Slovakia Extends National Visas for Third-Country Bus and HGV Drivers

Slovakia has extended national visas for eligible third-country professional bus and international HGV drivers, replacing the former 180-day limit with a stay covering the period of employment, up to one year. The change took effect at the beginning of 2026.

The Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family said as many as 5,000 visas in this category can be issued during 2026. That is a ceiling, not a guarantee that all will be issued.

Hauliers say the added time can ease one part of the hiring problem. The wider shortage remains.

The extension is intended to let employees adapt and complete professional training, while giving employers more time to stabilise staffing and reduce turnover. A six-month stay had not given employers enough time, the government said.

A longer stay gives employers more room to train and retain drivers

The measure applies to eligible workers from Ukraine, Serbia, Georgia, India, the Philippines, Nepal, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, among other countries. The rule covers a defined group of bus and international freight drivers, rather than every vacancy in logistics.

Stanislav Michalička of the Association of Logistics and Freight Forwarding (ZLZ SR) said some carriers have seen a modest rise in foreign drivers since the amendment. He said those workers were doing their jobs normally and as expected.

“Following the amendment to the regulation, we are seeing a slight increase in third-country drivers at some carriers. The employees are performing their work normally and as expected.”

More time can support recruitment and training, but it does not erase the time employers need to bring workers into their operations. Retention remains part of the challenge. The government’s stated purpose includes reducing staff turnover.

Hiring gaps stretch from truck cabins to warehouses

Jozef Ševčík, who heads Raben Logistics’ Slovak operation, said carriers cannot complete the work needed to prepare drivers in only a few months. Companies invest in training, and the longer visa gives that investment more time to take effect, he said.

“That cannot be achieved in a few months. A one-year visa makes sense not only for drivers, but also for us as logistics companies investing in their training.”

The difficulty reaches beyond drivers. Logistics firms also struggle to recruit warehouse workers, dispatchers and forklift drivers. A longer visa for a narrow driver group does not fill those positions.

The profession also faces a demographic squeeze. Experienced drivers are retiring, while too few younger workers are entering the field. Training and qualification costs run into thousands of euros, adding another burden for companies recruiting and preparing new drivers.

Those pressures mean the extension addresses one bottleneck rather than the full labor-market gap. The industry’s concerns include driver turnover and preparation, but also staffing across the wider transport sector. A longer stay gives firms additional time; it does not create a larger supply of workers on its own.

Residence and travel rules still complicate longer-term planning

A separate rule that took effect in July 2026 governs some workers’ move from a national visa to temporary residence for employment. They must remain in the same job, adding a condition employers need to consider when planning how to retain staff.

The Schengen 90/180-day rule also continues to complicate longer-term cross-border mobility for many foreign drivers, even when their national work authorization lasts longer. The visa extension does not remove that travel constraint.

Hauliers are seeking a steadier pipeline of foreign drivers, simpler residence rules and a longer-term labor solution. The 2026 visa measure gives employers more time to train and retain eligible drivers, but the shortages also reach workers elsewhere in logistics.