1. An old-age pension
2. Disability pension

1. An old-age pension

If you apply for a pension under Slovak law, you need to know the following.

The earliest you can qualify for an old-age pension (only in Slovak) is when you reach the retirement age (only in Slovak) under applicable Slovak law and  provided that you have been acquiring at least 15 years of pension insurance (taken as the sum of pension insurance periods in Slovakia, other EU countries, and states party to other relevant agreements). You need to apply for a pension by submitting a written application in your country of residence. When putting together your application, you will require the following documents:

• a valid identity card or passport;
• evidence of the completion of education (a certificate of apprenticeship, school-leaving certificate, diploma, or confirmation from a school of the period of study);
• a military service booklet (proof of the duration of military service);
• the birth certificates of your children or a decision by the competent authority that a child has been placed in your custody;
• confirmation of any period you have been registered as unemployed;
• documents proving periods of employment and the amount of your gross earnings;
• a death certificate (if you are applying for a survivor’s pension);
• the ‘Screening – Inspection’ form (for disability pension applications).

Pensions are paid monthly in advance in cash or to a bank account.

2. Disability pension

A disability pension (only in Slovak) may be granted only on the strength of a report of a medical examination carried out by a Social Insurance Agency medical examiner (only in Slovak). The examiner determines the extent to which disability pension applicants are unable to perform their work (their degree of disability is expressed as a percentage) and, on that basis, whether they will be granted a full or partial disability pension.

A disability pension is not converted to an old-age pension when the beneficiary reaches retirement age. A disability pensioner must apply to the Social Insurance Agency in writing for an old-age pension.

You can find all the necessary pension applications and forms here (only in Slovak).

Explanatory laws:

• Social security in Slovakia is regulated by the relevant national laws. Electronic versions of these laws are available from the online Collection of Legislative Acts at Slov-Lex.
• Besides national legislation, social security (in particular the coordination of social security systems) is also covered by Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems;
• Regulation (EC) No 987/2009 laying down the procedure for implementing Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems. The force of these two regulations extends beyond the EU Member States and also encompasses Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Switzerland. Regulations will still be applicable to and in the United Kingdom during the transition period. It is currently foreseen that the transition period ends on 31 December 2020.