Slovenia work visa: the single residence and work permit

You must meet the general conditions of Article 33 of the Foreigners Act (valid passport, health insurance, means of subsistence, clean criminal record from your home country) and the employment conditions: a signed employment contract, appropriate education or qualifications, an employer statement and, where needed, the consent of the Employment Service of Slovenia (ZRSZ).

The Employment Service gives consent if no suitable person is registered as unemployed, and if the employer is properly registered, not in liquidation or bankruptcy, has paid its taxes and is actively operating. Active operation means at least one full-time insured employee for six months before the application, the employer itself being insured for six months, or inflows of at least EUR 10,000 a month from its business in each of the last six months. An employer registered for less than six months must first invest at least EUR 50,000 in the activity. The employer also states whether it dismissed suitable workers for business reasons in the last six months.

You or the future employer lodge the application. If you live lawfully in Slovenia, any administrative unit accepts it; otherwise you apply at the nearest Slovenian embassy or consulate. Fingerprints are taken at submission or later. The administrative unit asks the Employment Service for consent and then decides.

Employers can reduce the risk of refusal by running the labour market test before applying, using form PDM-KTD: the Employment Service replies within 5 working days, and the permit application must then be lodged within 30 days. For some occupations, such as welders, heavy truck drivers, cooks, bricklayers and electricians, no labour market test is carried out, up to 100 foreigners per employer in a calendar year. An application lodged at an embassy does not produce a receipt that allows residence in Slovenia.

Since 21 November 2025, foreigners who already live lawfully in Slovenia and are hired for an activity or occupation on the ministerial order on faster employment (Official Gazette 102/25) can start work on the basis of the Employment Service consent and the administrative unit’s receipt for the single permit application. Their applications can be handled with priority.

The employer must mark the occupation code and the request for this procedure in the application and employ the person within 10 days of receiving the consent. In the first six months the employer must provide a free Slovenian course of at least 80 hours within working time, or face a fine of EUR 3,000 to 30,000.

You always collect the card in person, together with an information notice saying by when you must arrive, how long you can stay and what your rights and duties are. The employer must conclude the employment relationship within 15 days of the day you collect the card and register you for pension, disability and health insurance, giving you a copy of the M1 form. When you are in Slovenia with the card, register your exact address at the administrative unit within eight days.

The single permit can be extended under the same conditions, for up to three years. Apply at the administrative unit before the current permit expires, with a fresh criminal record certificate not older than three months; funds are then shown with payslips for the last six months. For an extension with the same employer and job, consent is given if taxes are paid and you have been insured without a break since starting work.

Changing job with the same employer, changing employer or working for two or more employers requires written approval with the Employment Service’s consent, applied for on a separate form.

Single permit holders can bring their family after living in Slovenia for at least one year on a temporary permit, provided the permit is valid for at least one more year. After five years of continuous lawful residence you can apply for permanent residence.