Slovenia Visa Information:

General information   Anyone wishing to enter the Republic of Slovenia is subject to border control. Border control is organised at state borders and is only performed at designated border crossings. All passengers are subject to control.

 The main purpose of border control is to prevent the entry into Slovenia of those aliens:

• whose stay would be illegal;
• whose stay would involve criminal offences or violations;
• who would misuse the entry for illegal transit to another country.

Travel documents

Persons wishing to enter Slovenia must have a relevant travel document. EU/EEA citizens do not need a passport to enter Slovenia, only a valid identity card. On the basis of a bilateral agreement, Croatian citizens may also enter Slovenia with an identity card. Slovene citizens may also enter EU/EEA countries and Croatia with a valid identity card. On the basis of a unilateral decision by the Government of Montenegro, it is possible to enter Montenegro with a Slovene identity card.

An alien wishing to enter the Republic of Slovenia needs a valid passport and a visa or residence permit, unless otherwise stipulated by law or international agreement.

Any alien who in accordance with the law does not need a permit to enter the country may stay in the Republic of Slovenia for not more than 90 days in a period of six months.

More information on whether you need a visa to enter Slovenia - choose your country.

More information on the procedure and conditions for obtaining a visa to enter the Republic of Slovenia is available here.

Special features

Convention passports

Holders of refugee travel documents (Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951) and stateless person’s travel documents (Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, New York, 28 September 1954) need a visa to enter Slovenia, unless either of these documents were issued by EU member state.

UN laissez-passer

Holders of a valid UN laissez-passer do not need a visa to enter Slovenia (regardless of citizenship).

Civilian aircrew documents

One of the following documents suffices for the crossing of a state border by civilian aircrew members when performing their professional activity (they do not need a visa, regardless of citizenship): 

• Crew Member Licence 
• Certificate 
• General Declaration 
• Aviation Licence.

If crewmembers have entered with the above documents, their movement in the country is, however, limited, since they are required:

not to leave the airport where they landed; 

to stay only in or near the airport area (for the purpose of overnight accommodation or rest); 

to leave the airport at which their aircraft has landed only for the purpose of transfer to another airport in the same country.

Seafarer’s identity document

This document is issued by a state (Geneva Convention of 13 May 1958) to its seafarers so that they can perform their work. A seafarer’s identity document is used for the crossing of state borders by seafarers on board a ship, for entry into another country to board a ship and repatriation after leaving the ship. Boarding must be indicated and approved in the document. On the basis of a seafarer’s identity document only a transit visa may be issued, since this document may be used to cross borders only in the described circumstances. 

Passport of the Sovereign Order of Malta

This case is the only exemption to the rule that passports may only be issued by states. Travel documents of the Sovereign Order of Malta are written in three languages: Italian (Sovrano Militare Ordine di Malta), French (Ordre Souverain et Militaire de Malte) and English (Sovereign Military Order of Malta). Holders of passports of the Sovereign Order of Malta do not need a visa to enter Slovenia. 

Documents for the crossing of state borders on the basis of bilateral agreements

Slovenia has concluded numerous agreements with its neighbouring countries which enable the crossing of state borders with other documents, but only on the basis of the implementation of individual agreements. These documents include border crossing permits, local border traffic cards, special border crossing permits, permits, agricultural forms, water management permits, border cards for railway transport with the Republic of Austria, and others.

RESIDENCE PERMITS FOR ALIENS RESIDING IN THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA

Aliens who wish to reside in the Republic of Slovenia for a longer period of time than allowed on the basis of a visa, or who wish to enter and reside in the Republic of Slovenia for reasons others than those possible on the basis of a visa, must have a residence permit. A residence permit constitutes a permit to enter the Republic of Slovenia and to reside for a definite period of time and for a specific purpose, or to reside for an indefinite period of time. Conditions for the issue of a permit are defined by the Aliens Act (Ur. l. RS, no. 112, 15 December 2005; official consolidated text). The first residence permit in the Republic of Slovenia is issued as a temporary residence permit; aliens must obtain permits before entering the country.

For the issue of temporary residence permits, aliens must qualify under one of the statutory reasons for which they wish to reside in the Republic of Slovenia:

• employment and work;
• family reunion with an alien possessing a residence permit in the Republic of Slovenia;
• resident status for a longer period in another EU Member State;
• study, education, specialisation or advanced professional training and practical training, cooperation or participation in programmes of international exchange of volunteers and other programmes which are not a part of the formal education system;
• other entitled persons and reasons defined by laws, international instruments or international principles and customs;
• Slovene descendants up to three-times removed.

Citizens of EU Member States, their family members and family members of Slovene citizens:

Regardless of the purpose of their entry into and stay in Slovenia, EU citizens may enter with a valid identity card or passport. In the first three months after entry, persons may reside on Slovene territory without registering residence; if the residence exceeds three months, persons must register their residence (i.e. submit an application for the issue of a residence registration certificate) at the administrative unit where the person resided before the termination of the three-month residence. The Aliens Act also defines a more convenient regime for entry into and residence in Slovenia for family members of EU citizens and Slovene citizens, when compared to other aliens.

More information on residence in the Republic of Slovenia is available on the web pages of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Slovenia. 

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