Existing client service centre at Tomášikova Street in Bratislava's Ružinov. (source: Jozef Jakubčo)
The Interior Ministry has announced the opening of a second client service centre in Bratislava, aiming to put an end to long queues for official documents. The new centre will open in the autumn and will be located on Studená Street in the Ružinov borough, within the Styla shopping centre near the Zlaté Piesky district. It will be particularly accessible to residents of suburban areas.
The decision to establish another centre in Bratislava follows the ongoing situation at the main client centre on Tomášikova Street in Ružinov. This centre handles nearly 52,000 clients annually, but its capacity has long been insufficient, as many users are individuals without permanent residence in Bratislava – such as students or workers temporarily living in the capital.
New centre aims to cut queues across the city
The new centre will initially offer the most frequently used services related to personal documents, with additional services to be introduced gradually. It is also negotiating with various offices and institutions regarding the inclusion of other departments. The new centre is expected to handle between 200 and 250 document applications daily.
The ministry hopes this expansion will help reduce waiting times at the Tomášikova centre, as well as at the city’s three other document departments.
“Last year, nearly 63,000 people applied for passports, over 71,000 for national ID cards, and almost 22,000 for driving licences in Bratislava,” said Patrik Krauspe, State Secretary of the Interior Ministry, as cited by the TASR newswire. He added that document issuance has remained stable this year thanks to regular supplies. Last year’s operations were disrupted by a shortage of blank forms.
Ministry picks outskirts for new service hub
Regarding the location of the new centre, the ministry had always intended to situate it as far towards the outskirts of Bratislava as possible, in order to avoid increasing traffic in the city centre.
“This site is close to the motorway, and we expect it will mainly serve people living in the satellite towns around Bratislava, who have limited access to public transport,” said Krauspe.
Good transport accessibility was one of the key requirements during the search for suitable office space. Two bidders came forward, and the owner of the Styla shopping centre submitted the more affordable and advantageous offer. In addition to a better location compared to the competing proposal, they also offered free parking. Clients will therefore be able to take advantage of complimentary parking in the surrounding area.
The ground-floor premises are wheelchair-accessible, and the centre is easily reachable by tram or bus from the city. The landlord of the Studená Street premises is Zlaté Piesky Properties, with whom the ministry has signed a ten-year lease agreement, with an option to extend.
