Immigration to Slovenia
This small state in Central Europe is attractive for a number of reasons. Slovenia is a member of the European Union and the Schengen agreement. It has a stable economy, a favorable environment and everything you need for a good vacation: mountains, seaside, mineral springs, beautiful cities with attractions. Slovenia has a low cost of living, but wages are not the lowest in the European Union. Education is inexpensive, medicine is of high quality and social security of citizens is at a high level.
The stay of foreign citizens on the territory of Slovenia, including the conditions for granting them a residence permit, is regulated by the Law on Foreign Citizens (Zakon o tujcih) of June 5, 1991 and the Law on Employment of Foreign Citizens (Zakon o zaposlovanju in delu tujcev) of April 8, 2011.
Today, the grounds for obtaining a residence permit in Slovenia are:
- Business immigration: buying or opening a company in Slovenia and employment in it.
- Employment: under an employment contract with a Slovenian employer (if there is no other suitable candidate in Slovenia), through obtaining an EU blue card (for highly qualified specialists).
- Kinship or Slovenian descent to the third generation in the direct line, who already legally resides in Slovenia.
- Family reunification: a request for family reunification can only be sent after one year of the main applicant's official residence.
- Study in universities of the country. Mandatory conditions – the presence of a confirmation of enrollment in an educational institution and the ability to cover the cost of living and study.
- Marriage to a Slovenian citizen.
- Research and scientific work, teaching at colleges or universities in the country.
- Persecution in the home country, etc.
