Persons with temporary asylum status are not obliged or able to exchange their driver's license for a Slovak one. On the contrary, foreigners with temporary residence are obliged to exchange their driver's license within 180 days of being granted residence.
"Recently, we have been registering an increased number of questions from foreigners who reside in Slovakia on the basis of various types of residence, on the topic of the obligation to exchange their driver's license for a Slovak one," explained Roman Hájek, spokesman for the Presidium of the Police Force.
According to the spokesperson, who was citing the Road Traffic Act, for the issuance of a driver's license, it is crucial that the applicant resides in Slovakia in accordance with the law. This residence may be a permanent residence of a citizen of the Slovak Republic, temporary residence of a foreigner, or other forms of residence recognized by law, for example, studying in the territory of the Slovak Republic for at least six months.
However, the status of "temporary refuge" and the so-called tolerated residence associated with it are not considered, under the law in question, to be a residence that entitles the granting of a driving license. According to the police, tolerated residence is only a temporary measure that does not have the character of a standard temporary or permanent residence. "Therefore, persons with temporary refuge status do not have the obligation or the possibility to exchange their driving license for a Slovak one," Hájek noted, adding that foreigners with temporary residence do have such an obligation.
Source: TASR
