Every inhabitant of Slovakia counts, regardless of their citizenship. (source: TASR)
Foreigners in Slovakia are being urged to make sure they take part in the national census to “give a voice to their identity”.
The first census for ten years began on Monday, and for the first time will be conducted in electronic form.
The electronic census takes place from February 15, 2021 through the end of March 2021.
The second part is the assisted census. It will take place from April until the end of October 2021. People will be able to visit the contact place at their municipality, or ask by phone for a census assistant who will visit them at home and fill in the form with them.
Obligatory for all residents of Slovakia – not taking part could lead to a fine of up to €250 – the national poll takes the form of a short questionnaire which can be filled out on the internet at www.scitanie.sk or using the app SODB 2021. Participants can choose from English, French, and German versions, as well as the original Slovak.
Groups working to help foreigners integrate in Slovakia have said that foreigners should not see the census as just a tool to provide data to the state, but as a means of helping shape their future experience in the country.
“Every inhabitant of Slovakia counts, regardless of their citizenship,” Barbora Meššová, director of the Human Rights League organisation, told The Slovak Spectator.
