Booster or bust: Foreigners still face vaccine barriers in Slovakia

How to have your Covid vaccine doses received abroad recognised in Slovakia.

Illustrative stock photoIllustrative stock photo (Source: TASR)

With hospitals on the verge of collapse and the daily number of new cases oscillating around 10,000, Slovakia is being thrashed by the third wave of the coronavirus. The government’s calls on inhabitants to get vaccinated are increasingly urgent.

SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement

However, for some foreign nationals living in Slovakia who wish to get the Covid booster shot after receiving the first two vaccine doses abroad, this urgency does not always translate to easy access to the vaccine. The recognition of vaccine doses received abroad can prove to be a lengthy process.

SkryťTurn off ads

People who have received the first or second doses in the US, for example, have vaccination certificates that are not officially recognised in Slovakia. As a result, getting a booster shot is not always straightforward.

“If I were to get the booster, it would just add to the document mess I have going on here,” said Mitch Leffer, an American with permanent residency in Slovakia.

Cat and mouse booster game

Foreign nationals with permanent residence in Slovakia are entitled to the Covid-19 vaccine and third booster dose. As of June 14, this includes foreigners with commercial health insurance. Those who get vaccinated get the EU Digital Covid Certificate with a scannable QR code that is recognised throughout the EU.

The rest of this article is premium content at Spectator.sk
Subscribe now for full access

I already have subscription - Sign in

Subscription provides you with:
  • Immediate access to all locked articles (premium content) on Spectator.sk
  • Special weekly news summary + an audio recording with a weekly news summary to listen to at your convenience (received on a weekly basis directly to your e-mail)
  • PDF version of the latest issue of our newspaper, The Slovak Spectator, emailed directly to you
  • Access to all premium content on Sme.sk and Korzar.sk

Top stories

Two bear incidents over weekend, an effort to revive Bratislava calvary, and storks in Trnava.


Píšem or pišám?

"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
Czech biochemist Jan Konvalinka.

Jan Konvalinka was expecting a pandemic before Covid-19 came along.


SkryťClose ad