administrative authorities continue in the proceedings in compliance with acts and other legal regulations. They are obliged to protect the interests of the state and society, the rights and interests of physical and legal persons, and to consistently require the fulfilment of their obligations. 2) In the proceedings the administrative authorities are obliged to closely cooperate with parties to the proceedings, interested parties, other persons concerned by the proceedings, and to always provide them an opportunity to effectively defend their rights and interests, in
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particular to make comments to the basis of the decision and to submit proposals. Administrative authorities must provide assistance and information to interested parties and other persons concerned by the proceedings so that they suffer no detriment due to the unfamiliarity with legal arrangements. 3) A national of the Slovak Republic, who is a member of a national minority and has the right to use the language of the national minority according to a special regulation, is entitled, in communities specified by special regulations, to use in the proceedings before the administrative authority the language of the national minority. Administrative authorities according to the first sentence are obliged to provide him/her equal opportunities for the exercise of his/her rights. 4) Administrative authorities are obliged to conscientiously and thoroughly deal with each matter being the subject of the proceedings. They are also obliged to handle it in a timely manner, without undue delay, and to use the most suitable means conductive to the administrative handling of the matter. If the nature of the matter allows it, the administrative authority should always attempt at its settlement out of court. Administrative authorities see to it that the proceedings are conducted effectively and do not burden the parties to the proceedings and other persons. 5) Decisions of administrative authorities must be based on reliably identified facts of the case. Administrative authorities see to it that no unjustified differences arise in decision-making on cases with identical or similar facts. 6) Administrative authorities are obliged to comprehensibly and timely inform the public about the initiation, duration, and termination of proceedings in matters of public interest or where a special act requires it using their official information boards, via the Internet (where available) and in an other suitable manner, if appropriate. In doing so, they are obliged to protect the rights and legitimate interests of the parties to the proceedings and other persons. The official information board of the administrative authority must be continuously accessible to the public. 7) The provisions on basic principles of proceedings set out in paragraph 1 to 6 will apply mutatis mutandis to the issue of certificates, opinions, recommendations, and other similar measures. Am I, as a party to the proceedings, entitled to inspect files at the respective Foreign Police department? What does this right include? Article 23 of the Administrative Procedure Code provides: the parties to the proceedings, their representatives, and interested parties have the right to inspect files, to make copies of or take extracts from files, and to obtain copies of files other than voting records or to receive information from the files other than voting records in any other manner. In practice it means that the whole administrative file kept in the proceedings, to which you are a party, representative, or interested party, must be submitted to you for inspection upon your request at any time during the proceedings. We also have the right to personally consult the file at your leisure (usually in the presence of a police officer), to make copies or take extracts from it and to receive its copy at your request. According to paragraph 4 of the quoted provision an administrative authority provides copies of files against payment of material costs incurred by making of copies, acquisition of technological means, and their
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sending, i.e. the Foreign Police may require an adequate compensation from you for the issue of copies. The Administrative Procedure Code imposes the following limitation on consultation of files: An administrative authority is obliged to take appropriate measures to prevent any disclosure of confidential information and tax/trade secrets or any violation of the obligation of secrecy imposed or recognised by law due to the procedure set out in paragraphs 1 and 2. From the aforesaid it results that if the file contains confidential information, the Foreign Police will not provide you with it for consultation. However, the file should at least contain information about the existence of such confidential information. If you believe that the existence of such confidential information has a significant influence on the decision of the Foreign Police in your case, consult the lawyer. Are the Foreign Police obliged to summon me for interrogation? Article 41 of the Administrative Procedure Code provides that an administrative authority will summon persons, whose participation in the trial of the case is necessary. In the summons, the administrative authority will inform you about the legal consequences of the default of appearance. Article 42 Administrative Procedure Code provides that a party to the proceedings or a witness who does not appear before the administrative authority without acceptable excuse or serious reasons upon repeated summons and without whose participation the proceedings cannot take place may be brought before the administrative authority. The bringing will be conducted by the police at written request of the administrative authority. From the above-mentioned, it results that if the Foreign Police as an administrative authority wants to hear you in the proceedings or your presence is required for other reason, they should summon you as a party to the proceedings. The same holds for witnesses. According to the Comments to the Administrative Procedure Code (E. Kuerov, Heurka, 2002) the summons must be notified to a person in advance to allow this person to timely indicate the serious reasons for which he is unable to appear in the proceedings and to properly prepare himself for the proceedings. The comments further say that the Administrative Procedure Code does not specify the form of summons. However, the definition in Article 41 requires a written form of summons. Other forms of summons e.g. by phone would not be contrary to the law either, but in this case, the summons would be very difficult to prove should the administrative authority later decide to impose a disciplinary penalty on the person. The comments to the Administrative Procedure Code (S. Koiiarov, Heurka, 2004) also provide that the administrative authority usually summons a witness according to Article 41. The Administrative Procedure Code does not explicitly provide that summons must have a written form (it also admits oral summons, summons by phone, etc.); but, its observance is desirable with regard to potential later inquiry whether the person was actually summoned by the administrative authority (...). May a police officer ask any questions during interrogation? Questions asked by a police officer should be asked without prejudice and in the interest of an impartial and reliable finding of the facts of the case. Article 32 (1) of the Administrative Procedure Code provides that the administrative authority is liable to find the exact and full facts of this case and for this purpose to acquire any documents required for decision. In
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the administrative proceedings, it is not acceptable for a police officer to interrogate the parties to the proceedings or the witnesses for the purpose of presentation of their statements in the form of captious and suggestive questions. We refer among others to the Comments to the Administrative Procedure Code (E. Kuerov, Heurka 2002) providing that: During interrogation a witness should be provided an opportunity to describe without interruption everything he knows about the subject of interrogation. A witness may be asked questions that are required for administrative bearing and finding whether the witnesss testimony is complete. However, in the interest of objective truth, it is not acceptable to ask questions that presuppose a fact not yet confirmed by the witness or that already contain the answer (captious and suggestive questions). S. Koiiarov (Administrative Procedure Code, Comments, Heurka 2004) makes the following comment to the method of questioning witnesses: During interrogation a witness should first be provided an opportunity to make an uninterrupted statement and only then should be asked questions. (...) Although the Administrative Procedure Code does not explicitly specify, questions endangering the truth and objectiveness of the witnesss testimony should not be asked. These include questions where the answer is suggested, i.e. suggestive questions (was the car green? instead of what was the colour of the car?) or questions that guide the witness to the desired answer by providing misleading information to him (so-called captious questions). Is the Foreign Police deciding on the granting of residence obliged to take into account fundamental human rights that are affected by their decision? In my case, the right to the respect for family and private life? The first principle of administrative proceedings is the principle of legality, i.e. in the proceedings the administrative authorities act in compliance with laws and other legal regulations. The Foreign Police departments deciding on residence are administrative, i.e. state authorities and like all authorities of the Slovak Republic are liable in their decisionmaking to respect and take into account the rights guarantees by the constitution or by international conventions on human rights, e.g. the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Article 7 (5) of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic provides that international conventions on human rights and fundamental freedoms, international treaties whose enforcement do not require a law and international treaties that directly give rise to rights and obligations of physical or legal persons and have been ratified and declared in a manner prescribed by law, take precedence over laws. When making a decision that affects the rights of a party to the proceedings, the Foreign Police should take into account whether the issued decision will be adequate in terms of its interference with the fundamental human rights of the party to the proceedings or other persons who are directly affected by the decision. This condition is called the principle of proportionality.

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Conclusion We hope that you find our guide useful. Each story is unique, so we chose a few model situations. In case you need individual advice, please contact us at our office on Hurbanovo square 5, in Bratislava, or by accessing www.hrl.sk.

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