Glossary
Slovenia immigration glossary
Terms from Slovenian law and offices in plain words: what they mean, who needs them, what they cost and where to apply.
These texts were generated by AI and have not been reviewed by an editor. Every figure shows its law and source. Confirm the conditions for your case at a consultation before deciding.
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- AJPES (Agency for Public Legal Records)AJPES is the public agency that keeps the Poslovni register Slovenije (business register) and receives annual reports from companies and sole traders. Annual report deadline: by 31 March for the previous calendar year.
- ApostilleAn apostille is a certificate under the Hague Convention that confirms the signature and seal on a public document. A document from a Convention country is apostilled in the issuing country for use in Slovenia; documents from other countries need full legalisation through Slovenia's foreign ministry or an embassy.
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- Tax number (davčna številka)The davčna številka is the 8-digit tax number assigned by Slovenia's Financial Administration (FURS). Once your address in Slovenia is registered, the number is assigned automatically once your address is registered; the certificate arrives within 8 days.
- Davčno rezidentstvo (tax residency)Davčno rezidentstvo is the status of a Slovenian tax resident: a resident pays income tax on worldwide income, a non-resident only on Slovenian income. You become resident if one of these applies: a registered permanent address, habitual residence or your centre of personal and economic interests in Slovenia, or more than 183 days here in a tax year.
- DDV (davek na dodano vrednost, VAT)DDV is Slovenia's value added tax (VAT). Registering for VAT is compulsory once turnover exceeds the threshold: €60,000 of turnover in Slovenia in a calendar year. Standard rate: 22%.
- DDPO (davek od dohodkov pravnih oseb, corporate income tax)DDPO is Slovenia's corporate income tax: Slovenian companies, including a d.o.o., pay it, and so do foreign companies on profit from a permanent establishment in Slovenia. Rate: 22% (a temporary rate for 2024-2028).
- Digital identity (SI-PASS, smsPASS, certificate)Slovenian e-government services need an electronic ID, usually through SI-PASS: a qualified digital certificate or the smsPASS mobile identity. A foreigner can get both free state options once they have an EMŠO and a Slovenian tax number.
- Dividende (dividends)Dividende are the part of a company's after-tax profit paid out to its members. For individuals the tax on dividends is 25%, final tax; the company withholds and pays it on payment.
- Dohodnina (personal income tax)Dohodnina is Slovenia's personal income tax. The rates are progressive, 16%, 26%, 33%, 39% and 50%; a resident pays on worldwide income. FURS works out the annual tax itself and sends an informativni izračun (informative calculation).
- Digital nomad permit (dovoljenje za digitalne nomade)The dovoljenje za digitalne nomade is a temporary residence permit for people who work remotely for a foreign employer or their own clients outside Slovenia. You need an income of at least two average net salaries: currently about €3,400 a month; the permit is issued for up to 1 year, not renewable; reapply after a 6-month break.
- Residence permit for a family member of an EU or Slovenian citizen (dovoljenje za prebivanje za družinskega člana)The dovoljenje za prebivanje za družinskega člana is the residence permit for a non-EU relative living in Slovenia with an EU or Slovenian citizen. It is issued for 5 years, or the EU citizen's planned stay if shorter; no proof of means is needed if the EU or Slovenian citizen works.
- Permanent residence: dovoljenje za stalno prebivanjeDovoljenje za stalno prebivanje is permanent residence in Slovenia: an open-ended right to live in the country. The main condition: 5 years of continuous lawful residence and a Slovenian exam at A2 level (since 1 November 2024).
- Temporary residence permit (dovoljenje za začasno prebivanje)The dovoljenje za začasno prebivanje is Slovenia's temporary residence permit for non-EU nationals, issued for a specific purpose: work, study, family or another ground set by law. The first permit is issued for up to 2 years, unless the law sets a different term for the ground, and it is renewed on the same conditions on which it was issued.
- Study permit (dovoljenje za začasno prebivanje zaradi študija)The study permit (dovoljenje za začasno prebivanje zaradi študija) is issued to a foreigner admitted to a publicly recognised programme or exchange in Slovenia. Term: up to 1 year, renewed for up to 1 year at a time, but not beyond the studies; student work through a student service needs no separate permit.
- D.o.o. (družba z omejeno odgovornostjo, limited liability company)A družba z omejeno odgovornostjo (d.o.o.) is a Slovenian limited liability company: its members are not personally liable for its debts. Any natural or legal person can be a founder, foreigners included; the minimum share capital is €7,500. The company itself gives no residence permit: an owner who runs it needs a single permit as its director.
- Slovenian citizenship by naturalisation (državljanstvo)Slovenian citizenship by naturalisation (naturalizacija) is granted by a state decision when the conditions of the ZDRS act are met. The main condition: 10 years, the last 5 continuous. Dual citizenship: as a rule you must give up your previous citizenship; there are exceptions.
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- EMŠO (personal identification number)EMŠO (enotna matična številka občana) is the 13-digit personal number under which a person is recorded in Slovenia's population register. For a residence permit holder the number is assigned automatically: permit data flows into the central population register (CRP).
- ENIC-NARIC (centre for foreign qualifications)The ENIC-NARIC center Slovenija assesses foreign education (vrednotenje izobraževanja) and compares it with Slovenian education. The result is an opinion (mnenje) of an informative and advisory nature, which grants no rights and imposes no obligations; the assessment is mainly meant for people who want to work with a foreign diploma.
- Single permit (enotno dovoljenje)The enotno dovoljenje (single permit) combines a residence permit and the right to work in Slovenia in one document for non-EU nationals. It is issued by the upravna enota, duration: up to 2 years, renewals up to 3 years.
- Samozaposlitev (single permit for self-employment)Samozaposlitev (self-employment) as a residence ground is a single permit for people who work for themselves in Slovenia, usually as an s.p.; it needs no consent from the Employment Service (ZRSZ). The main condition: 1 year of continuous lawful residence in Slovenia; not needed if you are registered for a samostojna poklicna dejavnost (independent professional activity).
- eUprava (e-government portal)eUprava (e-uprava.gov.si) is Slovenia's state portal for electronic public services. A foreigner with an electronic ID can, for example, register a temporary address online, order a certificate of registered address and view their own data in the population register.
- eVŠ (Slovenia's university application portal)eVŠ is Slovenia's state system for university admissions: you apply online on the eVŠ portal (portal.evs.gov.si) with an electronic ID. Non-EU citizens apply through it too, for separate places.
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- Minimalna plača (minimum wage)Minimalna plača is Slovenia's minimum monthly wage for full-time work: €1,481.88 gross a month (since 1 January 2026). Paying less for a full-time job is not allowed, and a foreigner on a single permit can, as a rule, only work full time.
- MNZJU (Ministry of the Interior and Public Administration)The Ministrstvo za notranje zadeve in javno upravo (MNZJU) is the ministry responsible for migration policy and for the entry and residence of foreigners in Slovenia. Upravne enote issue the permits, and the ministry decides appeals against their decisions. The current name has applied since 17 July 2026.
- EU Blue Card (modra karta EU)The modra karta EU (EU Blue Card) is a residence and work permit for highly qualified non-EU specialists. Minimum salary: €2,536 gross a month (one average gross salary), employment contract of at least 6 months (previously 1 year).
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- Mandatory health contribution (OZP)The obvezni zdravstveni prispevek (OZP) is a flat monthly contribution to compulsory health insurance that replaced voluntary supplementary insurance. It is currently €39.36 a month (March 2026 to February 2027).
- Compulsory health insurance (obvezno zdravstveno zavarovanje)Obvezno zdravstveno zavarovanje is Slovenia's compulsory health insurance, run by ZZZS. Employees, sole traders (s.p.), pensioners and other groups are insured by law, and their spouses and children can be insured as family members.
- Personal doctor (osebni zdravnik)An osebni zdravnik is the personal doctor every insured person in Slovenia chooses for themselves and is registered with in the ZZZS system. You choose a general practitioner and a dentist, and women also a gynaecologist; up to age 19 the personal doctor is usually a paediatrician.
- Osnovni kapital (share capital)Osnovni kapital is the share capital of a d.o.o., made up of the members' contributions. Under ZGD-1 it must be at least €7,500, and each member's contribution at least €50.
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- Renewing a residence permit (podaljšanje dovoljenja za prebivanje)Podaljšanje is the renewal of a temporary residence permit in Slovenia on the same conditions on which it was issued. File before the permit expires; you can file up to 3 months ahead; while the application is pending, the certificate of a filed application lets you stay in Slovenia until the decision; with a single permit you may keep working.
- Pogodba o zaposlitvi (employment contract)A pogodba o zaposlitvi is an employment contract under ZDR-1; by default it is indefinite, and a fixed term is allowed only in cases listed by law. For a non-EU national the contract is the basis of the single permit: the first permit is issued for the length of the contract, within the legal limit (up to 2 years, renewals up to 3 years).
- Poslovodja (managing director of a d.o.o.)The poslovodja (direktor) manages a d.o.o. and represents it; they are entered in the court register (sodni register). A non-EU national who works as a director in Slovenia usually needs a single permit as a zastopnik (company representative), and the company must meet the ZRSZ conditions.
- Criminal record certificate (potrdilo iz kazenske evidence)The potrdilo iz kazenske evidence is a criminal record certificate from your country of citizenship, attached to a residence permit application in Slovenia. It is required always for a first permit; for a renewal only if the upravna enota asks; documents are prepared on the basis that it is no older than 90 days when the residence permit application is filed.
- Povprečna plača (average wage)Povprečna plača is the average wage in Slovenia according to the statistical office SURS: gross €2,708.63 a month (July 2026), net €1,695.34 a month (July 2026). The EU Blue Card and digital nomad thresholds and the minimum contributions of the self-employed are tied to it.
- Address registration (prijava prebivališča)Prijava prebivališča is the registration of a permanent or temporary address in Slovenia. Deadline: 8 days from moving in; you register at any upravna enota, or online on e-uprava with an electronic ID.
- Prispevki za socialno varnost (social security contributions)Prispevki za socialno varnost are compulsory contributions to pension, health and other social insurance in Slovenia. From the employee's salary: 23.1% of gross salary; the employer pays 17.1% on top of gross salary.
- Appeal against a refusal (pritožba)A pritožba is an appeal against a first-instance decision, such as an upravna enota refusing a permit; the ministry decides it. The general deadline is 21 days from delivery of the decision (since 7 February 2026), unless a law sets otherwise, but for some decisions ZTuj-2 sets its own deadline or allows only a lawsuit at the Upravno sodišče (Administrative Court).
- Free access to the labour market (prosti dostop do trga dela)Prosti dostop do trga dela is a foreigner's right to be employed, self-employed or work under contracts in Slovenia without consent from the Employment Service (ZRSZ). It covers permanent residents; family members of Slovenian citizens on a family permit; people of Slovenian descent with a permit; international protection holders and their families; temporary protection holders; victims of trafficking and of illegal employment.
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- S.p. (samostojni podjetnik, sole trader)A samostojni podjetnik (s.p.) is a sole trader: an individual who runs a business in their own name and is liable for its debts with all their assets, because the law does not separate business and personal property. It is entered in the Slovenian Business Register through AJPES or the SPOT portal, with no share capital. A non-EU national usually needs a single permit for self-employment to work this way.
- Court interpreter (sodni tolmač)A sodni tolmač is a sworn court interpreter appointed by Slovenia's Minister of Justice; their translation counts as certified (sodno overjen prevod). Such a translation is expressly required, for example, for a diploma assessment at ENIC-NARIC, and documents for a permit application are filed certified and translated.
- ZRSZ consent (soglasje ZRSZ)Soglasje ZRSZ is the consent of the Employment Service of Slovenia (Zavod RS za zaposlovanje) without which an upravna enota does not issue a single permit for employment. The upravna enota requests it itself; the deadline is 15 days from the upravna enota's request.
- SPOT (Slovenian Business Point)SPOT (Slovenska poslovna točka) is the state portal spot.gov.si and a network of points where you register as a sole trader (s.p.) or set up a simple limited company (d.o.o.), update the business register and file social insurance forms. Registering as a sole trader through SPOT is free of charge.
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- D visa (vizum za dolgoročno bivanje)The vizum D is Slovenia's national long-stay visa, valid from 90 days up to 1 year, no extension. Slovenian embassies and consulates issue it only for the purposes listed in Article 20 of ZTuj-2; for work and study people usually get a residence permit directly.
- Schengen C visa (vizum za kratkoročno bivanje)The vizum C is the Schengen short-stay visa for tourism, family and business visits. It allows no more than 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area; to live or work in Slovenia you need a residence permit.
- Recognition of foreign education (priznavanje izobraževanja)Under the ZVPI act, foreign education is checked in Slovenia in two ways. For work, ENIC-NARIC issues an opinion on the education (vrednotenje); for further study, the recognition decision (priznavanje) is made by the school or university you are applying to.
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- Temporary protection (začasna zaščita)Začasna zaščita is a special status that Slovenia grants, under an EU Council decision, to people who fled the war in Ukraine. It is extended until 4 March 2028 and gives the right to live in Slovenia and work freely.
- Sufficient means of subsistence (zadostna sredstva za preživljanje)Zadostna sredstva za preživljanje are the income or savings a foreigner shows for a residence permit. ZTuj-2 ties the minimum to the basic minimum income (osnovni znesek minimalnega dohodka): currently €507.43 a month (since 1 March 2026).
- ZRSZ (Employment Service of Slovenia)ZRSZ (Zavod RS za zaposlovanje, website ess.gov.si) is Slovenia's public Employment Service. For foreigners it gives consent for the single permit and the EU Blue Card, and it registers as unemployed those who are entitled to it.
- ZZZS (Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia)ZZZS (Zavod za zdravstveno zavarovanje Slovenije) is the public institute that runs compulsory health insurance in Slovenia. Every insured person gets a health insurance card (kartica zdravstvenega zavarovanja): it is issued automatically on your first registration for insurance, with no application, and posted to your registered address in Slovenia.
- Family reunification (združitev družine)Združitev družine is the residence permit for family members of a foreigner living in Slovenia on a temporary or permanent permit. The general rule: with a temporary permit: the last year living in Slovenia on a permit, and a permit issued for at least 1 year; a permanent resident need not wait. EU Blue Card holders, digital nomads and some other groups can apply straight away.
- ZTuj-2 (Zakon o tujcih, Aliens Act)ZTuj-2 (Zakon o tujcih) is Slovenia's main act on entry and residence of non-EU nationals: types of permit, grounds, durations and refusals. Latest major amendment: ZTuj-2I, Official Gazette 32/25, in force since 21 May 2025.