Eligibility quiz
Was either of your parents a Slovenian citizen when you were born?
Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
Slovenian passport and ID
Slovenian citizens can get a Slovenian passport, wherever they live.
It proves identity and citizenship and can be used to cross international borders.
It normally lasts 10 years from age 18, five years from age 3 until age 18, and three years below age 3.
Slovenian embassies and consulates can also issue identity cards.
Live in Slovenia for life
Slovenian citizens can live in Slovenia indefinitely without a residence permit.
They can enter Slovenia using Slovenian identity documents.
Get help abroad
Slovenian embassies and consulates can help citizens abroad, including with a temporary document to return after a passport is lost or stolen.
In a country outside the EU where Slovenia has no representation, citizens can seek help from another EU country’s embassy or consulate on the same basis as that country’s citizens.
Vote and run for office
Slovenian citizens can vote and stand for election from age 18 in presidential, National Assembly, European Parliament and municipal elections.
They can also take part in referendums and citizens’ initiatives.
Citizens who live permanently abroad can use the available postal, diplomatic-mission or Slovenian polling arrangements.
How to apply
Applying at a consulateApplying at a consulate
Find your consulate
Find the Slovenian embassy or consulate responsible for the place where you live.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which Slovenian consulate serves your city for a citizenship by descent declaration?”
Download the application form
Download the citizenship registration form for a child under 18 or the declaration form for an adult aged 18 to 36, as appropriate.
Find the formsSearches DuckDuckGo for “Where can I download Slovenia's citizenship by descent declaration forms for a child or an adult?”
Fill in the form
For a child, the Slovenian parent or a Slovenian guardian fills in the child's form; for an adult, fill in your own form. A guardian needs consent from a social-work centre to register the child.
See how to completeSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I fill in a Slovenian citizenship by descent declaration for a child or an adult?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for the consulate.
See required documentsSubmit your declaration
Ask the consulate for its appointment and payment instructions, then submit the completed form and original documents as directed. Attend and sign the declaration if required, and pay any applicable fee as the consulate instructs; submit a child's declaration before their 18th birthday or an adult's by their 36th birthday.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I submit a Slovenian citizenship by descent declaration at the consulate serving your city?”
Wait for the decision
Wait while the authority processes or forwards your declaration. It will notify you if it forwards the declaration to another authority.
See what happens nextSearches DuckDuckGo for “What happens after I submit a Slovenian citizenship by descent declaration at a consulate?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Get an extract of your birth record from the office that issued it. If you are registering a child, provide the child’s birth record instead.
Marriage certificates *
Provide your marriage record if you are an adult and have married. Provide your parents’ marriage record if they married outside Slovenia and their marriage has not been entered in the Slovenian civil register. Also provide records of any changes to your personal status, such as divorce or a name change.
* Only if you are married as an adult or your parents married outside Slovenia and their marriage is not registered in Slovenia.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationPaternity acknowledgment *
Provide the record acknowledging your father as your parent. Get it from the office that holds the record.
* Only if your parents were not married before your birth.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationConsiderations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Registration when living abroad
Citizens living abroad must keep their residence records accurate and register the address where they actually live.
Military duty for men
Ordinary compulsory military service has ended, but military duty remains for Slovenian men aged 17 to 50 and reserve officers up to age 60.
They are entered in the military register and can be called into defence service if security conditions seriously deteriorate or in war.
General military duty can be brought back, and work or material duties can be imposed in an emergency or war.
Lost or stolen passport
A lost or stolen passport must be reported promptly.
Abroad, a Slovenian citizen must report it to the Slovenian authorities or a Slovenian embassy or consulate within the required period.
Citizenship can end
Slovenian citizenship can end through release or renunciation.
When citizenship ends, the Slovenian passport must be handed in for destruction.
The rights and protections that come from Slovenian citizenship then end.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
Expats & Foreigners in Slovenia
English Facebook group for people living in Slovenia interested in Slovene local life
Join on Facebookr/AnchorLessEurope
English Reddit group for people living in Europe interested in visas
Join on Redditr/europe
English Reddit group for people interested in local life in Europe
Join on RedditConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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