Registering with the Labour Office

Guide to registering at the labour office

1. 1

   Registration at the labour office – advantages and disadvantages

   If you are unemployed, you can register at the labour office as a jobseeker.
   Registration is voluntary. If you do not register or do not meet the conditions, you will be considered voluntarily unemployed from the state’s perspective.

   Advantages:

   • the state pays health insurance for you,
   • you can obtain unemployment benefit (if you meet the conditions - You can find the necessary information in the Guide to Receiving Unemployment BenefitsOpens in a new window.)
   • you can use employment support contributions and programmes (for example a contribution for self-employment, i.e. starting a business),
   • you gain access to education and new skills,
   • you have access to job offers,
   • you can use counselling services and settle into a new position.

   Useful tip: Registration is worthwhile. It can help you return to the labour market faster.

   If you do not register

   • you must pay health insurance yourself (contact your health insurance company),
   • you are not entitled to unemployment benefit,
   • you cannot use labour office programmes and services (e.g. counselling, education, job offers).

   Important information
   If you want to avoid paying health insurance, register at the labour office within 10 calendar days of the end of your employment. If you register later, you must pay health insurance for every day until you are entered into the jobseekers’ register.
   Registration at the labour office also means that obligations towards the office arise for you.

   Example: Your employment ended on 15 January 2025. If you submitted your application by 25 January 2025 at the latest, you will be entered into the register from 16 January 2025, and the state will pay health insurance for you.

2. 2

   Prepare for registration

   What you will need
   To submit the Application for entry into the jobseekers’ registerOpens in a new window, prepare:

   • a valid ID card,
   • a copy of the document confirming the end of your employment relationship (for example a notice of termination or an agreement),
   • a copy of the document confirming your highest completed education (for example a school-leaving certificate or a university diploma).

   Who can register
   You can register if you are looking for employment and at the same time are not:

   • employed,
   • a full-time pupil or student,
   • a self-employed person,
   • incapable of work,
   • on maternity leave,
   • a recipient of an old-age pension.

   Exception
   If your monthly income does not exceed the subsistence minimumOpens in a new window, you may, while registered:

   • work under an agreement for at most 40 days in a calendar year (but not for an employer for whom you worked before being registered),
   • provide personal assistance to a person with a severe disability,
   • perform voluntary military service.
3. 3

   Fill in and submit the application

   Submitting the application
   Submit the Application for entry into the jobseekers’ register at the labour office:

   • in the place of your permanent residence, or
   • in the place where you usually reside.

   Electronically
   You can submit the application electronically through the Slovensko.sk portal:

   • select the relevant labour office according to the place of your permanent or temporary residence,
   • fill in the electronic form Application for entry into the jobseekers’ registerOpens in a new window,
   • sign the submission with a qualified electronic signature,
   • send the application to the relevant labour office.

   In person
   You can also submit the application in person at the labour office:

   • fill in the Application for entry into the jobseekers’ registerOpens in a new window (if you prepare it in advance, processing will be faster),
   • bring proof of identity and the required attachmentsOpens in a new window,
   • check the office hours of the labour office in the place of your permanent residence or usual residence.Opens in a new window
4. 4

   Obligations while registered at the Labour office

   While registered at the labour office you have these obligations:

   • report regularly to the labour office,
   • actively look for employment and be able to prove it.

   The labour office will assign you a caseworker and set dates for personal meetings.

   How to prove you are looking for work
   As proof of job searching you can submit, for example:

   • confirmation from an employer of a personal job application (if you applied for a position in person – the form must include the date received and the signature of the potential employer),
   • a postal receipt if you sent an application by post,
   • confirmation of sending an application to an employer by email,
   • confirmation of receipt of an application for a trade licence,
   • confirmation of the start of personal or work assistance,
   • an application for job placement (for example through an agency),
   • a response to a job offer (for example reported through the Employment services portalOpens in a new window).

   Sending confirmation electronically
   You can also send confirmation of job searching electronically through the general agendaOpens in a new window on the Slovensko.sk portal:

   • select the relevant labour office,
   • send the confirmation of job searching.

   Important information
   If you have a scheduled personal meeting at the labour office, you must attend it. Sending confirmation electronically alone is not enough.

   Reporting changes
   You must report any change that may affect your registration to the labour office within 8 calendar days.

   Calls from the labour office
   The labour office may call on you, for example, for:

   • a selection procedure,
   • participation in a programme or project,
   • a meeting with an employer. You must attend within 3 working days of the call.

   Good to know: Detailed guidance on the rights and obligations of a registered jobseeker can be found on the labour office’s websiteOpens in a new window.

5. 5

   Apply for unemployment benefit

   You can apply for unemployment benefit at the same time as submitting the application for entry into the jobseekers’ register.

   How to submit the application
   You can submit the application for unemployment benefitOpens in a new window:

   • at the labour office together with the application for registration,
   • at any branch of the Social Insurance Agency,
   • electronically through the Slovensko.skOpens in a new window portal.

   Good to know: Detailed information can be found in the Guide to receiving unemployment benefit.Opens in a new window