Moving around and outside Slovakia: Transport Information

Wise

09.03.22 (updated more than 1 year ago)

5 minute read

The government of Slovakia is allowing those who are fleeing the war in Ukraine to enter into Slovakia. This includes Ukrainian citizens and third-country nationals.

There are 3 main border towns from which refugees can cross into Slovakia:

In addition, the government of Slovakia has opened additional points along the border to handle the large number of people crossing over. These points are located at:

Ulíč
Čierna nad Tisou

⚠️ Arriving by rail is suspended at the border crossing of Čierna nad Tisou for passengers.

All those seeking refuge in Slovakia are to be taken in at either of the 5 registration points listed above. This includes individuals and families that are:¹

Ukrainian biometric passport holders
Ukrainians with a Ukraine driver's licence, or those with Ukrainian government-issued ID
Permanent residents of Ukraine
Third-country nationals with passports (even without biometric data), ID or driver's licence

The government of Slovakia recommends carrying identification documents, especially a passport or government-issued ID when crossing into Slovakia. Even for those with damaged or invalid documents, it's best to take them or photocopies.²

Here are a list of additional documentation that would be helpful, or required in case of children:

ID card
Driver's licence
Residence permit in Ukraine
Birth certificates of children
Medical records for all individuals

Those without any documentation at all can request for international protection by Slovakia at the border point. This is done on a case-by-case basis before entering the country.

Pets are allowed to enter Slovakia, even animals without a pet passport, microchips, or vaccination. Owners will need to make sure to complete the form at the registration point for their pets.

Once you have entered Slovakia, you are entitled to stay for up to 90 days. If you have the appropriate documents, such as a biometric passport, you can apply for temporary refuge which can be obtained quickly, rather than asylum. Temporary refuge will allow for a longer stay than 90 days.

Slovakia has ensured there will be accommodation, food, and health care provided to refugees in the municipalities at the border crossings.

There are accommodations provided near the registration points, with an emergency camp near Humenné. At the camp, there are 30 tents with camp beds, sleeping bags, mats, heating and lighting, and a canteen tent. Overall, Humenné can hold up to 500 people.

Foreigners or third-country nationals seeking asylum in Slovakia may be placed in the detention centre in Humenné. The government of Slovakia however is helping get repatriation flights for third-country nationals seeking to return home.

However, the European Union has recently passed an agreement to let Ukrainian citizens and permanent residents stay in EU nations for up to 1 year. This includes provisions to stay, work, education, and health. If the conflict has not concluded within a year, this can extend for up to 2 years.

This agreement does not extend to third-country nationals but allows support for them in returning to their home countries.³

For non-Ukrainian nationals, there is a government hotline at +380 934 185 684 for additional help.

How to move around Slovakia?

Upon entering, you can continue to a destination in Slovakia, head to the capital of Bratislava, or further into Europe.

Certain municipalities at the border crossings are helping to arrange for transport to points further into Slovakia. But here are a list of options for moving around Slovakia and any help offered to Ukrainian refugees.

In Bratislava, the IDS BK -which is the city’s integrated transport system- is giving free rides to Ukrainian citizens. This includes rides on all 3 regional carriers, Transport Company Bratislava, Railway Company Slovakia, and Arriva Mobility Solutions, for regional buses, trains, or trams. Ukrainians will need to produce a passport or ID card to ride any of these services within the city for free.⁴

Bus

Slovak Lines is providing all Ukrainian citizens with a free bus ticket on selected routes:

Schwechat Airport (roundtrip)
Vienna (roundtrip)

With Slovak Lines partners, LeviTour and CK DAKA, Ukrainian citizens can also ride free either way from:

Humenné
Prešov
Košice
Bardejov
Rimavská Sobota

As long as you have a Ukrainian passport, there is a free seat on the bus, and with the driver’s approval for boarding, you will be able to ride for free.

Slovak Lines has also set up an Info Point specifically for Ukrainian refugees at the Navy station in Bratislava. It can be found on floor -1 and is operating from 09:00 until 15:00 pm daily.⁵

Free bus travel for Ukrainian citizens may be available for suburban travel from Trnava.

Trains

The Slovakian railway ZSSK (Železničná spoločnosť SR) is providing free train travel to Ukrainian citizens. Citizens will need to show a passport or valid ID to receive the free ticket at train stations across Slovakia

ZSSK runs trains to 69 of the 79 districts in Slovakia and stops at 698 train stations across the country. They are a good option if you are looking for domestic travel. The train timetable is available through the ZSSK website.⁶

Specifically, the InterCity train run by ZSSK is a fast train that offers west to east train service in the country, connecting Bratislava via Zilina to Kosice. Tickets are free for Ukrainian citizens on the InterCity train as well.⁷

For any questions, ZSSK can be contacted through the website’s live chat box between 8 am-8 pm. Or by phone at 18188 domestically or +421244858188 internationally. They can also be reached by email at: info@slovakrail.sk

ZSSK is also active on Twitter, at @zssk_mimoriadne, to stay up to date on train times, additions, or changes.

International trains leaving Slovakia will be covered in the next section.

Taxis

You can order a taxi through mobile apps or by calling local taxi services. The Slovakian tourism board suggests booking a taxi through one of the apps rather than hailing one on the street. Here are a few options, particularly in and around Bratislava.⁸

Taxi services- App (all are available on iOS and Android)

Hopin Taxi is a local company that operates in Bratislava and the following cities:

Košice
Humenné
Prievidza
Martin
Trnava
Senica
Banska Bystrica

Hopin works similarly to Uber or Bolt but has more reach across cities in Slovakia.

Neither Uber, Hopin, nor Bolt are offering discounts or rides to Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia at the time of this article’s publication.

Taxi services- local operators

Be sure to get a fair quote before using one of the local taxis. There are no discounts provided at the moment across private taxi operators, but you can ask the companies individually.

How to go from Slovakia to a neighbouring country

If you are looking to head beyond Slovakia, there are a few methods for different directions into Europe. Many transportation services are offering Ukrainian citizens and their families discounts on travel.

One of the nearest international cities to Bratislava is Vienna, Austria with only a distance of 80km. There are a few ways to get to Vienna:

Transport	Options
Bus	Operational by Slovak Lines to Vienna & Schwechat Airport. Ukrainian citizens can ride for free
Train	ZSSK Intercity train runs to Vienna for free for Ukrainian citizens
Taxi service	There are specific taxi services from Bratislava that can take you to Vienna and the Vienna airport

ÖBB Austria, which is offering free tickets to Ukrainian refugees, from Vienna makes it easy to catch a train further into Europe for Germany, Italy, Poland, Brussels, and Zurich. Similarly, Schwechat Airport in Austria can be a central hub for international flights.

Here are additional night trains that ZSSK offers from Bratislava to Prague/ Praha, Budapest, Warsaw, and Berlin:⁹

Route	Stations
EN 442 Slovakia	Humenné - Košice - Žilina - Praha hl. N.)
EN 443 Slovakia	Prague - Žilina - Košice - Humenné
EN 476 Metropol / IC574 / EN 456 Nightjet / EN 406 Chopin	Budapest Keleti pu. - Bratislava hl. St. - Břeclav - Praha / Krakow - Warszawa / Berlin
EN 407 Chopin / EN 457 Nightjet / IC575 / EN 477 Metropol	Berlin / Warszawa - Krakow / Praha - Břeclav - Bratislava hl. St. - Budapest Keleti pu.
R 800 Poľana / EC 282 Metropolitan Slovenská strela	Prešov - Košice - Rožňava - Zvolen os. St. - Nové Zámky - Bratislava hl. St. - Brno - Praha hl. N.
EC 283 Metropolitan Slovenská strela / R 801 Poľana	Prague hl. N. - Bratislava hl. St. - Nové Zámky - Zvolen os.st. - Rožňava - Košice - Prešov

If a bus is more feasible, Flixbus runs internationally from Bratislava to the following destinations:¹⁰

Vienna
Prague
Warsaw
Dresden
Brussels
Leipzig
Sarajevo
Ljubljana
Luxembourg
Trieste
Munich
Hamburg
Strasbourg
Györ
Bucharest
Hanover

Flixbus is offering free tickets for refugees, but only from the Polish and Romanian departure stations of Przemyśl, Rzeszów or Bucharest.

Lastly, if you are looking to fly out from Slovakia, WizzAir is offering 100,000 free seats to Ukrainian refugees. You must show your Ukrainian passport when getting the ticket and when you are checking in.¹¹

WizzAir flights depart from Bratislava, Kosice, and Poprad-Tatry airports. Destinations include:

London
Doncaster/Sheffield
Skopje
Sofia

Main transportations

Here is a quick list of the major transportation hubs across Slovakia.

Main train stations¹²

International airports¹³

Main bus stations¹⁴

There may be more bus stations across the country, ranging from ones in small towns to city centres. You can expect that there are more facilities available such as bathrooms and food at the bus stations in the major cities.

Sources:

All sources checked as of 8 March, 2022

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