Who can open an account in a bank in Slovakia and how to do it?

When emigrating to another country for a comfortable life, opening a bank account is on the list of initial cases. This also applies to Slovakia, where the euro is in circulation. Everyone who is in the country on legal grounds can do this to conduct cash settlements and transactions, to make savings. If you want to emigrate, you need to know how to open a bank account in Slovakia.

What documents need to be prepared

A foreign citizen or a native resident can open an account in a Slovak financial institution if he/she has:

• passport or residence permit issued in an EU member state;
• a passport issued in a country that is not part of the European Union, and a permanent residence permit in Slovakia.

It is better to check the required list of documents for opening an account in the selected bank. For example, some institutions need to:

• confirmation of the actual place of residence;
• identification code;
• for students - a document confirming the training.

You can open an account in person or online, by notarized power of attorney. All this depends on the conditions of a particular bank.

How to open a bank account in Slovakia for a non-resident

A non-resident in this case is a person who does not have the citizenship of any EU country and does not have a permanent residence permit in Slovakia. The laws of Slovakia do not contain any prohibitions or restrictions on the opening of accounts by foreigners in the banking institutions of the country. The entire procedure (obligations of the financial institution, customer identification) is regulated by law.

But in practice, not every Slovak bank provides this service to non-residents, in each case there are different approaches and requirements. For example, Tatra Bank said that it helps Ukrainian refugees and opens an account opening service for them without a residence permit. To do this, you need to provide:

• Ukrainian identity card (full name, citizenship, date of birth and place of registration must be indicated);
• the number of the individual taxpayer card;
• proof of temporary residence (issued when applying for temporary asylum).

You can open an account at any branch of the bank in person.

There is such a service for Ukrainians in the bank Slovenská sporiteľňa. Here, only an identity card and a residence permit or confirmation of crossing the state border will be required. The procedure is carried out in any department with personal presence.

Joined the initiative 365.bank, Post Bank, ČSOB Slovensko. In these institutions, they ask to provide only a Ukrainian passport from the documents. You can go through the opening procedure at any branch or online. You can open a smart account at ČSOB Bank: register online and upload a scanned copy or photo of your passport. The bank will then call and give further instructions.

There are also banks in Slovakia where you could open an account before. In Slovenská sporiteľňa, when applying, they will require:

• international passport;
• documents that confirm the connection with Slovakia - a valid employment contract, a certificate of marriage with a citizen of Slovakia, confirmation of temporary residence.

VÚB branches open accounts for foreigners who have already received a residence permit. The employee will ask you to provide:

• international passport;
• documents confirming the presence of a permanent address of residence outside the country (accounts, bank statements);
• additional justification for the need for the procedure - certificate of availability of property, marriage, current employment contract, confirmation of training, etc.

Some banks require additional documents (with the exception of a passport) to be translated into local or English. Also, they must be affixed with apostilles - stamps certifying the authenticity of signatures and seals.

The time frame in each institution is also different, the minimum period is 7 working days from the start of the procedure. Banks do not guarantee a positive decision to open an account, this is not affected by the quantity and quality of the documents provided. Rejection can be due to various factors. The first in the risk zone are citizens of Iran, North Korea or Syria.

to corporative clients

It is also possible to open a corporate account in Slovakia. Here, foreigners and companies with foreign capital are treated loyally, so there are practically no restrictions on opening accounts for non-resident companies. For the procedure you need to prepare:

• certificate from the state register;
• identity card indicating the place of residence;
• questionnaires of directors, shareholders;
• completed application;
• statutory documents;
• income statement;
• indication of the account currency and service language.

Depending on the financial institution, additional documents may be required - a description of the type of activity, banking recommendations.