Slovenia - Student

You should submit your application for a first temporary residence permit for the purpose of study at a diplomatic mission or consular post of the Republic of Slovenia abroad.

If you already legally reside in the Republic of Slovenia on the basis of a valid identity card, valid passport, on the basis of a valid passport and residence permit issued by another EU Member State, on the basis of a visa C issued by the competent authority of the Republic of Slovenia or another state party to the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985 or on the basis of a visa D issued by the competent authority of another EU Member State for study purposes and you submit evidence of enrolment, you may apply for a first temporary residence permit at the competent administrative unit in the Republic of Slovenia.

In cases from the preceding paragraph, you may reside in the territory of the Republic of Slovenia for 90 days from the date of entering the country or until the expiry of the permit or visa if this period is shorter. You must apply for a first temporary residence permit at the competent administrative unit in the Republic of Slovenia before the expiry of the authorised 90-day stay or before the expiry of the residence permit or visa if this period is shorter. You shall be issued a certificate of timely application at the competent administrative unit in the Republic of Slovenia, which shall serve as a temporary residence permit until the final decision on the application. The certificate issued permits you to reside in the Republic of Slovenia for the purpose of studying.

Application form

An application for the issue or renewal of a temporary residence permit for the purpose of study shall be made using the form no. 8/1 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.

Fees

The administrative fee for issuing a first temporary residence permit is 102 EUR, if the application is lodged at a diplomatic mission or consular post of the Republic of Slovenia abroad.

The administrative fee for issuing a temporary residence permit is 50 EUR, if the application is lodged at the administrative unit in the Republic of Slovenia.

The price of the residence permit card is 12 EUR.

When applying for a temporary permit for the study purposes, 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 – it is sufficient to submit the form of a written statement by your parents or your statutory representative confirming that they will financially support you during the studies if this is required under the law of your country of citizenship;
• a certificate from the criminal record of your home country;
• evidence of acceptance to the study, education, specialisation or advanced professional training course issued by the educational institution that accepted you as a student or confirmation from the state authority that is responsible for the implementation of international or bilateral agreements or is the grant-awarding authority, or confirmation issued by a state-authorised organisation responsible for the implementation of a specific course.

You must register the place of your residence at the nearest administrative unit within three days from the day you enter the Republic of Slovenia.

Residence permits for the purpose of studying are granted for the duration of the course but for a maximum of one year.  If the studies, education, specialisation or advanced professional training last longer than one year, the permit shall be extended on an annual basis.

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.

Decisions of the Administrative Unit may be challenged before the Ministry of the Interior.

More on entering and residing in Slovenia

More on studying in Slovenia

A third-country national studying or being educated in the Republic of Slovenia who holds a temporary residence permit issued for study purposes may also take up employment or perform work in the Republic of Slovenia during the validity of the permit under the conditions laid down in the Acts governing employment relationships and student work.

If you want to work in Slovenia after your studies, your future employer may initiate an application for an employment permit and you may apply for a further temporary residence permit. In-country applications are possible.

If you want to change status and reside in Slovenia for a reason other than research or education in the higher education sector, you may apply for a further temporary residence permit. This must be done before the 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 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 reunification.

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.

The period of your residence in the Republic of Slovenia on the basis of a temporary residence permit for study and vocational training purposes shall be counted as half of the period for issuing a permanent residence 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 abroad or at the administrative units in Slovenia.

More information on permanent residence permit