Work

Steps

1. Look for job offers on the website of the Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (ÚPSVaR, upsvr.gov.sk), on the EURES portal and private websites. EURES advisers at the labour offices can help you. Private agencies can, in some cases, charge administrative fees (EURES).
2. Sign a written contract (pracovná zmluva): the employer must give you a copy and inform you beforehand of your rights, working conditions and pay. The probation period must be written in the contract, otherwise it does not exist.
3. Register with the foreign police and register your residence if you stay more than 3 months (sheet SK-SEJOUR-TOUS-001), and choose your health insurance (sheet SK-SANTE-TOUS-001).
4. If you lose your job, register in person as a jobseeker at the office of labour, social affairs and family (úrad práce, sociálnych vecí a rodiny) of your place of residence, with your identity document and proof that your contract has ended. Apply for the benefit at the same time, or at the Social Insurance Agency (Sociálna poisťovňa) office. Bring your U1 if you worked in another country.
5. For a regulated profession, have your qualification recognised (Act 422/2015, Ministry of Education; information on slovensko.sk).

Documents

• Identity document, bank account number, health insurance certificate.
• Diplomas and, for a regulated profession, recognition decision.
• In case of unemployment: registration application, benefit application (Žiadosť o dávku v nezamestnanosti), proof of end of contract, U1 form (DPU1) for your periods abroad.

Costs and timelines

• 2026 minimum wage: €915 gross per month or €5.269 per hour (level 1). Depending on the difficulty of the job: €1,031, €1,147, €1,263, €1,379 or €1,495 (levels 2 to 6). Salary is paid every month, no later than the end of the following month, unless otherwise agreed (Labour Code, § 129).
• Employee contributions: 5% health, 1.4% sickness, 4% pension, 3% disability, 1% unemployment (EURES).
• Probation period: 3 months at most, 6 months for certain managers; not possible on renewal of a fixed-term contract; extended by days of sick leave. During probation, either party can terminate in writing, without giving a reason.
• Notice: 1 month at least; longer depending on length of service in the cases provided for by the Labour Code. The employee does not have to give a reason for resigning.
• Working time: 40 hours per week at most (37.5 to 40 depending on the job); 30-minute break after more than 6 hours, not counted as working time; 12 hours of rest per day and two consecutive rest days per week.
• Paid leave: 4 weeks per year; 5 weeks from age 33 or if you permanently care for a child. The right opens after 60 days of work with the employer; if you have not worked the whole year, you are entitled to one twelfth per full month worked.
• Unemployment (dávka v nezamestnanosti): having contributed to unemployment insurance for at least 2 years in the 4 years before registration. Paid for 6 months at most: about 50% of the last salary for the first 3 months, 40% in the 4th, 30% in the 5th, 20% in the 6th (Commission guide). You can keep a small job if your income does not exceed the subsistence minimum (€295.22 per month since 1 July 2026 for an adult; €284.13 from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, an amount the Commission guide still cites) and if this job does not exceed 40 days per year.

Common pitfalls

• An oral probation period: it is valid only if it is in writing.
• Forgetting to report your changes: while receiving the benefit, you must inform the Social Insurance Agency within 8 days (address, name, deregistration).
• Leaving to look elsewhere without informing anyone: to keep your Slovak unemployment benefit while searching in another country, report the departure date to the labour office and ask for the U2.
• Coming with foreign unemployment benefit without a U2: register for at least 4 weeks at home, request the U2, then register in Slovakia within 7 days (3 to 6 months of payment depending on your country).

What changes by country of origin

• EU, EEA, Switzerland: free access; insurance periods aggregated thanks to the U1.
• British citizens (Scots included): if you were living legally in Slovakia before 01/01/2021, the Withdrawal Agreement keeps you the same rights as a European (see SK-SEJOUR-TOUS-001). Otherwise, you are a third-country national: in principle, an employer can only hire you in the cases provided for by Act 5/2004, § 21: EU Blue Card, temporary residence for employment granted on confirmation from the labour office, or a work permit with temporary residence for employment, for family reunification or with long-term resident status in the EU. § 23a provides for exceptions, for example for someone with permanent residence or for a family member of an EU or Slovak citizen with regular residence. For social security, coordination then goes through the EU-UK protocol, which is more limited than the European rules.