Passport

The authorities responsible for the issuing of passports in Slovenia are administrative units. In the event of an emergency involving a medical treatment, illness, the death of a close family member, or an urgent business matter, the passport may also be issued by the Ministry of the Interior.

A citizen residing abroad permanently or temporarily, or a citizen travelling abroad who is unable to return to the country for medical or other compelling reasons, may be issued a passport by the Slovenian authority responsible for diplomatic-consular affairs abroad. Diplomatic and official passports are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Passport validity:

• 3 years for citizens up to 3 years of age
• 5 years for citizens between 3 and 18 years of age
• 10 years for citizens above 18 years of age

Diplomatic passport

A diplomatic passport shall be issued to the President of the Republic of Slovenia, members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, members of the European Parliament of the Republic of Slovenia, the President of the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia, the Prime Minister and members of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, the President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia, the Human Rights Ombudsperson, the President of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Slovenia, the President of the Court of Auditors of the Republic of Slovenia, employees of consular and diplomatic representations and missions of the Republic of Slovenia abroad who hold diplomatic or consular titles, as well as employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who deal with diplomatic or consular affairs and who hold diplomatic titles, heads of national delegations of the Republic of Slovenia, persons who by the decision of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia leave the country to work in international organisations as officials of a diplomatic grade in these organisations, diplomatic couriers and certain other persons, if it is in the interest of the Republic of Slovenia.

Diplomatic passports may also be issued to close relatives of employees of diplomatic and consular missions of the Republic of Slovenia abroad, and to close relatives of persons who, by the decision of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, leave the country to work in international organisations, provided that they live in the same household abroad, as well as to close relatives of persons mentioned in the previous paragraph if they accompany them on missions.

A diplomatic passport is issued for the period of service for which the holder is entitled to such a passport, but its validity should not exceed five years.

Official passport

An official passport is issued to members of the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia, employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and employees of diplomatic or consular representations of the Republic of Slovenia abroad who do not have a diplomatic passport. A service passport is also issued to the members of national delegations of the Republic of Slovenia and to employees in their missions abroad, as well as to certain other persons if this is in the interest of the Republic of Slovenia. A service passport may also be issued to close family members of the persons mentioned in the previous paragraph of this Article if they live with them abroad in a common household.

A service passport shall be issued for the period of the service for which the holder is entitled to such a passport, but its validity shall not exceed five years.

Emergency passport

An emergency passport is a travel document issued to a citizen of the Republic of Slovenia or to a citizen of another European Union Member State stranded abroad without a travel document. If in the country where the holder lost the travel document there is no diplomatic-consular representation office of his/her country, the representation office that represents the interests of the foreigner's country of origin will cooperate in issuing the emergency passport. Such a travel document shall only be issued if the competent authority of his country has granted their consent.

The emergency passport is issued for the period of its validity for up to 30 days, or for the time necessary for the holder to return to the country of his/her residence.

Refugee passport, 1951 (Travel document, Titre de voyage)

A refugee passport is issued to a foreigner who has been recognised as a refugee under the Convention on the Status of Refugees (the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951) and its New York Protocol on the Status of Refugees.

Holders of this travel document normally require a visa to enter Slovenia.

The following travellers do not require a visa for entry and stay not exceeding 90 days in a period of 180 days:

• Persons with refugee status who reside in an EU Member State and hold a travel document issued by that Member State (also applies to EEA and Switzerland).

• Persons with refugee status who reside in one of the following countries and hold a travel document issued by the country of such residence: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Guatemala, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, New Zealand, Peru, San Marino, Singapore, Serbia, South Korea, the United States of America, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Vatican, Venezuela and the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China.

• Persons with refugee status residing in the United Kingdom or Ireland who are holders of a recognised travel document issued by the United Kingdom or Ireland.

Passport for a stateless person, 1954 (Travel document, Titre de voyage)

This passport is issued to a person who, in accordance with the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (New York, 28 September 1954), has been granted the status of a stateless person, i.e. a person who is not considered to be a national of any state. The Republic of Slovenia does not issue special passports for stateless persons. According to the Foreigners Act, a foreigner’s passport is issued to a stateless person, as a stateless person is considered a foreigner under this Act.

Holders of this travel document normally require a visa to enter Slovenia.

The following travellers do not require a visa to enter and stay in Slovenia for up to 90 days in any 180-day period:

• Stateless persons and other persons who do not hold the nationality of any country and who reside in an EU Member State and hold a travel document issued by that EU Member State (also applies to the EEA and Switzerland).

• Stateless persons residing in one of the following countries and holding a travel document issued by that same country: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Guatemala, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, New Zealand, Peru, San Marino, Singapore, Serbia, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, the United States of America, Uruguay, Vatican, Venezuela and the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions of the People’s Republic of China.

• Stateless persons and other persons who do not hold the nationality of any State and who are resident in the United Kingdom or Ireland and who hold a travel document issued by the United Kingdom or Ireland.

Foreigner’s passport

A foreigner’s passport is issued to a person who has obtained a residence permit in the Republic of Slovenia and who is a stateless person or who does not have or cannot obtain a valid passport of his or her country of origin. A foreigner’s passport may also be issued to other foreigners who do not have travel documents if there are justified reasons for that. It may be issued with a validity of up to two years, unless the foreigner applies for a passport with a shorter period of validity or if a shorter period of validity is sufficient for the purpose for which the passport was issued.

In order to enter the Republic of Slovenia, a foreigner holding a foreigner’s passport issued by another State must obtain a visa. Before entering the country, the visa must be obtained from a diplomatic or consular mission abroad. A visa is not required for transit through the Republic of Slovenia if the foreigner has a residence permit issued by one of the signatory states to the Schengen Agreement, either in the foreigner's passport or as a separate document.

Citizens of the EU/EEA, Switzerland or third countries with the right to free movement are not subject to the visa requirement if they are in possession of such a passport, regardless of the country that issued it.

Identity card

An identity card may fully replace a passport when crossing a national border, if a bilateral or international agreement so provides. For example, the Republic of Slovenia has concluded such an agreement with the Republic of Croatia, where citizens of the Republic of Slovenia can travel with a valid identity card. In addition, since accession to the EU, citizens of the Republic of Slovenia can travel to all EU/EEA countries with a valid identity card.

Citizens of the Republic Slovenia can also travel with a valid identity card to countries that have unilaterally recognised the identity card as a valid travel document for entry (e.g. Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro).

Seafarer’s book

The Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (London Agreement) stipulates that a seaman’s book or passport is the basic document used to prove the identity of crew members when embarking and disembarking.

UN Laissez-passer

This is a document issued by the United Nations (UN) to its staff (Convention on the Privileges of Special Organisations of 21 November 1947). It has the same function as an official or diplomatic passport.

Documents for crew members of civil aircraft

Crew members of civil aircraft may cross the border in the course of their professional activities with one of the following documents:

• Crew Member Licence;
• Crew Certificate;
• General Declaration;
• Flying License.

After entering the country with the above documents, their freedom of movement is subject to the following restrictions:

• They must not leave the airport where they landed.
• They are only allowed to stay in the area of the airport or in the town close to the airport (to rest or spend the night).
• They must leave the airport where they have landed in order to reach another airport in the territory of the same country.

Sovereign Order of Malta Passport

This is the only exception to the rule that only states can issue passports. The Sovereign Military Order of Malta passports have a title in three languages: Sovrano Militare Ordine di Malta in Italian, Ordre Souverain et Militaire de Malte in French, and Sovereign Military Order of Malta in English.

Holders of a Sovereign Order of Malta passport do not require a visa to enter Slovenia.

Documents for crossing the national border on the basis of bilateral agreements

Slovenia has concluded a number of agreements with neighbouring countries that allow for the crossing of national borders with other documents, but only for the purpose of implementing the agreements.

Such documents are:

• local border passes,
• local border cards,
• special passes,
• permits,
• farmer’s border-crossing sheet,
• water management passes,
• border passes for rail traffic with the Republic of Austria, and
• other documents.

Documents for pupils on international school trips

A foreigner who is a pupil or student at a general education school in another Member State of the European Union where he/she is legally resident may enter the Republic of Slovenia without a visa if:

• the traveller is a member of a group of pupils of a general education school on a school trip,
• the group is accompanied by a teacher of the school who holds a list of travellers on a prescribed form completed by the school; and
• the pupil holds a valid passport or other entry document provided for by an international agreement or a decision of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia.

In order for a list of travellers to be accepted as a travel document for entry into Slovenia, it is necessary that:

• the pupil on the list has a valid photographic document proving his or her identity or a photograph showing his or her true identity is attached to the list; and
• the competent authority of the other Member State confirms the lawfulness of the stay on its territory of the pupils on the list who are not nationals of a Member State of the European Union and their right to re-enter its territory

Related content

State border control

Information for foreigners

Immigration to Slovenia (additional information on entry and residence in Slovenia, acquisition of Slovenian citizenship, integration of foreigners into Slovenian society, integration programmes and the procedure for recognition of international protection status)