Slovenia family and friends visit visa

A letter of guarantee for a private visit can be signed by a Slovenian citizen, by a citizen of another EU state who lives in Slovenia, or by a third-country national who lives in Slovenia on a residence permit. The letter must state the purpose of the visit, the length of stay and the address where you will stay.

Family members of EU citizens who have used their free movement rights, for example the non-EU spouse of a German citizen living in Slovenia, get a free visa, priority for appointments and a fast-track procedure under Directive 2004/38/EC.

Use the letter of guarantee when your host pays for your accommodation or your living costs during the stay and for your return. The host signs it and has it certified and entered in the certification register at an administrative unit in Slovenia. The unit may ask the host for bank statements for the last three months and a land register extract, purchase contract or lease for the flat.

Use the invitation letter when the host only invites you and does not cover accommodation or costs. Its form is not prescribed, but it must contain the details required by Article 24 of the Foreigners Act and be signed; it does not have to be certified. In that case you prove your own funds and accommodation. Send the originals to the applicant in good time, since the consular officer must see the full file.

The fee is EUR 90 for adults and EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 12, plus the service fee if you apply through a visa centre. Family members of EU citizens covered by the free movement directive pay nothing. Decisions normally come within 15 days and in some cases up to 45 days.

Apply at least 15 calendar days before the trip and no earlier than six months before it. All applicants appear in person so that ten fingerprints can be taken, unless your fingerprints were stored in the Visa Information System less than 59 months ago or you are under 12. Accredited intermediaries may submit files for you, but cannot give fingerprints on your behalf.

Submit the originals in the order of the mission’s checklist. If something is missing, you are given five working days to complete the file and the processing time is extended accordingly. The mission can invite you to an interview or ask for more papers. For a family visit, the mission also checks the relationship, so attach civil status documents such as a birth or marriage certificate or a family register extract.

If the visa is refused, annulled or revoked, you can appeal within eight days of receiving the decision. The appeal must be written in Slovenian, lodged at the embassy or consulate that decided, and the consular fee is EUR 153. The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs decides on it, and a new visa application cannot be examined while the appeal is pending.

Against the ministry’s decision you can bring an action before the Administrative Court of the Republic of Slovenia in Ljubljana within 30 days of service.