Living and working conditions: Slovenia

Implementation

All traineeships outside formal education programmes must meet the requirements of the Employment Relationships Act, which sets out the minimum standards for traineeship programmes. Traineeship programmes are also explicitly defined in sector-specific regulations or collective agreements for the activity or line of business in question. This is in order to ensure that the right learning and working conditions are in place.

Living and working conditions

Traineeship programmes are usually conducted in the form of a traineeship on the basis of a fixed-term employment contract. Unpaid (voluntary) traineeships are possible in certain sectors of the economy (where defined by special regulations or a collective agreement). While volunteer trainees are not employed, they must conclude a written traineeship contract with the business providing the traineeship, and must meet other basic criteria for traineeship as defined in the Employment Relationships Act.

Trainee employees in paid traineeship programmes are entitled to a basic wage amounting to at least 70% of the basic wage for the position for they are being trained. Trainee pay may not be lower than the legally set minimum wage (Employment Relationships Act, Article 141).

The Employment Relationships Act provides that trainees have the same rights as other employees/workers.

Where to find opportunities

Candidates can find more information about traineeship opportunities on the following websites:

• Employment Service of Slovenia: https://www.ess.gov.si/iskalci-zaposlitve
• University of Ljubljana Career Centres: http://kc.uni-lj.si
• University of Maribor Career Centre: http://kc.um.si
• University of Primorska Career Centre: https://www.kariernicenter.upr.si
• University of Nova Gorica Career Centre: http://www.ung.si/sl/karierni-center

Funding and support

At national level, candidates can search for funding options with the Employment Service of Slovenia, and internationally on the EURES Targeted Mobility Scheme website.

Living and working conditions

Some specific conditions regarding on-the-job training with an employer as part of an apprenticeship in Slovenia:

• During the apprenticeship, the apprentice has the status of a student, not of an employee;.
• In the second year, the apprentice must pass an interim test. The apprenticeship scheme ends with a final exam.
• On-the-job training with an employer and education at school may last no more than eight hours per day and 36 hours a week. If school lessons last five or more hours a day, the apprentice may not attend training with the employer on the same day.
• Apprentices may do on-the-job training during school holidays. However, every school year the employer must provide them with at least six weeks of unbroken summer holiday and also at least eight days off work as set by the school calendar.
• On-the-job training may not be conducted on Sundays and public holidays, but may take place on Saturdays. However, it may not be conducted on more than one Saturday per month and more than six Saturdays in a school year.
• The apprentice has the right to a 30-minute break for on-the-job training that lasts at least four and a half hours per day.
• When undergoing on-the-job training, apprentices may not work overtime and may not work at nights (between 10 pm and 6 am).

Where to find opportunities

Individuals who wish to join an apprenticeship scheme can select a business at which they wish to undergo practical training from the list of businesses issued and approved by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (GZS) or the Chamber of Crafts and Small Business of Slovenia (OZS), or find a business themselves and submit a proposal to the relevant chamber for approval. All confirmed practical training positions are published in the register of training positions.

Funding and support

The employer at which the apprentice is undergoing practical training pays the apprentice the following remuneration in monetary form, in accordance with the Apprenticeship Act and the Adjustments of Transfers to Individuals and Households in the Republic of Slovenia Act (minimum monthly amount):

• EUR 317.58 in the first year;
• EUR 381.42 in the second year;
• EUR 508.56 in the third year.

The employer is also obliged to cover meal and transport expenses under the same terms as apply to their regular employees.

Apprentices may also receive a bursary from the business if so agreed with the employer (the two forms of financial support are not mutually exclusive).

In Slovenia, advertisements for the purchase, sale and letting of property are published on estate agents’ websites.

No restrictions or special conditions apply to the purchase and renting of property by EU and EEA citizens. You need a valid identity document in order to rent a property and sign a rental agreement. Rents usually cover only the rental of the property (in most cases furnished) and exclude bills. Rent does not usually include running costs (electricity, gas, water, heating, telephone), which are paid by the tenant in addition to the rent. The landlord arranges the registration of the tenancy contract and pays the associated tax liabilities.

It can be difficult to find properties to rent on the market. Prices vary by region and also depend on other factors (furnishings, proximity to the city centre, age of the property, etc.). Rents are highest in Ljubljana, where a two-bedroom flat will cost between EUR 850 and EUR 1 100 a month (excluding utility bills). The situation is similar in tourist centres in the Gorenjska region and on the coast. Rents in Maribor are around 30% to 40% lower. For a two-bedroom flat, you will pay around EUR 630 a month. Rents are cheapest in Prekmurje (around EUR 500 for similar accommodation).

Slovenia has a large number of owner-occupied flats. The average price of used housing in Slovenia exceeded EUR 3 000 per square metre in 2025. The highest average prices are in Ljubljana (almost EUR 4 900 per square metre), followed by the coast (EUR 4 760 per square metre), and Kranj and the surrounding area (EUR 3 640). In some tourist resorts, such as Kranjska Gora, they can even be significantly higher. The cheapest housing in 2025 was in Bela Krajina and Prekmurje, with prices ranging between EUR 1 100 and EUR 1 140 per square metre.

In 2025 the average price of a house in Slovenia, together with the land on which it stands, was EUR 180 000 (over EUR 440 000 in Ljubljana).

Property prices and rents depend on the size, location and fixtures of the property and the age of the housing unit.

Links:

A list of educational institutions in Slovenia is available on the Ministry of Education’s website. The language of instruction is Slovenian, although in mixed national-minority areas, the Italian and Hungarian national communities are entitled to be educated in their own languages.

Six private primary schools in Slovenia provide publicly recognised education programmes: Waldorf School Ljubljana, Alojzij Šuštar Primary School Ljubljana, the Montessori Institute, Waldorf School Maribor, the Montessori School at the Anton Martin Slomšek Institute, Maribor and the LILA Inštitut za celostno vzgojo in izobraževanje otrok.

For children and adolescents with special needs, the organisation and forms of educational work are adapted as needed, and additional one-to-one support is provided for each child or adolescent based on a placement decision.

A general-level international baccalaureate programme in English is offered under the aegis of the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) by Gimnazija Bežigrad, Gimnazija Kranj, II Gimnazija Maribor and Gimnazija Novo Mesto. Slovenia has a small number of private secondary schools, such as Erudio Ljubljana, Škofijske gimnazije (diocesan classical high schools) in Ljubljana, Maribor and Vipava, Gimnazija Želimlje and Waldorf secondary school.

Ljubljana School Centre is home to the European School Ljubljana, the only school in Slovenia that follows the European Schools international programme (pre-primary, primary and secondary).Students complete their education by passing the European baccalaureate.

You may enrol at your chosen educational institution if you meet the admission criteria and apply during the application window (as published each year by the relevant ministry) for the following academic year.

Links:

The implementation of the principle of free movement of people, is one of the cornerstones of our European construction, has meant the introduction a series of practical rules to ensure that citizens can travel freely and easily to any Member State of the European Union. Travelling across the EU with one’s car has become a lot less problematic. The European Commission has set a series of common regulations governing the mutual recognition of driving licences, the validity of car insurance, and the possibility of registering your car in a host country.

Your driving licence in the EU

The EU has introduced a harmonised licence model and further minimum requirements for obtaining a licence. This should help to keep unsafe drivers off Europe's roads - wherever they take their driving test.

Since 19 January 2013, all driving licences issued by EU countries have the same look and feel. The licences are printed on a piece of plastic that has the size and shape of a credit card.

Harmonised administrative validity periods for the driving licence document have been introduced which are between 10 and 15 years for motorcycles and passenger cars. This enables the authorities to regularly update the driving licence document with new security features that will make it harder to forge or tamper ­- so unqualified or banned drivers will find it harder to fool the authorities, in their own country or elsewhere in the EU.

The new European driving licence is also protecting vulnerable road users by introducing progressive access for motorbikes and other powered two-wheelers. The "progressive access" system means that riders will need experience with a less powerful bike before they go on to bigger machines. Mopeds will also constitute a separate category called AM.

You must apply for a licence in the country where you usually or regularly live. As a general rule, it is the country where you live for at least 185 days each calendar year because of personal or work-related ties.

If you have personal/work-related ties in 2 or more EU countries, your place of usual residence is the place where you have personal ties, as long as you go back regularly. You don't need to meet this last condition if you are living in an EU country to carry out a task for a fixed period of time.

If you move to another EU country to go to college or university, your place of usual residence doesn't change. However, you can apply for a driving licence in your host country if you can prove you have been studying there for at least 6 months.

Registering your car in the host country

If you move permanently to another EU country and take your car with you, you should register your car and pay car-related taxes in your new country.

There are no common EU rules on vehicle registration and related taxes. Some countries have tax-exemption rules for vehicle registration when moving with the car from one country to another permanently.

To benefit from a tax exemption, you must check the applicable deadlines and conditions in the country you wish to move to.

Check the exact rules and deadlines with the national authorities: https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/vehicles/registration/registration-abroad/index_en.htm 

Car Insurance

EU citizens can insure their car in any EU country, as long as the chosen insurance company is licensed by the host national authority to issue the relevant insurance policies. A company based in another Member State is entitled sell a policy for compulsory civil liability only if certain conditions are met. Insurance will be valid throughout the Union, no matter where the accident takes place.

Taxation

Value Added Tax or VAT on motor vehicles is ordinarily paid in the country where the car is purchased, although under certain conditions, VAT is paid in the country of destination.
More information on the rules which apply when a vehicle is acquired in one EU Member State and is intended to be registered in another EU Member State is available on this link https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/vehicles/registration/taxes-abroad/index_en.htm.

Citizens of the European Union (EU) do not need a visa or residence permit to enter Slovenia. They may enter the country with a valid identity card or passport, regardless of the reason for entering or residing in the country (employment, study, self-employment, relocation or similar purposes). More favourable rules on entry and residence also apply to their family members.

To reside in Slovenia for a period exceeding three months, you will need a residence registration certificate. You can obtain it at the administrative unit that covers your area. It will be granted on the basis of a valid identity card or passport. If you have employment lined up already, you should submit proof of that employment in the form of an employment contract. If you are studying, undertaking self-employment or retiring, you should provide evidence of that. You must also provide proof that you have a secure means of subsistence and appropriate health insurance.

Registration of residence is not the same as registration of place of residence. After delivery of your residence registration certificate, you have eight days from the day the document is filed or delivered or from the day of temporary settlement in which to register your place of residence at an administrative unit. Proof of ownership, a rental contract or the consent of the owner are accepted as proof. Until they receive their residence registration certificate, guests of citizens of EU Member States must register at the relevant police station, and must do so within three days of arriving in the country. Electronic applications are also accepted.

As an EU national you may only be refused residence in Slovenia if you do not meet the conditions for receiving the certificate or if you constitute a threat to public order or national security.
After receiving a permanent residence permit, you have eight days from delivery of the permit in which to arrange registration of your place of permanent residence at the administrative unit. You may acquire a permanent residence permit if you are an EU citizen and have been residing in Slovenia for five years (as demonstrated by a residence registration certificate). Until your permanent residence in Slovenia is registered, you will continue to have registered permanent residence in your own country.

Links:

The importance of transparency and mutual recognition of diplomas as a crucial complement to the free movement of workers

The possibility of obtaining recognition of one’s qualifications and competences can play a vital role in the decision to take up work in another EU country. It is therefore necessary to develop a European system that will guarantee the mutual acceptance of professional competences in different Member States. Only such a system will ensure that a lack of recognition of professional qualifications will not become an obstacle to workers’ mobility within the EU.

Main principles for the recognition of professional qualifications in the EU

As a basic principle, any EU citizen should be able to freely practice their profession in any Member State. Unfortunately the practical implementation of this principle is often hindered by national requirements for access to certain professions in the host country.

For the purpose of overcoming these differences, the EU has set up a system for the recognition of professional qualifications. Within the terms of this system, a distinction is made between regulated professions (professions for which certain qualifications are legally required) and professions that are not legally regulated in the host Member State.

Steps towards a transparency of qualifications in Europe

The European Union has taken important steps towards the objective of achieving transparency of qualifications in Europe:

• An increased co-operation in vocational education and training, with the intention to combine all instruments for transparency of certificates and diplomas, in one single, user-friendly tool. This includes, for example, the European CV or Europass Trainings.
• The development of concrete actions in the field of recognition and quality in vocational education and training.

Going beyond the differences in education and training systems throughout the EU

Education and training systems in the EU Member States still show substantial differences. The last enlargements of the EU, with different educational traditions, have further increased this diversity. This calls for a need to set up common rules to guarantee recognition of competences.

In order to overcome this diversity of national qualification standards, educational methods and training structures, the European Commission has put forward a series of instruments, aimed at ensuring better transparency and recognition of qualifications both for academic and professional purposes.

1. The European Qualifications Framework

The European Qualifications Framework is a key priority for the European Commission in the process of recognition of professional competences. The main objective of the framework is to create links between the different national qualification systems and guarantee a smooth transfer and recognition of diplomas.

2. The National Academic Recognition Information Centres (NARICs)

A network of National Academic Recognition Information Centres was established in 1984 at the initiative of the European Commission. The NARICs provide advice on the academic recognition of periods of study abroad. Located in all EU Member States as well as in the countries of the European Economic Area, NARICs play a vital role the process of recognition of qualifications in the EU.

3. The European Credit Transfer System (ECTS)

The European Credit Transfer System aims at facilitating the recognition of periods of study abroad. Introduced in 1989, it functions by describing an education programme and attaching credits to its components. It is a key complement to the highly acclaimed student mobility programme Erasmus.

4. Europass

Europass is an instrument for ensuring the transparency of professional skills. It is composed of five standardised documents

• a CV (Curriculum Vitae),
• a cover letter editor,
• certificate supplements,
• diploma supplements, and
• a Europass-Mobility document.

The Europass system makes skills and qualifications clearly and easily understood in the different parts of Europe. In every country of the European Union and the European Economic Area, national Europass centres have been established as the primary contact points for people seeking for information about the Europass system.

This area is regulated by collective agreements and general acts of the employer, as well as by the Employment Relationships Act (ZDR).

Any employer wishing to recruit new employees must publish a vacancy. Vacancies may be published with the Employment Service of Slovenia, in the media, on websites or at publicly accessible business premises. Published vacancies must include details of the employer, details of the job and the job requirements, and must also indicate how to apply and the application deadline, which may not be less than three days.

Public sector employers are also obliged to publish a vacancy notice with the Employment Service of the Republic of Slovenia.

Before work commences, you must enter into a written employment contract with the employer. The minimum age for employment is 15. An employment relationship is either fixed-term or permanent, full-time or part-time. In an employment contract, employers may also specify a probationary period of up to six months. Before being recruited, a worker must undergo a medical examination by an occupational health specialist. The preliminary medical examination is usually paid for by the employer.

After signing an employment contract, the employer is required to register you for compulsory social insurance (pension and disability insurance, health insurance, parental protection insurance and unemployment insurance) from the day you start working under the employment contract, and to provide you with a photocopy of the registration (M-1 form).

Apprenticeships and traineeships are conducted only at those employers for which the relevant provision is made in a special law or collective agreement for a specific sector (state institutions, healthcare, the education system, etc.).

Slovenian legislation also recognises several specific forms of employment for one-off, occasional or short-term work. There are several types of civil law contract, such as work contracts and copyright contracts, and work carried out on the basis of a referral from the student employment service. It also recognises occasional or temporary work by retired people, personal supplementary work or short-term work. You can also obtain a special status that allows you to pursue certain activities on an independent basis (e.g. as a farmer, independent cultural worker, journalist) without having to set up a company or enter into an employment relationship.

Slovenian farmers need seasonal workers, especially for picking strawberries, working in hop gardens and thinning and pruning fruit trees in the spring. In the summer they are needed for gathering and processing vegetables, and in the autumn for fruit picking (e.g. apples and grapes). The majority of available jobs are in north-eastern and eastern Slovenia. Seasonal farm work is regulated by civil law (Agriculture Act). Workers receive special contracts for temporary and seasonal agricultural work. Account is also taken of elements of the Employment Relationships Act (e.g. prohibition on discrimination, equal treatment, prohibition of child labour, working hours, breaks and rest periods, minimum hourly rate) and elements of the regulations concerning occupational health and safety. Workers are registered for health, pension and disability insurance.

Seasonal workers are also needed in tourism. In the summer, there is a particular need for waiters, cooks, chefs, housekeepers, etc., and in winter also for waiters, cooks, housekeepers, ski instructors and so forth. This work is usually performed by workers under a fixed contract pursuant to the Employment relationships Act, and also by students (student work).

Links:

Employment contract

The Employment Relationships Act (ZDR-1) stipulates the elements/information that an employment contract must contain: the contracting parties, the job title, the place of work, the period for which the contract is concluded, whether it is for full- or part-time work, the daily or weekly working time and the distribution of working time, the amount of basic pay and any other remuneration, the payment period, the day of payment and the method of payment of wages, annual leave, the period of notice, and information on the relevant collective agreement or employer’s articles of association. An employment contract must be drawn up in written form.

After you sign the employment contract, the employer is required to register you for health insurance, pension/disability insurance and unemployment insurance from the day you start working under the employment contract.

Any provisions in an employment contract that violate the regulations, an existing collective agreement or the employer’s articles of association are invalid.

If there is a change to the job title or details of the type of work, the place of work, the duration of the employment contract or the weekly/monthly working time (full or part-time employment), the employer must terminate the employment contract and offer you a new employment contract to sign.

Fixed-term employment is concluded through a fixed-term employment contract.

You may also conclude a special employment contract with an employer that provides labour to another employer in accordance with the rules governing the labour market.

If you sign a part-time employment contract, you enjoy the rights and obligations deriving from employment on a pro rata basis, except those rights and obligations for which the law determines otherwise.

If you are employed as a manager or authorised signatory, you may agree different rights, obligations and responsibilities deriving from the employment in your employment contract with regard to the conditions and restrictions of fixed-term employment, working time, the provision of breaks and rest periods, remuneration, disciplinary liability and termination of the employment contract.

Work contracts or copyright contracts

Work based on a work contract or copyright contract is governed by civil law and generally involves a written agreement on the work performed, the deadlines and the payment. Under a work contract, the provider undertakes to perform a particular task, such as the manufacture or repair of an item or the provision of physical or intellectual work, etc., while the procuring entity undertakes to pay the provider for such work. A work contract is the appropriate form of contract for one-off work or craft work. Providers of work and material working under such contracts pay their pension and disability insurance contributions, while the procuring entity pays health insurance contributions. Non-resident foreigners may conclude a work contract, receive payments to a bank account at a Slovenian bank and pay their taxes using an allocated tax number, which they obtain from a tax office.

Under a copyright contract, the author undertakes to produce a certain work and deliver it to the procuring entity, while the procuring entity undertakes to pay the author a fee for such work. A copyright contract covers copyrighted work relating to literature, science and the arts, and is subject to the payment of social security, pension and disability insurance contributions (at a lower rate than full insurance). The paying entity insures the individual against accidents at work and occupational diseases. If you perform work under a work or copyright contract, the procuring entity is not obliged to insure you against unemployment or to provide you with parental protection insurance.

Student work

Work based on a referral from the student employment service can be performed by secondary and post-secondary students enrolled at a Slovenian educational establishment, or by secondary and post-secondary students from EEA countries who acquire the relevant status on the basis of international student exchange projects. For work based on a referral from the student employment service, the minimum gross hourly rate for temporary and occasional work by students is EUR 8.98. Students are also included in the social security insurance system (pension and disability insurance and the special health insurance contribution, with the contribution for insurance against injury at work and occupational diseases being accounted for in a different way).

Personal supplementary work

Personal supplementary work is the personal performance of work in a household or similar work, or other small-scale work that can only be carried out for another person, or the production and sale of art and craft articles or other items that are made manually at home or by predominantly traditional methods, or the picking and selling of wild fruit and herbs. If you wish to perform personal supplementary work, you must notify the Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Public Legal Records (AJPES) via the web portal using a qualified digital certificate, or notify the administrative unit of your registered place of residence in person. You may perform supplementary work only on the basis of a voucher bearing your name. The value of each voucher is set at a flat rate of EUR 13.73: EUR 10.68 for pension and disability insurance and EUR 3.05 for health insurance and insurance for injury at work and occupational diseases. Aggregate income from personal supplementary work in any given half of a calendar year may not exceed three times the average monthly net salary in Slovenia in the previous calendar year.

Links:

In Slovenia, special protection is provided for some categories of workers: workers’ representatives, women, workers on grounds of pregnancy and parenthood, workers under the age of 18, people with disabilities and older workers.

Protection for workers under the age of 18 involves, in particular, a prohibition on the performance of certain types of heavy work and work detrimental to health, a prohibition on overtime and night work, and an obligation to increase the worker’s annual leave by seven working days.

The law requires employers to afford special protection to people with an occupational or other disability in employment or training. A quota system, set according to activity, applies to the employment of people with disabilities. An employer who employs more people with disabilities than outlined in the quota applying to their sector is entitled to special benefits and incentives. An employer must provide an employee who is established as still having some capacity for work with work that corresponds to that capacity, work over shorter working hours, occupational rehabilitation and a wage allowance. Under employment regulations, an employer may terminate a permanent employment contract without offering a new employment contract only if, by reason of a Category II or III disability or on business grounds, the employer is justifiably unable to guarantee the employee’s right, under the legislation, to be reassigned to another post without or after the completion of vocational rehabilitation, or the right to work shorter hours. A commission charged with establishing the basis for terminating a disabled person’s employment contract establishes the grounds for termination at any employer with five or more employees.

Workers over the age of 55 also enjoy special protection. Older workers have the right to start working shorter hours if they enter partial retirement. An employer may not order older workers to perform overtime or night work without their written consent.

If any of your employment-related rights are infringed, you can notify the Labour Inspectorate; at the same time, you can also use legal proceedings to enforce fulfilment of the obligations due and the correction of infringements by the employer.

Links:

An economic activity may be performed in Slovenia by natural persons or legal entities taking one of a number of legal organisational forms. Natural persons most commonly perform business operations as sole traders (s.p.). Companies can be established as different legal entities: limited-liability companies (d.o.o.), public limited companies (d.d.), European companies (SE), unlimited companies (d.n.o.) and limited partnerships (k.d.). The most common forms are the sole trader (entrepreneur) and the limited-liability company (d.o.o.).

As an entrepreneur, you may start to operate your business once you are registered as an economic operator and fulfil any special conditions. These conditions differ depending on your main business activity. This means that you may start up a craft establishment upon obtaining a craft licence, open a legal practice after you have been entered in the relevant register at the Ministry of Justice, or start providing independent healthcare services after obtaining a concession and being entered in the register at the Ministry of Health, and so on.

As a (future) sole trader, you are provided with IT support by the state portal SPOT, (‘Slovenska poslovna točka’ – Slovenian Business Point). If you are a foreign national, you must also obtain an EMŠO (personal identity) number and a tax number before you start to pursue the activity. You need both in order to open a bank account and obtain a qualified digital signature (a requirement for doing business via the SPOT portal).

It is quick and easy to become established as a sole trader or to set up a simple limited-liability company since you do not need the assistance of a notary or a lawyer. The whole process can be completed in less than three days from submission of an application. A digital certificate is required to carry out the procedure; you can also ask for advice free of charge from an specialist at one of the SPOT contact points.

You will need to engage the services of a notary if you wish to set up a more complex company with more shareholders and more complex relationships between them.

The Companies Act also defines instances in which a person cannot become a founder, a shareholder or a sole trader.

Links:

The minimum gross wage for full-time work is EUR 1 481.88. Employers have to comply with the minimum wage laid down by law or the collective agreement specific to the activity, under which they must pay at least the minimum wage. The minimum wage does not include: all years-of-service bonuses, work and business performance bonuses, bonuses for difficult working conditions, or bonuses for night work, Sunday work or work on national holidays and other non-working days as defined by law.

Payment for work under an employment contract comprises a salary, which is always in monetary form, and any other types of remuneration if provided for by a collective agreement. The salary consists of basic pay, performance-related pay and supplements (for night work, overtime, Sunday work, work on holidays and years of service). Basic pay is the fixed part and is determined according to the difficulty of the work for which the employee has concluded an employment contract. Performance-related pay is also a constituent part of remuneration if agreed in a collective agreement or an employment contract.

Employers must reimburse employees for the costs of subsistence during work, for travel to and from work, and for any costs which they incur in performing specific work and tasks while travelling for work purposes. Employees who are entitled to annual leave must receive annual holiday pay from their employer which is at least equivalent to the minimum wage, and a Christmas bonus equivalent to half the minimum wage.

An employee whose employment is terminated in ordinary procedure by their employer for business reasons or incompetence is entitled to a severance payment. The employee is also entitled to a severance payment upon the expiry of a fixed-term employment contract, upon retirement and upon extraordinary termination by the employee for a breach committed by the employer (non-payment of salary or contributions, etc.).

An employee and an employer may agree that the employee shall have the right to a share of the profits in a given financial year.

The salary is paid for periods that may not exceed one month, on a previously agreed day of the month and no later than by the 18^th day following the end of the payment period.

The employer is obliged to issue a written payslip to the worker upon each salary payment. The employer must also issue a breakdown of pay, taxes and contributions for the previous calendar year by 31 January of the new calendar year. The payslip must include the following in particular: the worker’s basic pay, supplements, any performance-related pay, wage compensation by type, gross and net pay, social security contributions and personal income tax.

Links:

Working time is the actual working time plus the 30-minute break and the time taken up by legitimate absences from work.

Full-time working hours are fixed on a weekly basis and usually amount to 40 hours a week. They may be shorter, but not less than 36 hours a week. Where there is an increased risk of injury or harm to health, full-time working hours may be less 36 hours a week. Full-time working hours may not be spread over less than four days a week.

The employer must give employees prior written notice if they have to perform overtime, and must pay them accordingly. However, overtime is limited to a maximum of eight hours a week, 20 hours a month or 170 hours a year. Exceptionally and with the worker's approval, overtime of up to 230 hours a year is allowed in certain sectors, e.g. healthcare, but this has to be stipulated in the collective agreement for a particular sector or a particular profession. You are entitled to a rest period of at least 12 uninterrupted hours every 24 hours. The weekly rest period must last at least 24 uninterrupted hours.

You are entitled to a special supplement for overtime work and for working at less convenient times (night work, work on public holidays and other non-working days).

Employers are not allowed to require certain protected categories of employees (pregnant women, older workers, workers in especially hazardous jobs, etc.) to do overtime work.

Where full-time working hours are organised in an irregular manner or temporarily re-organised, they may not exceed 56 hours a week. This type of arrangement may not continue for more than six months. Night work is work performed between the hours of 11 pm and 6 am. Where the organisation of working time leads to the introduction of a night shift, night work comprises eight continuous hours between 10 pm and 7 am. The working time of a night worker may not last more than eight hours a day on average (average calculated over a four-month period). Night work is prohibited for workers aged under 18, pregnant women and nursing mothers. There are restrictions on overtime and night work for older workers.

The right to disconnect was introduced in an amendment to the Employment Relationships Act in 2024 (Article 142a). Employers were required to adopt measures that ensure employees’ right to disconnect during rest periods or justified absences from work. These measures are determined by a collective agreement, and the employer must inform employees in writing about the adopted measures.

In the event of a violation of labour law, contact the relevant trade union or the Labour Inspectorate.

Links:

Leave

You acquire the right to annual leave when you sign an employment contract. The Employment Relationships Act (ZDR-1) stipulates that you are entitled to annual leave of at least 4 weeks in every calendar year, regardless of whether you work full-time or part-time. If you enter into an employment contract or your employment contract is terminated during a calendar year and you have been employed for less than one year in that calendar year, you are entitled to the corresponding amount of annual leave. An employee who has been employed by an employer for the entire calendar year must take at least two weeks’ annual leave in a single block during that calendar year.

Additional days of annual lave may be acquired in certain circumstances (e.g. age, disability, children, physical disability and care for a child who requires special care). Employees are also entitled to additional days of annual leave on the basis of criteria established in collective agreements or the employer’s articles of association. Such additional days are set out in the employment contract.

An employee who signs a part-time employment contract can claim leave rights in proportion to the working time laid down in the contract.

Every employee entitled to annual leave also has the right to holiday pay, which must be at least equivalent to the minimum wage and should be paid, in principle, no later than by 1 July of the year in question, unless the relevant collective agreement stipulates otherwise. If you are entitled to only a proportionate part of annual leave, you are also entitled to the corresponding amount of holiday pay (one twelfth thereof for every month of work).

Your employer must allow you to take annual leave before the end of the current year. You must take at least two weeks of annual leave by the end of the calendar year and, by agreement with the employer, the remainder by 30 June the following year.

In 2026, Slovenia’s national holidays and non-working days are:

Absence from work

You are entitled to up to seven working days of paid leave per calendar year for personal reasons (own wedding, death of spouse, child or parent, serious accident, accompanying child to school on their first day of school).

You are entitled to be absent from work in the event of temporary incapacity to work due to illness or injury, in order to donate blood or to fulfil other obligations such as military exercises, jury service, etc.

An employee enrolled in education or training is entitled to a period of leave in order to prepare for or sit examinations. Unless the relevant collective agreement, employment contract or special education contract stipulates otherwise, you are entitled to paid leave on the days you sit an examination for the first time.

Maternity leave

Maternity leave, which lasts 105 days, is intended for pregnant women so that they can prepare for childbirth and then care for their child in the period immediately after birth. During maternity leave, maternity benefit is paid in the amount of 100% of the base, and has no ceiling. In order to be entitled to maternity leave, you must have parental protection insurance. Mothers start their maternity leave 28 days before their due date.

Fathers may take paternity leave, which allows them to care for their newborn child together with the mother. Fathers are entitled to 15 days of paternity leave. Fathers must use paternity leave no later than three months after the birth of the child. During the paternity leave period, paternity benefit is paid in the amount of 100% of the base, and has a ceiling of 2.5 times the average monthly wage.

Each parent is entitled to 160 days of parental leave (60 days are not transferable, the other 100 days may be transferred from one parent to the other). The non-transferable part of parental leave may be taken no later than by the child’s eighth birthday. During the period in which leave is taken, parental benefit is paid in the amount of 100% of the base, and has a ceiling of 2.5 times the average monthly wage.

Links:

The methods of terminating an employment contract vary depending on whether the worker has a fixed-term or open-ended contract, whether the contract is annulled by agreement or whether notice of termination is given by one party.

A fixed-term employment contract expires without a period of notice at the end of the period for which it was concluded.

The contracting parties may annul a contract at any time by written agreement or if one of the contracting parties gives notice of termination. The termination of an employment contract may take place under an ‘ordinary’ or ‘extraordinary’ procedure. An employment contract is terminated by a written agreement between the parties. When the employment relationship is terminated, your employer must inform you in writing of your rights under unemployment insurance. Failure to provide such information does not affect the validity of the termination agreement.

Ordinary termination

The contracting parties (employee and employer) terminate an employment contract by providing the statutory period of notice (between 15 and 80 days). An employer may terminate an employment contract on business grounds (i.e. if, for economic, organisational, technological, structural or similar reasons, there is no longer any need to perform the specific work under the terms and conditions set out in the employment contract), on grounds of employee incompetence (failure to achieve the expected performance at work) and for breach of contract (violation of contractual obligations or other obligations arising from the employment relationship).

If your employer gives you ordinary notice of termination of your contract on business grounds or grounds of incompetence, they may offer you a new employment contract.

Extraordinary termination

An employer may terminate your employment contract by extraordinary procedure on various grounds, e.g. if you fail to meet your contractual obligations and that failure is a prima facie criminal offence, if you fail deliberately or through serious negligence to meet contractual or other liabilities arising from your employment relationship, if you fail to come to work on five successive days without justifying your absence, or if you fail to follow the instructions of the competent doctor while on leave on grounds of illness or injury.

You may terminate your employment contract by extraordinary procedure for various grounds, e.g. if your employer has failed to provide you with work for over two months and has also failed to pay you for work, if you have been unable to work on account of a prohibition imposed by an inspectorate on carrying out a procedure, or if your employer has failed to safeguard your health and safety at work or has failed to guarantee equal treatment on the basis of gender.

Depending on the reasons for the termination of your employment contract (termination by the employer or the expiry of a fixed-term contract), you are entitled to rights under unemployment insurance. You can exercise these rights at the relevant labour office.

During the employment termination procedure, you can contact a relevant trade union or labour inspectorate to find out about and discuss your rights. You may also notify the inspectorate of any infringement you believe may have occurred. A labour and social court has the jurisdiction to solve any labour-related disputes.

Retirement

The right to an old-age pension depends on a person’s age and the length of their pensionable service. In 2026, the right to an old-age pension is acquired by any person, regardless of sex, who reaches the age of 67 and has completed a period of insurance of at least 15 years, or by any person who reaches the age of 60 (in 2026 and 2027) and has completed a period of insurance of 40 years without buy-back. During the transitional period applicable from 1 January 2026 and 31 December 2034, from 2028 onwards the age of the insured person shall be extended by three months each year, reaching 62 years in 2035.

The age limits for acquiring the right to an old-age pension may be reduced to take account of the following: childcare, the serving of a compulsory period of military service, or the commencement of compulsory pension and disability insurance before reaching the age of 20.

The Labour Market Regulation Act introduced a new option in 2026: that of agreeing to allow a worker to work a reduced number of hours before retirement. An employer and an employee who has reached the age of 60 or has completed 35 years of pensionable service may agree, during the term of the full-time employment relationship, that the employee will work reduced hours amounting to 80% of full-time working hours. The amount of the worker’s basic pay must be 90% of the amount of the worker’s basic pay for full-time work. An employee working part-time is entitled to the same pension and disability insurance benefits as a full-time employee.

An insured person is entitled to a disability pension if they are disabled and they meet certain other conditions. Disability is confirmed by the Disability Commission of the Pension and Disability Insurance Institute of Slovenia. The commission classifies the insured person into one of three categories based on their remaining capacity for work.

Links:

A union acts as a social partner and negotiates to improve working conditions and pay, including wage supplements. Membership of a trade union is voluntary. To this end, unions enter into collective agreements with employers (at a corporate, institutional or sectoral level). Unions also provide representation of employees, collectively and individually, including judicial protection through the exercise of legal remedies. Representatives of representative trade unions are also members of the Economic and Social Council, alongside representatives of employers’ organisations and the government.

Workers may represent their interests through representatives on the works council and the supervisory board, and through trade union delegates.

A works council is formed if the company employs more than 20 workers with an active voting right who have been working at the company for an uninterrupted period of more than six months. Its role is to receive workers’ proposals and initiatives, which are then taken into account in negotiations with the employer, and it also helps integrate disabled people, older people and other beneficiaries of special protection into the work process. If a worker has questions regarding their place of work or organisational unit, the employer must respond within 30 days. A worker must be informed of any changes at their place of work. An employer must inform the works council of the company’s economic situation, changes of activity, changes in technology, etc.

Members of the supervisory board who are workers’ representatives represent the interests of all workers within the limits of the powers conferred on the supervisory board. The number of workers’ representatives on the supervisory board is determined by the company’s articles of association.

Employers’ obligations towards trade unions

Employers must provide the necessary conditions for trade unions to carry out their activities swiftly and effectively in accordance with the rules safeguarding workers’ rights and interests, and give them access to the information they need to conduct trade union activities. Trade unions play a mainly advisory role in employee dismissals, bankruptcy or liquidation, as well as in disciplinary proceedings against employees. Trade unions also give employers their opinion on general organisational and other acts.

A trade union whose members are employed by a particular employer may nominate or elect a trade union delegate to represent it in its dealings with the employer. Where no delegate is designated, the trade union is represented by its chair.

Links:

A strike is an organised suspension of work by employees for the purpose of asserting economic and social rights and interests arising from work. An employee is free to decide whether or not to take part in a strike. By striking, an employee exercises fundamental rights arising from their employment. A strike may be organised in an undertaking, in an organisation, at one employer, in a sector, in an industry or as a general strike. Financial compensation during a strike may be claimed only where provided for in a collective agreement or articles of association.

A decision to commence a strike may be adopted by a majority of workers or by a trade union. A decision to commence a general strike is adopted by the supreme trade union body in Slovenia. A decision to commence a strike sets out the workers’ demands, the time of commencement and the location at which the strike participants are to assemble. A strike committee is formed to represent the workers’ interests and direct the strike on their behalf. The strike committee must announce a strike at least five days before the date on which it is set to begin.

A strike must be organised and conducted in such a way that it does not endanger human safety or health and property, or jeopardise the resumption of work once the strike has ended. The strike committee and the workers on strike may not prevent non-striking workers from working. A strike ends by agreement between those who adopted the decision to strike and the bodies to whom the decision was sent, or by a decision of the trade union or workers that adopted the decision to commence the strike.

The organisation of a strike and participation therein do not constitute a failure to fulfil work obligations, cannot be the basis for initiating proceedings to have an employee declared guilty of a breach of discipline and liable for damages, and cannot result in termination of employment.

Links:

Political system

Slovenia is a democratic republic. Its constitutional system is based on a parliamentary system of governance, divided into the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. The supreme representative and legislative institution is the National Assembly (parliament). The president of the republic is elected for a five-year term of office in direct elections called by the National Assembly. The prime minister is elected by an absolute majority of National Assembly members in a secret ballot. Ministers are appointed by the National Assembly at the proposal of the prime minister.

Administrative system

State administration implements laws, other regulations and National Assembly and government acts, and issues administrative and other acts. Every decision by an administrative body must contain information on legal remedies, stating where and by what deadline an appeal is possible.

State administration is organised by departments, i.e. ministries, and territorially into 58 administrative units. An administrative unit is a body of state administration that provides a large number of important and commonly required administrative services for citizens and legal entities (personal documents, registration of residence and vehicles, driving licences and central registers). Administrative units decide in the first instance on administrative matters that lie within the competence of the state.

Legal system

Courts in Slovenia are divided into courts of general jurisdiction and specialist courts, which include the labour and social court. Courts of general jurisdiction are organised at four levels: local courts (44 courts covering local judicial areas, i.e. municipalities), district courts (11 courts covering districts), higher courts (four courts, located in Celje, Koper, Ljubljana and Maribor, along with the Higher Labour and Social Court and the Administrative Court) and the Supreme Court, which is based in Ljubljana.

Local and district courts adjudicate in the first instance, while higher courts adjudicate in the second instance. The Supreme Court is the highest court within the Slovenian judicial system, and also adjudicates on appeals against first-instance decisions on administrative disputes.

The Constitutional Court is the highest autonomous body of judicial power in Slovenia, and carries out the constitutional review of laws and other legal acts. A party appearing before a court may be represented by a lawyer who has passed the state bar examination. You can file a written request for legal aid on the relevant form at the relevant court or at the local court covering the area in which you are permanently or temporarily resident or in which your business is established. The form can be obtained from legal aid services, bookshops or the Ministry of Justice website. Your financial situation is taken into account when a decision is being made on your eligibility for legal aid.

Notary services are a special public service provided by notaries. Notaries are authorised to draw up authentic documents relating to legal transactions, declarations of intent, etc.

The police force operates across areas covering one or more municipalities; these areas are divided into police districts. The work of the police takes place 24 hours a day. Dial the 113 emergency number if you require the assistance of the police.

Links:

If you are permanently or temporarily resident in Slovenia, if you create taxable income on national territory or if you own taxable movable or immovable property, you are a taxable person and need your own tax number.

Income tax is the tax on the income of natural persons. Income tax is charged for income arising from: employment, activities, performing agricultural or forestry activities, pensions, capital and property leasing. Persons liable for income tax pay a monthly advance from their earnings; this advance is then taken into account in the final income tax assessment.

In addition to income tax, individuals in Slovenia pay taxes, contributions and other compulsory duties, such as inheritance and gift tax, tax on real estate sales, tax on winnings accrued through games of chance, motor vehicle tax, tax on interest, a compensation fee for the use of building land, environmental levies and social security contributions.

In 2025, the average monthly gross salary in Slovenia was EUR 2 536.03. The level of social security contributions for persons in employment amounts to: 22.10% of the base (payable by employees) and 16.10% of the base (payable by employers). These are contributions for pension and disability insurance, health insurance, parental protection insurance, employment insurance, and insurance against injury at work and occupational diseases.

Prepayment of income tax is calculated progressively during the year on all receipts as a deduction of tax at the rates of 16%, 26%, 33%, 39% and 50% depending on the income tax bracket into which your tax base places you. The annual tax base from the income received by a resident in a tax year is the sum of tax bases from income from employment, income from an activity, income from the performance of an agricultural or forestry activity, income from property leasing, income from the transfer of property rights and from other income, including the increases and reductions specified for the type of income in question. Slovenia has a general tax allowance and other special (personal) allowances; the latter are granted to people with disabilities, secondary school or university students who receive income from work through the student employment service, and to people with dependants. A tax allowance is also granted to people who have voluntary supplementary pension insurance. In 2024, a special personal tax allowance was introduced for new residents (Article 113a of the Personal Income Tax Act), which stipulates that taxpayers who are new residents in Slovenia and receive a salary are entitled to an income tax reduction amounting to 7% of their salary, provided certain conditions are met. These conditions include the person not having been resident in Slovenia during the two consecutive tax years prior to starting work in Slovenia and, during that period, not having any taxable income from employment or industry in Slovenia. In addition, the individual must have a guaranteed salary of at least twice the average annual salary in Slovenia and must not be older than 40 when they start work. The income tax reduction applies for a maximum of five years. The taxpayer must notify the employer in writing about their claim for the special personal tax allowance for new residents.

When the fiscal year is over, the Financial Administration sends a provisional income tax assessment to your address by the end of May, based on data provided by the payers of your earnings, requests for special tax allowances, and capital gains assessment returns submitted in due time. If you agree with the provisional assessment, following the expiry of the deadline for an objection it becomes a final assessment, i.e. a decision, and therefore the basis for payment or for the refund for any shortfall in or surplus of income tax payments.

Value added tax (VAT) is paid on goods transactions, service transactions and the import of goods. The general rate is 22%. The lower VAT rate of 9.5% is charged on food, water supply, medicines, medicinal products, medical equipment, passenger transport, books and newspapers, tickets for cultural and sports events, imports of works of art and antiques, etc.

Links:

The main items of Slovenian household expenditure are housing (rent, heating, electricity, etc.) and food and drinks. Slovenian households also spend considerable amounts on transport, clothing and footwear, recreation, education and culture. The inflation rate in 2025 was 2.7%. Prices for services increased by an average of 3.64% while prices for goods rose by an average of 2.3%.

According to data from the Statistical Office, the average price of a cup of black coffee or espresso is EUR 1.86, a set meal in a restaurant EUR 14.59, a kilogram of bread EUR 3.84, a kilogram of apples EUR 1.51, a kilogram of boneless beef EUR 12.34 and a kilogram of cheese EUR 10.67. A cinema ticket costs from EUR 7.47 and the average standard public transport ticket costs EUR 1.31. The indicative rent for a studio apartment in Ljubljana is around EUR 600 and for a two-room apartment around EUR 1 000. Rents for flats in most other Slovenian regions are around 20% lower than in Ljubljana. Residential property prices have risen by 2.7% over the last year, with a housing shortage being felt most acutely in Ljubljana and the coastal region.

Consumer electronics, food and non-alcoholic beverages are the most expensive items in Slovenia when compared with the EU average, while the prices of alcoholic drinks, tobacco and services are slightly lower than the EU average.

Links:

Most real estate in Slovenia is privately owned. Accommodation can be found through private agencies, which are located throughout the country and which act as intermediaries in the purchase, lease or sale of real estate. There are also advertisements in the printed media and online.

When renting a flat, you sign an agreement with the owner; this agreement should then be certified by a notary. A tenancy agreement is signed for a definite or indefinite period of time; this must be stated clearly in the agreement. The period of notice for a tenant is 60 days.

The signing of a contract is the most important stage of the sale or purchase of a property. The law states that a property purchase contract must be concluded in writing and that the seller’s notarised signature must appear on the land registry permit. The transfer of property ownership only occurs when an entry is made in the land registry. VAT of 9.5% is charged for new-build residential properties and 22% for new-build business premises. The person liable for the payment of this tax is the seller. The tax base is the sale price of the property. With existing property, a 2% property trade tax is charged. The person liable for the payment of this tax is the seller. In addition to property trade tax, the seller is also liable to pay capital gains tax if they have made a profit (the difference between the purchase and sale price) from the sale of the property. The tax rate, set at 25%, decreases for every five years of ownership of the real property. The rate is 20% after five years, 15% after ten years and 0% after 15 years.

Where a property is sold by a natural person who acquired it after 1 January 2002, that person is also liable to capital gains tax under the provisions of the Personal Income Tax Act. Natural persons may be liable to pay tax on revenue from capital on the transfer of property, on top of the real estate transfer tax.

Links:

Primary healthcare in Slovenia is provided by health centres, private practitioners, specialists, therapists, care providers and pharmacies.

Health centres offer preventive care (for adults, children, young people), emergency medical services, home care, general medicine, healthcare for women, children and young people, and laboratory and other diagnostic services. You are free to choose your own general practitioner, dentist and gynaecologist. Almost every sizeable town has access to public and private pharmacies offering medicines, other pharmaceutical products and medical accessories.

Specialist outpatient services provide diagnosis, treatment and medical rehabilitation, care, accommodation and food. Hospitals are either general or specialist. Your general practitioner refers you to a hospital, except in the case of emergency medical assistance.

In the case of children who are covered by compulsory insurance as family members, all healthcare services are covered by compulsory health insurance. A compulsory health insurance contribution was introduced on 1 January 2024. From 1 March 2026 to the end of February 2027, the compulsory health insurance contribution will amount to EUR 39.36. The payer of the insured person’s income is responsible for deducting the compulsory health insurance contribution from that income. Specific categories of insured persons are liable for payment of the compulsory health insurance contribution, such as persons in an employment relationship in Slovenia; persons in an employment relationship in another country who perform work in Slovenia, and persons who are simultaneously employed in another EU Member State up to full working hours. The state pays the contribution for specific categories of insured persons; these include recipients of permanent financial social assistance, persons eligible under provisions covering war veterans and war disabled persons, and recipients of benefits under the Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities Act.

Non-prescription medicines (issued by a pharmacist with professional advice) and prescription medicines (prescribed by a doctor) are available in pharmacies. Your doctor may prescribe medicines needed for treatment and classified on the relevant lists of drugs using a green prescription form. These are paid for out of compulsory health insurance. Reimbursement of the costs for drugs prescribed on a white prescription form may not generally be claimed under compulsory health insurance (payment may only be claimed in exceptional circumstances, namely for drugs that are used to treat serious illnesses, that cannot be obtained in Slovenia and that have no suitable substitutes). Prescriptions and referrals are also issued in electronic form. This ‘e-Recept’, or e-prescription, is sent to the pharmacy at which you collect the medicinal product after presenting your health insurance card.

The extent of coverage of health services and public healthcare providers is set annually by the Ministry of Health. In cases where full payment for the service is not provided (e.g. organ transplant, dental prosthesis, non-essential operations and fertility treatment), a certain percentage of the costs is covered (the patient is informed about this before the planned procedure commences).

People on low incomes enjoy special relief when paying supplements for healthcare services.

You can claim the necessary healthcare services in Slovenia using the European Health Insurance Card or another suitable certificate, or the health insurance card issued to all persons insured under the compulsory health insurance scheme in Slovenia. The European Card or certificate can be used to claim urgent or necessary health services directly at physicians and health institutions that are part of the public national healthcare network.

The telephone number for emergency medical assistance and the ambulance service is 112.

Links:

The education system is mainly organised as a public service under which public and private institutions and private operators that have been granted a concession provide publicly approved programmes.

Pre-school education in Slovenia is provided through public and private nursery schools, allowing parents the freedom to choose educational programmes in line with their personal views and convictions. Pre-school is for children between the age of 11 months and the age at which they are required to start primary school. It is up to parents whether or not to enrol their child in nursery school, i.e. enrolment is not mandatory. Once your child has reached the age of 11 months, they may be enrolled in nursery school at any time of the year provided you are no longer taking full-time parental leave.

Primary education in Slovenia is compulsory and publicly funded. It is organised as a single nine-year primary school for pupils aged 6 to 15, and provided by public and private primary (elementary) schools and by educational institutions for children with special needs. For adults, it is offered by adult education organisations.

After completing primary school, students can enrol in a secondary vocational, secondary professional or technical or gymnasium (general upper secondary education) programme. Students who have completed an adapted primary education programme with lower educational criteria or completed the compulsory education requirements can enrol in lower vocational education.

Secondary education is divided into general, lower vocational, vocational, and secondary professional and technical education. Secondary education lasts between two and five years, with students generally enrolling at the age of 15. Secondary education is the first step towards choosing a career path. It provides students with the knowledge and experience they need to enter the labour market or continue their education at university or in short-cycle higher vocational programmes and professional higher education programmes.

Lower vocational education programmes last for two years and are aimed at students who have met the compulsory education requirements and completed at least the seventh year of the nine-year primary school, or who have completed primary education under an adapted programme. Students can gain qualifications for various occupations in the engineering, civil engineering, biotechnical and textile fields. The emphasis in specialised modules is on practical instruction reinforced by theoretical content. To complete the programme, the student must pass a final examination consisting of a product or service and an oral presentation. After completing the programme, the student is qualified for jobs at the level of the narrow occupational profile, or may continue their education in vocational upper secondary programmes.

Secondary vocational education generally lasts three years and finishes with a final examination that allows the student to find employment or continue their education. Some programmes are also offered in the form of apprenticeships, where the greater part of the education process takes place with an employer (at least half the programme is in the form of practical on-the-job training with an employer). Secondary professional and technical education lasts four years. Its advantages are twofold: it provides a vocational qualification along with the chance to prepare for further study in short-cycle higher vocational programmes and professional higher education programmes. Lower vocational and secondary vocational education programmes conclude with a final examination, while secondary technical and vocational education programmes and vocational courses conclude with a vocational matriculation (matura) examination.

Upper secondary education can be divided into general (general and classical gymnasium) and vocational (technical, economics and arts gymnasium). The general and economics gymnasium programmes can also be offered in sports departments. Gymnasium programmes last four years and culminate in the general school-leaving examination (matura). Passing the general school-leaving examination enables students to continue their education in all fields of university study, as well as in short-cycle higher vocational programmes and professional higher education programmes.

Short-cycle higher education is provided by public and private higher vocational colleges. This type of study is heavily slanted towards practice. It lasts two years and is based on the clearly defined needs of employers.

Higher education is provided by public and private universities and other higher education institutions, and takes place at university faculties, art academies and professional colleges. First-cycle study programmes are divided into academic higher education programmes and professional higher education programmes, while second-cycle study programmes are master’s programmes. Graduates gain a diploma and a professional or academic title. Study programmes are organised as full-time or part-time courses. The language of instruction at higher education institutions is Slovenian, although some study programmes are also taught in English. After completing a professional or academic higher education programme, graduates can continue their education in postgraduate master’s programmes and subsequently in doctoral programmes. The exceptions to this are integrated second-cycle professional programmes such as those in the fields of medicine, veterinary science, pharmacy and theology.

Links:

Cultural life in Slovenia is very dynamic. The country has two national opera and ballet houses (in Ljubljana and Maribor) and a large number of theatres (Maribor, Ljubljana, Nova Gorica, Kranj). Privately run (i.e. non-state) theatres are also popular.

The most important institutions in the area of the fine arts are Narodna Galerija (National Gallery) and Moderna Galerija (Museum of Modern Art), both in Ljubljana. For classical music, the best-known orchestra is the Slovenska Filharmonija (Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra), as well as the Simfonični orkester RTV Slovenija (RTV Slovenija Symphony Orchestra).

Slovenia has a rich and diverse network of cultural organisations and associations, with a large number of performances and events taking place in the tourist areas of Slovenia every year. These include a very large number of small-scale local events featuring stories from everyday life, customs relating to work and life, and history. Some of these traditional events include the Jurjevanje, Kurentovanje and Furmanski Praznik festivals, national costume days, jousting and so forth. Slovenia is also a land of choirs, folklore groups and wind bands. Sports lovers can enjoy the traditional annual ski-jumping and ski-flying competitions, as well as other skiing competitions.

The most popular individual sports are mountaineering, rock climbing, mountain climbing, skiing, swimming, running and cycling, and the main team sports are football, handball, basketball and volleyball. Marathon running is also a very popular pastime. Adults and children alike can join sports clubs, which offer a wide range of recreational programmes. The state and local community finance the construction and modernisation of sports facilities, and there is also a large number of privately owned facilities. Slovenia has a large number of sports clubs. Some of the most popular forms of family recreation, particularly during weekends between May and November, are mountain climbing and family excursions to the surrounding countryside.

Slovenia also has a long tradition of voluntary fire brigades.

Links:

Birth

Births are entered in the register of births on the basis of registration carried out by the healthcare organisation (e.g. maternity hospital) at which the child was born. The administrative unit in the area in which the child was born issues a birth certificate automatically and sends it to your address. A child born in Slovenia whose parents are not Slovenian citizens does not acquire Slovenian citizenship upon birth. The parents are obliged to register the child’s birth in their home country and make citizenship arrangements within three months of the birth. If a child is born abroad to Slovenian parents, they are entered in the register of births in Slovenia on the basis of an extract from the register of births of the relevant authority of that country. If a child is born abroad and only one of the parents is a Slovenian citizen (the other being a foreign national), the child may only acquire Slovenian citizenship if the parents apply for Slovenian citizenship on the child’s behalf. Parents must apply for Slovenian citizenship for their child before the child reaches the age of 18.

Marriage and non-marital partnerships

In Slovenia, marriage means a union of two spouses, while a non-marital partnership means a stable life partnership of two persons who are not married.

Two people intending to get married apply in person at the administrative unit in the area in which they wish the marriage to take place. In the application, the partners declare that they are entering into marriage of their free will and that they meet the conditions for the marriage to be valid. They must attach to their application evidence of data that cannot be determined on the basis of official Slovenian records.

Foreign citizens must also enclose a certificate that proves their unmarried status, proof of citizenship (passport) and a statement from the country of which they are nationals that there is no impediment to their marriage. If the annulment of a previous marriage has not been entered in official records, the future spouse (foreign citizen) must also enclose a document that proves that the previous marriage has been dissolved (a court ruling or an extract from the register of deaths).

The court terminates a marriage on the basis of an agreement of the spouses or an application for divorce. Partners in a non-marital partnership have the same rights and responsibilities as married couples. If spouses have children who are minors, they must first go to the relevant social services centre (Center za socialno delo) for a prior consultation. The record of this consultation must be submitted with the application for divorce.

Death

All deaths must be reported in writing within two days to the registrar for the area in which the death occurred. If a person dies at home, the death is reported by the post-mortem examiner, the doctor who pronounced the death, family members or the person with whom the deceased person lived.

Links: