Slovenia – Self-employed worker

Are you a non-EU citizen wishing to work as a self-employed person in Slovenia? You can find information below on the conditions to fulfil and procedures to follow, as well as the rights you can enjoy during your stay.

If you wish to work as a self-employed person in Slovenia, you must obtain a single permit for work as a self-employed personSearch for available translations of the preceding link.

Before engaging in self-employed activities in Slovenia, you must have been residing in Slovenia on the basis of a valid residence permit for at least one year except in the case you entered in the business register as a person pursuing a professional activity in a self-employed capacity (for example as a lawyer, private doctor, detective, etc.).

 

Where and how to apply

You must apply for a single permit for a self-employed worker at a diplomatic mission or consular post of the Republic of Slovenia abroadSearch for available translations of the preceding link or at the administrative unitSearch for available translations of the preceding link in the area where you reside in the Republic of Slovenia.

Application form

An application for the issue or renewal of a single permit for a self-employed person shall be made using form no. 3/1 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 the administrative unitsSearch for available translations of the preceding link in Slovenia.

Fees

The administrative fee for issuing a first 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 link.

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 link in the Republic of Slovenia. 

The price of the residence permit card is 12 EUR.

Documents required

When applying for a single permit for a self-employed person, 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 link);
  • a certificate from the criminal record of your home country.
Further requirements

A third-country national with a valid temporary residence permit or long-stay visa who does not reside with an accommodation provider or host shall register temporary residence at the address where he or she temporarily resides with the administrative unitSearch for available translations of the preceding link within eight days of the day of taking up temporary accommodation, while a third-country national who already resides at the address and obtains a temporary residence permit or long-stay visa after taking accommodation at this address shall register within eight days of his/her service.

Duration of validity of permits

A single permit for a self-employed person is issued for the period necessary to fulfil the purpose of residence, but not for more than one year. 

It can be extended for up to two years provided that you still fulfil the conditions required for issuing the first residence permit.

Conditions for renewal

A temporary residence permit 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.

Appeals

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

Further information

More on entering and residing in Slovenia

More on self-employment in Slovenia

Change of business activities

No restrictions apply to change of activities.

Change of status

If you wish to change status and reside in Slovenia for a reason other than self-employment, 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.

Family members

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 in 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 link.

Long-term residence

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 link or at the administrative unitsSearch for available translations of the preceding link in Slovenia.

More information on permanent residence permit

No information available