Source: Civil Registry and Migration Department
Beneficiaries
Third-country nationals residing in areas controlled by the Government of the Republic legally and continuously for the last five years prior to the submission of the application and holding a valid residence permit in the Republic are eligible to apply for long term residency permit.
Periods of Absence
Periods of absence from the areas controlled by the Government of the Republic shall not interrupt the period of residence and shall be taken into account for its calculation where they are shorter than six consecutive months and do not exceed in total 10 months within the relevant 5-year period.
Exemptions
- Students or persons residing in the Republic for vocational training purposes;
- Persons who have been authorized to reside on the basis of subsidiary protection other than international protection or have applied for such a permission;
- Asylum seekers;
- Persons residing in the Republic, solely on a temporary basis (e.g., unpaid domestic workers, seasonal workers) or salaried employees employed by a cross-border service provider or in cases where their residence permit has been officially restricted;
- Persons subject to the 1961, 1963 and 1975 Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic, Consular.
It takes approximately 6-12 months for the examination of the application to be completed.
If the application is approved, then the applicant will receive the residency permit for 5 years. Furthermore, it can be renewed for unlimited validity however it must be renewed upon expiration in 10 years.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.