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Employment of Relatives of the Staff of Diplomatic Missions

The employment of relatives of diplomatic and consular staff in the Slovak Republic is regulated by Act No. 5/2004 on Employment Services, as amended (the “Employment Act”).

 

The Employment Act provides that nationals of those states that are contracting parties to the EEA agreement, as well as nationals of Switzerland and their family members, enjoy the same status as the citizens of the Slovak Republic, unless the Employment Act provides otherwise. These nationals have access to employment without any work permit, which is in compliance with Article 1 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 1612/68 on the freedom of movement for workers within the Community.

 

The nationals of third countries have access to employment without a work permit provided that the condition stipulated in Section 22 (7/h) of the Employment Act is met. Under that condition, a foreign national in the Slovak Republic who is a relative of a diplomatic mission, consular office or international organisation staff member residing in the Slovak Republic is not required to procure a work permit if an international agreement signed on behalf of the Government of the Slovak Republic guarantees reciprocity. The inter-governmental agreements on the employment of the relatives of diplomatic mission and consular office staff fall within the remit of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic.

 

To date, the Slovak Republic has signed agreements on the employment of family members of diplomatic mission staff with the United States of America (No. 178/1995), the Kingdom of the Netherlands (No. 286/1997), the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (No. 287/1997), the Republic of Turkey (No. 259/2002), Canada (No. 343/2005), the Republic of Slovenia (No. 167/2010) and Switzerland (432/2010).