General information
What is a visa?
A foreigner entering the Republic of Slovenia must have a valid travel document, as well as a visa or residence permit.
A visa is a certificate issued by a competent diplomatic mission or consular post of the Republic of Slovenia to a foreigner; if a foreigner has a visa and there are no reasons to refuse him or her the entry, he or she may enter the country and stay for the period specified in the visa. A visa may also be issued for transit through the territory of the Republic of Slovenia if the foreigner fulfils the conditions for transit and if he or she is allowed to enter the next destination country.
The legal basis for the visa procedure is defined in the Aliens Act (official consolidated text), Ur. l. RS, no. 107/2006. The following are important provisions of the Act: Article 14 (visas and types of visas), Article 19 (issuing of visas), Article 20 (refusal to issue visas) and Article 65a (procedures at diplomatic missions and consular posts).
A visa alone does not enable an alien to enter the country. If the circumstances under which a visa was issued have changed, border authorities may refuse entry and annul the visa. A visa may also be annulled if it is subsequently established that the data submitted during the visa procedure were incorrect or that important facts were concealed.
Who does not need a visa?
If a foreigner does not need a visa to enter the country, since he or she is a citizen of a country with which the Republic of Slovenia has a visa-free regime, but the purpose of his or her entry requires a visa (tourist, business, personal or any other visit or similar purposes of the entry into the Republic of Slovenia), the foreigner may enter Slovenia with a valid passport and reside in the country for not more than 90 days in a period of six months, starting from the day of first entry.
The latest information on whether you need a visa to enter Slovenia.
Since 1 May 2004, Slovenia has fully implemented all EU regulations on free movement, entry and residence of EU citizens considered as citizens of the EEA states (EU Member States, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein).
Holders of a valid UN laissez-passer do not need a visa to enter Slovenia (regardless of citizenship).
One of the following documents suffices for the crossing of state borders by civilian aircrew members when performing their professional activity (they do not need a visa regardless of their 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.
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).
When a visa may not be issued?
A visa may not be issued if a foreigner does not fulfil all statutory conditions. More information is available under the heading Refusal of a visa. A visa cannot be issued if it is clear that a foreigner plans to stay in Slovenia for a longer period or if the stay is connected to engagement in a profitable activity.
A foreigner wishing to enter the country for other purposes or stay in the country for a longer period than provided for by a visa must be in possession of a residence permit.
Visa types
Slovene authorities may issue four types of visas. The visa type is indicated on the visa sticker in a special section and marked with the letters A, B, C or D.
Example of the section where visa type is indicated.
Airport transit visa - A
This visa enables those foreigners who are required to have it to stay in the international transit area of an airport while awaiting their connecting flight, but does not permit entry into the country.
The airport transit visa requirement is an exception to the general transit privileges that permit a foreigner to stay in the international area without a visa.
More information is avaiable in Annex 3 of the Common Consular Instructions (pdf, 3,5M).
Transit visa - B
This visa entitles a foreigner travelling from one country to another to transit through the schengen territory.
A transit visa may only be issued if the foreigner proves that he or she is permitted to enter the next country of destination after his or her stay in schengen territory. A transit visa may be issued for single or double transit and, exceptionally, multiple transits, provided that no transit through the country exceeds the number of days determined in the Duration of stay section of the visa sticker.
Example of this section (pdf, 120k).
Short-term visa - C
This visa entitles a foreigner to enter and stay in the schengen territory for tourist, business, personal or any other visits or similar purposes of entry into the territory. The purpose for which a visa was issued (pdf, 120k) is entered or properly marked in a special section of the visa.
A short-term visa may be issued for single, double or multiple entries into the country where neither a single uninterrupted stay nor the collective duration of a number of successive stays may exceed 90 days within a period of six months, starting from the day of first entry.
Long-term visa - D
This visa is issued to an alien who intends to obtain a residence permit in Slovenia to reunite his or her family.
A family member who is not an EU citizen may enter Slovenia with a valid passport and long-term visa D to reunite a family with an EU or Slovene citizen, except when the alien is a citizen of a country with which Slovenia has established a non-visa regime or when he or she is in possession of a valid passport and a residence permit issued by another EU Member State, unless otherwise determined by an international treaty.
How is the validity of a visa determined?
Visa validity is determined by the expiry date of the visa sticker, the duration of stay permitted and the number of entries permitted. Visa validity is limited by the expiry date, which depends on the purpose of the visit, previously issued visas, the validity of the passport or travel document, and other circumstances established by a competent official in the visa procedure. Airport transit visa validity may not exceed 3 months, transit visa validity 6 months, and entry visa validity normally 3 months. The validity of an entry visa may exceptionally exceed 3 months whereby the purpose of entry, previous stays in the schengen territoryand applicant’s status are taken into account.
Visa validity is additionally limited by the number of days (pdf, 120k) a visa holder may spend in schengen territory keeping with the purpose for which a visa was issued.
- With regard to the transit visa (type B), this constitutes the number of days a foreigner may spend for every transit through the territory for which the visa was issued. Transit visas may statutorily not exceed 5 days.
- With regard to the entry visa (type C), the duration of stay permitted constitutes the number of days which a foreigner may spend in the territory for which a visa was issued within the calendar validity of the visa. With regard to the entry visa, an extension is possible.
The number of entries permitted is marked with 01, 02, N or MULT, whereby these markings stand for one, two or unlimited entries. The number of entries permitted defines how many times a visa holder may enter the territory for which the visa was issued.
Visa validity expires if the expiry date lapses or if an alien uses the duration of stay permitted or the number of entries permitted. A visa becomes invalid if any of the described parameters have lapsed or been used.
Visa fees
The visa fee amounts to EUR 35 or EUR 60. Diplomatic missions and consular posts of the Republic of Slovenia may also accept the fee in the counter-value of other convertible currencies used locally.
The fee is independent of visa validity and is applicable to all visa types (except when national visa D is applied for); there is no refund under any circumstances. The amount of the fee is harmonised with the EU Council decision of 13 June 2003 (Official Journal of the European Union L 152/82 of 20 June 2003) and EU Council decision 2006/440/ES (Official Journal of the European UnionL 175, 29.6.2006, p. 77–80) and is the same at all diplomatic missions and consular posts of EU Member States abroad. The fee is collected with the visa application, and the diplomatic mission or consular post that accepted the application is obliged to deliver a confirmation of payment. If a visa is issued, the fee is indicated on the right side of the sticker, near the Remarks section. More information is avaible in Annex 12 of the Common Consular Instructions (pdf, 3,7M).
The national visa (type D) fee is EUR 60.
Where do I apply?
List of slovene diplomatic missions and consular posts where you can submit your visa application. In adition you can submit your visa application at a diplomatic mision or consular post of other schengen state where the representation has been agreed. You can find some aditional information in Table of representation (pdf, 126k).
The same information is available in the visa regime section.
You may not apply for a visa at every diplomatic mission or consular post of the Republic of Slovenia. Applications may not be submitted at missions and permanent representations of the Republic of Slovenia to international organisations or at consulates general headed by honorary consuls or honorary consuls general.
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