Happy New Year! It’s Friday, January 2, and welcome to the first edition of Today in Slovakia of 2026. Here’s hoping your start to the year has gone more smoothly than the state’s.
After the fireworks faded, Slovakia rang in 2026 with a more familiar bang: a state IT hiccup. On January 1, 400,000 users found themselves locked out of eDoklady, eIdentita and other online government services after a key security certificate expired.
The Interior Ministry later claimed the disruption was linked to scheduled maintenance, and confirmed the problem has since been fixed.
Still, not everything stalled at the start of the year.
A new Foreigners’ Police office opens in eastern Slovakia
The Foreigners’ Police department in Snina, eastern Slovakia. (source: TASR)
The Interior Ministry opened a new branch of the Foreigners’ Police in Snina, eastern Slovakia, on Friday to support Ukrainian refugees. The centre issues plastic ID cards and register new applicants for temporary protection, aiming to ease pressure on other branches nationwide.
Services offered: The facility exchanges old paper documents, issued between 2022 and 2024, for the new plastic ID cards introduced for Ukrainian refugees. It also registers new applicants seeking temporary protection.
“On the day it opened, the centre served the first 55 people,” Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok told the news agency TASR.
Capacity and staffing: Ten police officers are stationed at the Snina centre. Slovakia currently has more than 140,000 holders of temporary protection.
Growing demand: Šutaj Eštok said the number of foreigners living in Slovakia has almost quadrupled over the past decade. In 2014, fewer than 85,000 foreign nationals lived in the country. By the end of 2025, more than 360,000 held valid residence permits, according to the minister.
Appointments only: All Foreigners’ Police offices in Slovakia will continue to register applicants for temporary protection and issue plastic ID cards, but from now on only on the basis of pre-booked appointments on Thursdays. The sole exception is the Žilina office, which will handle the agenda on both Tuesdays and Thursdays. Appointments at the newly opened Snina office must also be booked in advance through an updated reservation system. Slots can be reserved up to five days ahead, and applicants are required to complete an electronic form before registering for temporary protection.
FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE:
If you like what we’re doing and want to support good journalism, please buy our online subscription with no ads. We’ll mail a copy of The Slovak Spectator print edition to your home in Slovakia each month. Thank you!
In other news
The age limit for mandatory helmet use on ski slopes was raised at the start of 2026. Under a new law, skiers aged under 18 must now wear helmets, following an amendment to the Mountain Rescue Service Act that came into force on January 1.
Slovakia’s minimum wage rose to €915 on January 1, an increase of €99 year on year, marking the largest rise in the country’s history.
Hungarian youth groups unaffiliated with political parties plan to protest on Saturday evening outside the Slovak Embassy in Budapest against Slovakia’s new law criminalising the questioning of the post-war Beneš Decrees. The amendment to the Criminal Code was signed by President Peter Pellegrini in late December. The law has drawn criticism from Hungary and sparked discontent among the Hungarian minority in Slovakia.
Fireworks used during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Slovakia again caused widespread distress to farm, domestic and wild animals, despite legal restrictions on pyrotechnics, with animals fleeing, going missing and, in some cases, dying. Animal welfare groups and municipal police say current fines are too low to deter offenders and are calling for tougher penalties or a full ban, after hundreds of complaints and repeated violations, particularly in Bratislava. (Denník N)
On Friday evening, January 2, a four-car collision in the Višňové tunnel on the D1 highway towards Martin made the section impassable, causing long traffic jams. The tunnel was opened only recently, after 27 years of waiting.
Artillery soldiers from the 5th Regiment of the Slovak Armed Forces fire 21 New Year’s salutes from towed 122mm D-30 howitzers on the banks of the Danube in Bratislava on Thursday, January 1, 2026, marking the 33rd anniversary of the establishment of the Slovak Republic. (source: TASR)
FESTIVITIES DONE, BUT NOT WINTER FUN
The festive season may be drawing to a close, but there is still plenty to do this weekend — from exploring icy gorges in Malá Fatra and Slovak Paradise to taking on a snowy challenge in the Prešov Region Winter Challenge. You can also hop on the Beliansky Express to explore the High Tatras and beyond. There is still time to enjoy Christmas markets, ice-skating and atmospheric forest walks. Prefer to stay in capital? Bratislava offers a range of free events and top activities for foreigners without leaving the city.
The lookout tower on Veľká Homoľa in winter. (source: Matúš Beňo)
DID YOU KNOW?
WEEKEND WEATHER IN SLOVAKIA
Clear to partly cloudy conditions are expected, with isolated patches of snow and lingering snow drifts in some areas. Daytime temperatures will reach between 0°C and 5°C.
Sunday: Conditions will turn colder, with temperatures in some areas falling to as low as –2°C.
Monday: The cold will intensify at the start of the week, with temperatures on Monday potentially dropping to around –4°C.
The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ) has issued a warning for northern and central Slovakia due to strong winds in the mountains and the risk of snow drifts. Motorists and pedestrians are advised to exercise caution, particularly in areas where snow cover persists and icy conditions may develop. (SHMÚ)
NAME DAYS: Daniela (January 3), Drahoslav (January 4), Andrea (January 5).
Thanks for reading our first digest of 2026. Enjoy the last of your festive treats, and we’ll see you on Monday with more news from the new year.
P.S. If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
Follow The Slovak Spectator on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram (@slovakspectator).
Join our newsletter family and never miss a Slovak moment: Today in Slovakia | Last Week in Slovakia | Slovak Science| Spectacular Slovakia | Slovak Roots