The Slovenian police have been guarding the borders of the Republic of Slovenia continuously since the founding of our country and are an equal and respected member of the European border police family. Their work ensures a high level of security for the people of Slovenia and the entire Schengen area.

Thanks to the good training and equipment of the Slovenian police and compliance with all European standards, Slovenia has been a full member of the Schengen area since 2007, which allows the country’s residents to travel, work and reside freely within the Schengen borders.

When Slovenia's entry into the Schengen area in 2007 led to the lifting of border checks at the borders with Italy, Austria and Hungary, the Slovenian police started to implement the so-called compensatory measures, which have replaced the abolished border checks at internal Schengen borders. After Croatia became a full member of the Schengen area on 1 January 2023 and the external Schengen border was moved to Croatia's southern border, Slovenian police officers started to apply compensatory measures along the Slovenian-Croatian border as well. This allows us to continue to provide the security of Slovenia and the EU as a whole, despite free movement of travellers.

We are proud that we are able to effectively address new and often unexpected challenges posed by global change and social developments. In 2015 and 2016, for example, we successfully managed the influx of migrants through the country, and in 2020 we had to temporarily establish a special regime for crossing our state borders to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

We are confident that migration and other issues will continue to have a strong impact on our work in the future. All this will require even more intensive involvement in international activities, including at the outermost borders of the Schengen area. Whether they are performing their duties at home or abroad, we are proud that Slovenian police officers are known for their professionalism, ethics and respectful attitude towards fellow human beings and their dignity.

From document checks to migration prevention – the tasks of police officers at state border and inland

The scope of police work at state borders and in the interior is very broad and varied. It includes border checks, which since Croatia's accession to the Schengen area have been carried out at only five border crossing points, three for international air traffic (at the Jože Pučnik Ljubljana, Edvard Rusjan Maribor and Portorož airports) and two for international sea traffic (at the ports of Koper and Piran), as well as compensatory measures. The latter are aimed at preventing, detecting and investigating cross-border crime, preventing irregular migration and carrying out tasks related to the legislation on foreigners, all of which is implemented throughout the territory of Slovenia to compensate for the abolished border surveillance.

Police officers prevent, detect and investigate cross-border crime, the use of forged and falsified travel documents and other documents, crimes related to unauthorised border crossings, smuggling of people, illicit substances in sport, illegal drugs, weapons, ammunition and stolen vehicles, etc. Officers are specially trained to detect and deal with such cases and have special vehicles and equipment at their disposal. They are supported by various equipment (such as the Schengen bus, document readers, thermal imaging cameras, drones, etc.) and ITC devices.

The support of the Schengen Information System, a common electronic database of alerts on persons and objects, is extremely important. Other EU information systems are also being introduced in line with the European legislation, such as the Entry/Exit System - Regulation (EU) 2017/2226, ETIAS - Regulation (EU) 2018/1240 and other information systems included under the umbrella of the interoperability of EU information systems - Regulation (EU) 2019/817.

There are also two international police cooperation centres - one in Thörl-Maglern (Vrata-Megvarje) and the other in Dolga vas, which play an important role, helping us to exchange information quickly 24 hours a day with all the neighbouring countries, as well as through the network of such centres across Europe. We are also closely involved in the work of Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, which strengthens cooperation between member states in external border control. Many Slovenian police officers have participated in various forms of training organised by the Agency. We regularly host police officers from other countries in joint operations at our external borders, and every year dozens of Slovenian police officers are actively involved in work at the external border, on land, at sea and at airports in other countries. We also take part in joint flights to remove foreigners from Europe.

Related content

Border Police Division
Centre for Foreigners
Border Control
Border Crossings
      Documents for Crossing the Border
Conditions of entry and residence of foreigners
Frontex - the European Border and Coast Guard Agency
PRADO - Public Register of Authentic Identity and Travel Documents Online
Slovenia, a New Schengen Member
Police Activities in Connection with Current Migration Flows