Apostille Waived for FBI Clearances

January 13, 2011

Apostille Authentication for FBI Background Check No Longer Required

The Embassy is pleased to announce that, effective immediately, the Slovak Alien Police have waived the apostille authentication requirement for FBI background checks submitted as part of a residency permit application.

In recent months, a growing number of American citizens have reported difficulty navigating the residency process as a result of delays in receiving and authenticating documents from the United States. The Embassy has worked closely with Slovak authorities to identify ways of streamlining the residency application process in order to reduce the number of Americans whose visas expire as they await the necessary documents. This change to no longer require apostille authentication for FBI background checks removes one of the major hurdles in the residency application procedures, and we hope that it will result in a noticeably faster and easier process. We are continuing to discuss other possible changes with Slovak authorities and hope to achieve further progress later this year.

As many of you know from experience, it is highly advisable to request the FBI background check before moving to Slovakia. This is a moot point for most of you receiving this announcement, but please encourage anyone you know who is thinking of applying for long-term residency in Slovakia to begin assembling the necessary documents before arriving.

You can find updated information about the residency application process at our website.

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns about this; we are always available at:

U.S. Embassy Bratislava
P.O.Box 309, Hviezdoslavovo nam. 4, 814 99 Bratislava
Tel.: +421-2-5443 0861, Fax: +421-2-5441 8861
E-mail: consulbratislava@state.gov
Website: http://slovakia.usembassy.gov