Slovenia

Last Updated: 2026-03-31

Official Portal: Ministry of the Interior — Citizenship

Embassy Finder: Slovenian Diplomatic Missions

Quick Facts

Category	Details
Residency for naturalization	10 years of actual and continuous residence, including 5 years of permanent residence immediately preceding the application
Language requirement	Slovenian language — basic active command of the language (assessed through interview and/or language course certificate)
Civics test	None (no formal civics examination, though integration is assessed holistically)
Processing time	6—12 months
Naturalization fee	EUR 180 (administrative fee)
Dual citizenship	Conditional — generally required to renounce prior citizenship, with exceptions for reciprocity, birthright, and marriage cases
Citizenship by birth in Slovenia	Very limited jus soli — only for children of stateless parents or foundlings
Citizenship by descent	Automatic for children of Slovenian citizens
Governing law	Zakon o drzavljanstvu Republike Slovenije (Citizenship Act of the Republic of Slovenia, 1991, as amended)

Dual Citizenship

Slovenia maintains a conditional approach to dual citizenship. The general rule requires renunciation of prior citizenship upon naturalization, but several important exceptions exist.

General rule (Article 10): A foreign national applying for Slovenian citizenship by naturalization must provide proof of release from their current citizenship, or proof that release will be granted upon acquisition of Slovenian citizenship.

Exceptions (no renunciation required):

Reciprocity: If the applicant’s country of origin permits its citizens to hold Slovenian citizenship without losing the original, Slovenia may waive the renunciation requirement.
Birth-based dual citizenship: Persons who acquired another nationality at birth (e.g., by being born in a jus soli country to Slovenian parents) are not required to renounce.
Marriage to a Slovenian citizen: Spouses of Slovenian citizens are exempt from the renunciation requirement under the facilitated naturalization pathway.
Persons over 60 years of age applying for naturalization may be exempt.
Refugees and stateless persons.
Interest of the state: The government may waive the requirement in cases where naturalization is in Slovenia’s national, scientific, economic, cultural, or sporting interest.

Slovenian citizens acquiring foreign citizenship: Slovenian law does not provide for automatic loss of citizenship upon acquiring a foreign nationality. A Slovenian citizen who voluntarily acquires another citizenship retains Slovenian citizenship. This creates an asymmetry: it is easier for Slovenian citizens to become dual nationals than for foreign nationals naturalizing in Slovenia.

Acquisition of Nationality

By Birth (Jus Soli)

Slovenia follows a strict jus sanguinis system. Birth on Slovenian territory alone does not confer citizenship. Limited jus soli applies:

A child born in Slovenia to parents who are both stateless and have permanent residence in Slovenia acquires Slovenian citizenship at birth (Article 9).
A child born in Slovenia whose parents are unknown (foundling) is considered a Slovenian citizen (Article 9).

By Descent (Jus Sanguinis)

A child acquires Slovenian citizenship at birth if (Article 4):

Both parents are Slovenian citizens (regardless of place of birth), OR
One parent is a Slovenian citizen and the child is born in Slovenia, OR
One parent is a Slovenian citizen and the other is stateless or of unknown citizenship, and the child is born abroad.

Children born abroad to one Slovenian parent and one foreign parent (Article 5): The child acquires Slovenian citizenship if:

The child is registered as a Slovenian citizen with the competent authority (embassy/consulate) before age 18, OR
The child would otherwise be stateless.

If the child is not registered before age 18, they may still acquire citizenship by filing a declaration before age 36, provided they have not acquired another citizenship through the other parent.

By Adoption

A child under 18 adopted by a Slovenian citizen acquires Slovenian citizenship on the date the adoption becomes final (Article 8). If only one adoptive parent is Slovenian, the child acquires citizenship if the parents agree, or by court order.

By Marriage

Slovenia provides a facilitated naturalization pathway for spouses of Slovenian citizens:

Requirements (Article 12):

The applicant must be married to a Slovenian citizen for at least 3 years.
The applicant must have been lawfully and actually resident in Slovenia for at least 1 year of continuous residence immediately preceding the application.
The couple must be living together.
The applicant must have basic active command of the Slovenian language.
The applicant is exempt from the renunciation requirement.
Good character, no threat to public order or national security.

By Naturalization (Residency)

Standard pathway (Article 10, Citizenship Act):

Requirement	Details
Residence	10 years of actual and continuous residence in Slovenia, of which the last 5 years must be on the basis of permanent residence
Slovenian language	Basic active command — assessed through interview or a certificate from a recognized Slovenian language course
Age	18 or older
Good character	No criminal convictions for offenses punishable by more than 1 year imprisonment (unless rehabilitation has occurred)
Financial means	Sufficient permanent means of subsistence (employment, business, pension, support from family members)
Tax obligations	Must have fulfilled all tax obligations
Renunciation	Must renounce prior citizenship, unless an exception applies
Public order	Must not pose a threat to public order, security, or defense
Fee	EUR 180

Exceptional naturalization (Article 13): The government may grant citizenship to a person whose naturalization is in the interest of the state (scientific, economic, cultural, national, or sporting). This pathway has reduced requirements (no standard residency, language, or renunciation conditions).

Slovenia is an EU and Schengen Area member state. Slovenian citizens enjoy full EU freedom of movement.

Loss and Renunciation

Voluntary Renunciation

A Slovenian citizen may renounce citizenship by submitting an application to the Ministry of the Interior (Article 17), provided:

The person holds or will acquire the citizenship of another state.
The person has no outstanding military service obligations (if applicable).
The person has fulfilled all tax and other obligations to the state.
Renunciation will not render them stateless.

Involuntary Loss

Ground	Details
Fraud	Citizenship obtained through false statements or concealment of material facts may be revoked within 10 years of acquisition (Article 16a).
No loss by foreign acquisition	A Slovenian citizen who voluntarily acquires a foreign nationality does not lose Slovenian citizenship.
Service in foreign armed forces	Not a specific ground for loss under current law, though it may be considered under public order provisions.

Historical issue — “The Erased” (Izbrisani): Upon independence in 1991, approximately 25,000 residents of Slovenia who were citizens of other Yugoslav republics and did not apply for Slovenian citizenship within the 6-month window were secretly removed from the population register on 26 February 1992. This left them without legal status, residency rights, or access to services. The Constitutional Court ruled the erasure unconstitutional in 1999 and 2003. A 2010 law provided for retroactive restoration of permanent residence status. The European Court of Human Rights found Slovenia in violation of the Convention (Kuric and Others v. Slovenia, 2012). Compensation and status restoration remain ongoing issues.

Restoration of Nationality

Former citizens (Article 14): A person who lost Slovenian citizenship by renunciation or by acquiring it through naturalization in another country (under the old Yugoslav-era laws) may apply for re-naturalization. The standard conditions apply, but the authorities may exercise discretion regarding the residency period.

Persons affected by the dissolution of Yugoslavia: Special provisions existed in the early 1990s for citizens of other Yugoslav republics who were permanent residents of Slovenia to acquire citizenship by application (Articles 39—40 of the original 1991 Act). The deadline for these applications has long passed, but unresolved cases (particularly “The Erased”) continue to be addressed through legislative and judicial remedies.

Stateless Persons and Foundlings

Foundlings (Article 9): A child found on the territory of Slovenia whose parents are unknown is presumed to be a Slovenian citizen until the contrary is established.

Stateless persons: Slovenia is party to both the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. A stateless child born in Slovenia to parents with permanent residence acquires citizenship at birth. Stateless adults may naturalize under facilitated conditions at the Ministry’s discretion.

Document Checklist

Sources

Zakon o drzavljanstvu Republike Slovenije (Citizenship Act of the Republic of Slovenia) — as amended. http://www.pisrs.si/Pis.web/pregledPredpisa?id=ZAKO13
Ministry of the Interior — citizenship information. https://www.gov.si/en/topics/citizenship/
Administrative Unit (Upravna Enota) — local offices handling citizenship applications. https://www.gov.si/en/state-authorities/administrative-units/
Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs — embassy finder. https://www.gov.si/en/state-authorities/ministries/ministry-of-foreign-and-european-affairs/
European Court of Human Rights — Kuric and Others v. Slovenia (Application no. 26828/06) — landmark ruling on “The Erased.” https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/

Slovenia.si

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