Cudzinecká polícia v Bratislave. (source: TASR)
Slovakia has overhauled its online reservation system for Foreigners’ Police appointments, introducing a two-tier structure in a bid to curb abuse and improve efficiency.
Under the new arrangements, the system distinguishes between authorised and unauthorised services. Authorised services are available to foreigners holding a valid electronic residence permit and registered in the national foreigners’ database. Access requires activation of a personal security code – a six-digit number set either when applying for the residence permit or afterwards during a visit to a Foreigners’ Police office.
Once logged in with the electronic permit, a holder can book an appointment for specific administrative procedures at the Foreigners’ Police up to 60 days in advance. The scope of bookable appointments has been expanded to include changes in the purpose of temporary residence.
Foreigners without a residence permit, and therefore not listed in the database, can use unauthorised services. These require manual entry of personal data such as name, date of birth, telephone number and email address. Appointment slots in this category can be reserved up to 40 days ahead. Cross-border users of Slovakia’s eGovernment services also fall into the unauthorised group.
In both cases, the booking system issues a PIN code to be presented at the scheduled appointment. Failure to attend without cancelling results in the user being placed on a blacklist, which blocks further bookings for 60 days.
The Interior Ministry said the changes are aimed at addressing shortcomings in the current reservation process. The authorised tier is expected to reduce the practice of trading appointment slots – a problem that persists despite previous interventions. Police are continuing to investigate such cases.
Further improvements to the reservation system are planned, the ministry added.
