It just became tougher for foreigners to obtain a short or long-term residence permit in Slovakia. The Slovak cabinet approved a draft revision to the law on long-term residence permits on September 22 that will force foreigners to submit applications for residence in Slovakia at a Slovak Embassy in their country of origin.
According to Interior Minister Ladislav Pittner, the current law is too benevolent and foreigners have often misused it. "If we want to create certain conditions in Slovakia to guarantee security, we had to adopt this amendment," Pittner told the press.
Pittner explained that the new measure would enable proper verification of applicants' identification documents. He said that the new provisions were consulted with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Slovakia and are in accordance with EU norms.
