Working in Slovakia After Graduation: Staying on After Your Degree

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Temporary residence for study in Slovakia is tied to the purpose it was granted for. When you finish your degree, that purpose is gone, and the law gives you a short period to arrange what comes next. Slovak law is kinder to graduates of Slovak universities than to other foreigners, mainly because their employers do not need the usual labour market checks. This guide follows the Act on Residence of Foreigners (Act 404/2011) and the Act on Employment Services (Act 5/2004) as of October 2026. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens do not need a residence permit to work, so the guide is for students from other countries.

The 30 days after graduation

Under the Act on Residence of Foreigners the police must cancel a temporary residence when its purpose has lapsed. For a university student the law makes an exception: this cancellation does not apply within 30 days after the regular end of your university studies. Treat that as the time to hand in your next application, not as a period to relax. How the study permit works is explained in student visa for Slovakia.

Three options

The law gives you these routes. Pick the one that fits your plans.

Renew the permit for a nine-month job search. The police can renew a study residence for nine months for a university graduate who wants to stay in Slovakia to look for a job or to start a business.
Change the purpose to employment. If you have a job, you can apply for temporary residence for the purpose of employment. A study residence holder may file this change of purpose at the police in Slovakia once they have completed a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree. Employment residence can be granted for up to five years, for the expected length of the job. The law says that this residence is also granted to a foreigner who needs neither a work permit nor a vacancy confirmation, which is the position of a Slovak graduate under the rule in the next section. Plan the timing so that the application is complete before your 30 days run out.
Continue to study. If you start a new programme, you renew the study residence, as described in the visa guide.

Hiring a Slovak graduate

Normally an employer must show that a vacancy cannot be filled locally, or get a work permit, before hiring someone from outside the EU. The Act on Employment Services has an exception: an employer may employ a third-country national who successfully finished a university programme in Slovakia and who has lawful residence in Slovakia or a complete application for temporary residence for employment already accepted. The same exception covers graduates of secondary schools in Slovakia.

The employer still has duties. It must report the start of the job to the labour office electronically, within seven working days, and attach a copy of the document that proves the graduate condition, such as your diploma.

The law text we checked does not say whether you may work while a nine-month renewal is still pending. Ask the foreign police before you start a job.

Running your own business

The law allows a study residence holder to run a business during the residence (§ 24(3) of the Act). After graduating, the nine-month renewal can also be used to start a business. Registering a business follows different rules from employment, which this guide does not cover.

Practical steps

Ask the university for the document confirming that you finished your studies, and check the list of documents on the page of the foreign police department that serves your address.
Count the 30 days from the regular end of your studies, and book your appointment early.
Keep your health insurance valid without a gap; see health insurance for students in Slovakia.
Prove that you have money for the stay, as at any residence check: at least the subsistence minimum for each remaining month, up to a year ahead.

Where to look next

Official sources

Act 404/2011 on the residence of foreigners: §§ 23, 24, 32(7), 34(1) and 36(3) (Slov-Lex, in Slovak)
Act 5/2004 on employment services: § 23a(1)(t) on employing graduates, and the employer's report (Slov-Lex, in Slovak)

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.