Schengen visa

General information for applicants:

The Schengen Area covers 26 countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Starting October 12th, 2015 all applicants for Schengen visa will need to personally present themselves in order to have their biometric date registered. It will allow visa holders to be identified faster and this way identity theft can be countered. When the visa holder arrives at the external border, the border authorities have access to the VIS to verify his or her identity and the authenticity of the visa. These procedures improve security in the Schengen Area.

Certain categories of applicants are exempt from the requirement to give ­ fingerprints, including:

• Children under the age of 12;
• Persons for whom ­fingerprinting is physically impossible;
• Heads of State and members of national governments, and members of their official delegations when invited for an official purpose.

A short-stay Schengen visa does not automatically entitle you to enter the Schengen Area. At border controls or during other checks you can be asked to provide relevant authorities with information concerning purpose of your visit, related documents, financial means etc.  We advise you to have a copies of documents submitted at the Embassy when you applied for visa.

Where to submit my application when traveling to Schengen Area:

If you intend to visit more than one Schengen state, you should submit your application at the embassy or consulate of the Schengen state that will be your main destination. 

If you intend to spend an equal length of time in several Schengen states, you should submit your application to the embassy or consulate of the Schengen state that you will arrive in first.

If the Slovak Republic is your main destination you have to apply for visa at the Slovak Embassy in Beirut.

When to apply:

In general, an application is to be submitted not more than 6 months before departure.

As a general rule, a decision will be taken on your application within 15 calendar days. 
This period may, in individual cases, extend to 30 days and in exceptional cases, 60 days.

Applicants have to make an appointment in order to submit your application before their visit the consulate and they have to apply for visa in person.

In order to maximize our efficiency, we strongly recommend that applicants use the electronic application: https://ezov.mzv.sk. Application form should be printed and signed by applicant. 

Where to apply:

The Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Lebanon address is:

Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Beirut

Minet El Hosn, Omar Daouk Street, Tabco Building, 4th Floor,

Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

Tel.: +961 1367422, +961 1362096

Fax: +961 1367423

Email for consular and visa queries: cons.beirut@mzv.sk

Opening hours for visa applications are:

Monday and Wednesday: 09:30 - 12:30

Type of visas:

There are 3 types of visa that can be issued to applicants:

• Airport transit visa - A type of visa - is valid for transiting through the international transit areas of airports situated in the Schengen Areas
• Short-stay visa – C type of visa - entitles its holder to free movement throughout the Schengen Area for a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period. The short-stay calculator can be used for calculating the period of allowed stay.
• National visa – D type of visa -  is issued to nationals of certain non-EU countries who intend to stay longer than 90 days in Slovakia.

Documents needed with your visa application:

All visa applicants are required to submit:

• 1 duly completed application form
• 2 recent coloured passport photographs (3,5 x 4,5 cm) in conformity with ICAO standards
• passport and copy of the data page of passport. Passport should be valid and should have been issued within the previous 10 years and should be valid at least 3 months after the intended date of departure from the Schengen territory. Note: your passport should contain at least 2 empty pages when applying for the visa.
• Visa fees (if not exempted: € 80,- adults, € 40,- for children between 6 and 12 years, no fees for children under 6 years)
• Proof of accommodation (invitation by your host in the format as requested by the specific Embassy/Consulate, or hotel reservation, proof of package holiday)
• Travel itinerary (return air ticket reservation)
• Travel medical insurance covering the entire period of intended stay in Schengen countries, provided that the insurance company has an assistance office within Schengen, with a minimum coverage of € 30.000,-- for medical treatment, emergency admission to hospital, repatriation. Extra insurance for special sports when relevant.
• Evidence of financial means (bank statement for the last 3 months)
• Proof of purpose of the trip
• Other recquired documents - see attached the harmonised list of recquired documents for each cathegory

Other required documents to be presented depending on the purpose of travel:

A. Tourism and family/private visit

1. Proof of accommodation:

• confirmed hotel reservation; or
• proof of invitation (national forms as required by Member States, cf. the website of the competent Member State); or
• proof of package holiday.
• for family visit: proof of family relation (family register)

2. Business persons, traders, self-employed professionals:

• original registration of commerce of the Lebanese company;
• original statutes of the Lebanese company,
• original business license of the Lebanese company for the current year.
• original income tax statement of the Lebanese company for the current year;
• original statement of the Lebanese company's latest payment of other taxes;
• original bank statements of the Lebanese company for the last three months;
• original bank statements of the applicant's personal account for the last three months;
• the applicant's professional identity card or certificate from a professional body, as applicable, and/or
• other proof of assets or other means of subsistence, as applicable (e.g. ownership of company, ownership of property, ownership of agriculture, ownership of land).

3. Employees:

• certificate of employment;
• tax payment slips for the last three months and wage summary statement; and
• original last three pay slips;
• original of bank statements for the last three months; and/or other proof of assets or other means of subsistence, as applicable.

4. Retired people:

• proof of pension,
• original bank statements for the last three months; and/or
• other proof of assets or other means of subsistence, as applicable.

5. Civil servant

• certificate of appointment
• original of the last three salary slips,
• original of bank statements for the last three months, and/or
• other proof of assets or other means of subsistence, as applicable.

6. Minors

• the consent of the sole parental authority or legal guardian is required if the minor travels  without both parents - original of birth certificate or parents' family record book;
• undertaking to cover costs, signed and certified, with evidence of the parents'/legal representative(s)' socio-professional status based on the categories above; and/or
• other proof of assets or other means of subsistence, as applicable.

7. Students

• if minor: authorization to leave the territory from legal representatives signed and certified;
• school attendance certificate/student card for the current year;
• original of birth certificate or parents' family  register
• undertaking to cover costs, signed and certified, with evidence of the parents'/legal representative(s)' socio-professional status based on the categories above; and/or
• other proof of assets or other means of subsistence, as applicable.

8. Unemployed persons

• undertaking to cover costs, signed and certified, with evidence of the socio-professional status of the person covering the costs based on the categories above, and bank statements for the last three months, as applicable; and/or
• other proof of assets or other means of subsistence, as applicable.

B. Business visit

1. Purpose of stay

• travel order from the Lebanese company justifying the visit for business purposes;
• invitation from the business partner in the Schengen State (with period of stay, where applicable);
• proof of business relations with the European company, if relevant;
• entry tickets to the conferences, fairs and congresses, if relevant

2. Coverage of costs (where applicable):

• undertaking to cover costs by the Lebanese company; or
• proof of sponsorship as required by Member States (cf. the website of the competent consulate).

3. Proof of accommodation:

• confirmed hotel reservation or proof of accommodation.

4. Means of transport

• confirmed reservation of a return air, bus or ferry ticket, as applicable;
• vehicle registration certificate, as applicable.

5. Business persons, traders, members of the professions:

• original of the register of commerce of the Lebanese company,
• original of the statutes of the Lebanese company;
• original of the Lebanese company's business license for the current year;
• original of the Lebanese company's general income tax statement for the current year;
• original of the Lebanese company's latest payment of other taxes;
• original personal bank statements for the last three months;
• the applicant's professional identity card or certificate from professional body, as applicable;
• original of Lebanese company's bank statements for the last three months; and/or
• other proof of assets or other means of subsistence, as applicable.

6. Employees:

• certificate of employment;
• tax payment slips for the last three months;
• original of Lebanese company's trade register;
• original of the last three pay slips;
• original personal bank statements for the last three months;
• original and copy of the Lebanese company's bank statements for the last three months; and/or
• other proof of assets or other means of subsistence, as applicable.

7. Civil servant

• official travel order,
• certificate of employment,
• original of the last three pay slips,
• original of bank statements for the last three months; and/or
• other proof of assets or other means of subsistence, as applicable

Important notice:

Additional documents, depending on the purpose of the visit (tourism, business, visiting family/friends, medical reason, official visit or others), may be requested by the Embassies/Consulates.

According to Article 47 concerning information to the general public, Member States’ central authorities and consulates shall provide the general public with all relevant information in relation to the application for a visa, in particular:

• the fact that the stamp as provided for in Article 20 has no legal implications;

• the time limits for examining applications provided for in Article 23(1), (2) and (3);

• the third countries whose nationals or specific categories of whose nationals are subject to prior consultation or information;

• that negative decisions on applications must be notified to the applicant, that such decisions must state the reasons on which they are based and that applicants whose applications are refused have a right to appeal, with information regarding the procedure to be followed in the event of an appeal, including the competent authority, as well as the time limit for lodging an appeal.