From August 6, 2026, new requirements are in effect in Slovakia for male citizens of Ukraine aged 18 to 60 who are applying for new or repeated temporary protection. On August 12, 2026, the Ministry of Interior of Slovakia officially published an explanation on the procedure for applying these rules. For women, the procedure for obtaining temporary protection remains unchanged.
What Changed and Who It Affects
The new requirements apply from August 6, 2026 and concern male citizens of Ukraine aged 18 to 60 who are applying for new or repeated temporary protection. The official Slovak explanation covers only this category of applicants.
For men aged 18 to 22 inclusive (that is, effectively until reaching age 23), it is sufficient to confirm registration in the Reserve Plus application. A photograph or screenshot alone is insufficient: the document from Reserve Plus must be provided with an official translation into Slovak, performed by a court interpreter. The police also accept an official translation into English. If the Reserve Plus document is not certified by the Ukrainian consulate, the applicant must be able to open their Reserve Plus account directly on their phone and allow a police officer to conduct a real-time verification.
Stricter Requirements for Men Aged 23 to 60
For this category, mere registration in Reserve Plus is no longer sufficient. One of the simplest ways to confirm the right to temporary protection is a valid foreign passport with an exit stamp from the Ukrainian border service, placed no more than 90 days before the date of application.
Another option is Reserve Plus with a confirmed status regarding military obligations. In the Slovak explanation, the police refer to actual exemption from military obligations or exclusion from the relevant register. At the same time, the European Union decision is formulated more broadly: it mentions exemption from military obligations or their proper performance or observance.
As of August 13, with properly prepared documents, Reserve Plus is accepted where unfitness, exemption from military obligations, or a valid deferment is confirmed. If the documents meet the requirements and there are no other obstacles, temporary protection can be granted immediately upon application.
If the Ukrainian exit stamp in the passport is older than 90 days, it no longer meets the established condition for simplified confirmation. This does not mean automatic refusal — other documents, additional verification, or individual case review may be required.
EU Council Decision and Exception for Those Who Already Have Status
On August 4, 2026, Executive Decision of the EU Council 2026/1912 was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. It extends the temporary protection regime until March 4, 2028 and introduces the principle that when temporary protection is newly granted, a person must confirm compliance with their military obligations in Ukraine. Among the methods of confirmation explicitly mentioned are lawful exit from Ukraine, an exit stamp in a passport, and an official document, in particular the electronic Reserve Plus document.
The new rules do not mean that all Ukrainian men who have long been living in Slovakia with temporary protection will be re-checked through Reserve Plus. The EU decision directly provides an exception for people who already used temporary protection in the respective state before or as of July 30, 2026 and continuously maintain this status. This is why the Slovak police refer to new and repeated applications.
Other Legal Grounds for Residence
Temporary protection is only one legal status. If a man cannot obtain temporary protection due to the new requirements, this does not mean he cannot obtain a standard residence permit. Law no. 404/2011 provides for separate grounds: employment, entrepreneurial activity, education, or family reunification.
Following changes that came into effect on July 15, 2026, people with temporary protection gained a mechanism to transition to a standard residence permit. Section 131 of Law no. 404 allows a person with temporary protection, even during its validity, to apply for a residence permit under one of the grounds provided by law, if they actually performed this activity for at least six months immediately before submitting documents — for example, conducted business or worked.
Why the Difference Between Family Member Statuses Matters
If a wife obtains temporary protection in Slovakia without problems, she can register business activity or officially find employment. After at least six months of actually conducting this activity and provided other legal requirements are met, she can use the mechanism to transition from temporary protection to a standard residence permit. After she obtains the appropriate status, the husband’s application for a residence permit for the purpose of family reunification can be considered.
The requirement to provide Reserve Plus, a 90-day Ukrainian exit stamp, or documents confirming military obligations was introduced specifically for new or repeated acquisition of temporary protection. In the standard list of documents for a residence permit for the purpose of family reunification under Section 27 of Law 404, there is no separate requirement to provide Reserve Plus or confirm military status. Different things are checked: lawful grounds for reunification, family ties, passport, documents on the sponsor’s residence, housing, and other conditions provided by law. New temporary protection rules cannot be automatically transferred to the standard procedure for obtaining a residence permit for family reunification.
Comments
Reader experience is useful, but it is not advice: check the rules on the official site.
No account needed: click Sign in, type any name, and you are done.