Where and how to apply

An application to obtain a single permit for work may be submitted by you or your employer.

Application submitted by you

You must apply for a first single permit for work at a diplomatic mission or consular post of the Republic of Slovenia abroadSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••, except in special cases (listed underneath), in which the application may also be lodged at the administrative unitSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN••• in the area where you reside in the Republic of Slovenia.

You can apply in the Republic of Slovenia if you already legally reside in the country and you are:

• a sports coach, a professional athlete or a private sports worker who is already registered in the register of professional athletes or a record of private sports workers and you have an employment contract or a contract of work with a club or a sports organisation with headquarters in Slovenia,
• a person who intends to enter the priesthood or pursue a monastic activity within a registered religious community in Slovenia, or a person who will organise or conduct a charitable and humanitarian activity within a recognised humanitarian organisation or a registered religious community, and you submit a certificate from a registered religious community on pursuing activities in that community or a certificate from a recognised humanitarian organisation on organising or managing charitable and humanitarian activities in this organisation,
• a reporter for foreign media or a foreign correspondent and you are already accredited in Slovenia or you are in the process of extending accreditation,
• a person who, based on the submission of the opinion of the competent ministry, demonstrates the existence of an economic interest in Slovenia,
• a person who, based on the submission of the opinion of the competent ministry, demonstrates the existence of the interest of Slovenia in education, science, and culture.

In these cases, make sure to submit the application before the expiry of the valid legal residence (before the expiry of the allowed 90-day residence without a residence permit or expiry of a visa).

Application submitted by the employer

Alternatively, your employer may also apply for a first single permit for work at a diplomatic mission or consular post of the Republic of Slovenia abroadSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN••• or at the administrative unitSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN••• in the area where the employer is established or where the activity is performed in the Republic of Slovenia.

Application form

An application for the issue or renewal of a single permit for work shall be made using the form no. 1/1 set out in Annex 1 of the Rules on issuing residence permits, the method of capturing fingerprints and the modalities of the termination of the residence permit.

The application form is also available at diplomatic missions or consular posts of Slovenia abroadSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN••• or at the administrative unitsSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN••• in Slovenia.

Fees

The administrative fee for issuing a single residence and work permit is 102 EUR, if the application is lodged at a diplomatic mission or consular post of the Republic of Slovenia abroadSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••.

The administrative fee for issuing a single residence and work permit is 70 EUR, if the application is lodged at the administrative unitSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN••• in the Republic of Slovenia.

The price of the residence permit card is 12 EUR.

Documents required

To obtain a first single permit for work, you must submit to the administrative unit:

• a personal photography;
• a valid travel document or a certified photocopy of the travel document that is valid for at least three months beyond the intended residence in the Republic of Slovenia;
• proof of adequate health insurance covering at least emergency medical services in the Republic of Slovenia, when you state that you are not compulsorily insured in the Republic of Slovenia;
• proof of sufficient means of subsistence during residence in the country, or other guarantees that means of subsistence will be provided, every month, in an amount corresponding to at least the basic minimum income in the Republic of Slovenia (more information about sufficient means of subsistenceSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••);
• the employment or work contract, signed by the employer;
• certificate from the criminal record of your home country;
• other evidence demonstrating compliance with the Act governing the employment and work of foreigners regarding the granting of consent to the issuance of a single residence and work permit.

The competent administrative unit shall ex officio obtain consent to the issuance of the single permit from the Employment Service.

Duration of validity of permits/visas

A first single permit for work is issued for the period of validity of the employment or work contract, but not for more than one year.

Conditions for renewal

A single permit for work may be extended under the same conditions as those applicable to its issuance. A third-country national must apply for the extension of a permit with the competent authority in the Republic of Slovenia prior to the expiry of the permit.

It can be extended for the period of validity of the employment or work contract, but not for more than two years.

Appeals

Decisions of administrative units may be challenged before the Administrative Court.

Further information

More on entering and residing in Slovenia

More about the single residence and work permit

Consent from the Employment Service to the issuance of the single permit for work is tied to a specific employer or contractor. This means that you cannot change job within the same employer, change employer, or take up employment with two or more employers unless you apply for written approval of the administrative unit, which shall issue written approval in the form of a decision after receiving consent from the Employment Service in accordance with the Act governing the employment and work of foreigners.

In-country application for issuance of written approval is possible.

Application form for written approval

An application for the issuance of written approval shall be made using the form no. 2/1 set out in Annex 1 of the Rules on issuing residence permits, the method of capturing fingerprints and the modalities of the termination of the residence permit.

The form is also available at diplomatic missions or consular posts of Slovenia abroadSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN••• or at the administrative unitsSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN••• in Slovenia.

A temporary residence permit shall not be annulled as regards a third-country national whose employment or work was terminated through no fault of his or her own if he or she acquired unemployment insurance in accordance with the Act governing the labour market, as long as he or she is entitled to such rights.

More information about unemployment benefits

If you wish to change status and reside in Slovenia for a reason other than that for which the permit was originally issued, you may apply for a further temporary residence permit. This must be done before expiry of the original temporary residence permit.

In-country applications are possible.

If you resided last year in the Republic of Slovenia on the basis of a temporary residence permit and you have a valid temporary residence permit issued for at least one year (except if you have a single permit for seasonal work or cross-border work), you become entitled to family reunification with the following family members:

• your spouse, partner in a civil partnership or civil union or partner with whom you are in a long-term relationship;
• your unmarried minor children;
• the minor unmarried children of your spouse, a partner in a civil partnership or civil union or partner with whom you are in a long-term relationship;
• your parents, if you are a minor and you have resided with them in a family community before your arrival to the Republic of Slovenia;
• your adult unmarried children and parents of yours, spouse, a partner in a civil partnership or civil union or partner with whom you are in a long-term relationship, whom you, your spouse, partner in a civil partnership or civil union or partner with whom you are in a long-term relationship is obliged to maintain under the Acts of his or her country of citizenship.

In exceptional cases, the competent authority may deem another relative of yours to be a family member if special circumstances justify family reunification in the Republic of Slovenia. In the event of a polygamous marriage, a residence permit for the purpose of family reunification may only be issued and extended to one spouse.

Your family member(s) must obtain a temporary residence permit for the purpose of family reunificationSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••.

After five continuous years of legal residence on the basis of a temporary residence permit, you can apply for a permanent residence permit.

The condition of five years of continuous legal residence in the Republic of Slovenia on the basis of a temporary residence permit or a certificate of application for the issuance or extension of a subsequent temporary residence permit or a certificate of application for a first temporary residence permit, which allows a third-country national, pending a decision on the application for a first temporary residence permit, to reside in the Republic of Slovenia is satisfied even if you were absent from the Republic of Slovenia in this period and a temporary residence permit or a certificate of application for the issuance or extension of a subsequent temporary residence permit was not issued to you, provided that these absences were shorter than six consecutive months and did not exceed a total of ten months.

Pending a decision on the application for a permanent residence permit, you must reside in the Republic of Slovenia on the basis of a temporary residence permit.

If you have been issued a permanent residence permit for having fulfilled the five-year continuous legal residence period you also acquire an EU long-term resident status, which is properly indicated on the permit.

Application form

An application for the issuance of a permanent residence permit shall be made using the form no. 28/1 set out in Annex 1 of the Rules on issuing residence permits, the method of capturing fingerprints and the modalities of the termination of the residence permit.

The application form is also available at diplomatic missions or consular posts of Slovenia abroadSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN••• or at the administrative unitsSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN••• in Slovenia.

More information on permanent residence