You shall be entitled to family reunification on condition you have resided in Slovenia long enough and are issued a temporary residence permit for the period of one year, or if you possess a valid permanent residence permit.

WHAT DOES ‘long enough’ mean?

Long enough means that you have already resided in Slovenia for one year on the basis of a temporary residence permit and that you are issued a temporary residence permit for the period of at least one year. The length of residence on the basis of the certificate issued for the submitted application for the first issue or for the issue of a further permit or its extension shall also be taken into consideration.

Who shall be entitled to reunite family members sooner, without a time limit?

In some exceptional cases specified below, individuals may exercise the right to family reunification with no statutory limit on the length of stay and the validity of the residence permit issued:

Both parents or a guardian are allowed to reunite with a child or a minor in the following cases: if they have been issued a temporary residence permit in the Republic of Slovenia, or if a temporary residence permit was granted to one of the parents who has been entrusted with parental responsibility, in case parents do not live together, or if the child or minor has only one parent.

EU Blue Card holders, employees in research and higher education, employees transferred from a third-country to Slovenia, and company employees on long-term transfers from another EU country to Slovenia shall be entitled to exercise the right to family reunification. You shall also be able to exercise the right to family reunification if your stay in Slovenia is in the interest of the country – the opinion on the interest regarding family reunification is given by the ministry or the state authority which has an interest in your stay in Slovenia. The administrative unit shall bring its decision on the basis of the opinion received.

The application for a family member’s residence permit shall be processed at the same time as your own application only if both applications are submitted to the competent authority in the Republic of Slovenia (administrative unit) at the same time.

EU Blue Card holders, employees in research and higher education, employees transferred from a third-country to Slovenia, and employees on long-term transfer from another EU country to Slovenia are entitled to reunite their family without a time limit. You shall submit an application for family members at the same time as your application for a residence permit. You may also be entitled to reunite your family earlier if your stay in Slovenia is in the interest of the country – the opinion on the interest of family reunification is given by the ministry or the state authority which has an interest in your stay in Slovenia. The administrative unit shall bring up a decision on the basis of the opinion received.

WHO is considered a family member?

The following groups of people are considered family members:

  • spouse, partner in a partnership or a civil union you have been living with for a significant period of time,
  • your under-age unmarried children,
  • under-age unmarried children of your spouse or a partner in a partnership or a civil union you have been living with for a significant period of time.
  • if you are a minor, your parents you lived with before coming to Slovenia shall also be considered your family members,
  • adult unmarried children and parents of your spouse or a partner in a partnership or a civil union you have been living with for a significant period of time, whom you or your spouse, partner in a partnership or a civil union you have been living with for a significant period of time are obliged to support under the law of your country of citizenship.

You are requested to provide a proof of eligibility for all family members, demonstrating that you have sufficient financial means to cover your living expenses as well as the expenses of any family members you intend to reunite, namely for the previous six months and for the month in which the application is submitted, or the month in which the competent authority takes a decision on your application.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT – IMPORTANT!

Applications for an extension of the family reunification permit for an adult family member submitted:

– between 1 May 2024 and 31 October 2024: shall contain proof of enrolment in a non-formal adult education Slovenian language course programme or a publicly valid programme which does not lead to the certificate of a publicly valid education.

– from 1 November 2024 onwards: proof of knowledge of the Slovenian language at a survival level shall also be provided.

! EXCEPTIONS – participation in the Slovenian language course and the Slovenian society and culture educational programme at A1 level as well as the fulfilment of the Slovenian language proficiency requirement shall not be mandatory for an adult family member who:

  • is enrolled in a regular educational programme in the Republic of Slovenia which is conducted in the Slovenian language,
  • has already obtained a certificate demonstrating that they have successfully passed the Slovenian language exam with at least an elementary level of proficiency.
  • completed schooling at any level in the Republic of Slovenia,
  • completed primary or secondary school with the Slovenian language of instruction in the areas of neighbouring countries inhabited by the indigenous Slovenian national community,
  • is over 60 years of age,
  • is unable to take the test in the required form due to a disability which hinders communication, as evidenced by an expert’s report.
  • is a family member of a foreigner who is an EU Blue Card holder,
  • is a family member of a foreigner who was granted a temporary residence permit to work in research, higher education and university education,
  • is a family member of a foreigner who was granted a temporary residence permit to carry out research work for the purpose of a long-term relocation,
  • is a family member of a foreigner who was issued a single residence and work permit as an intra-corporate transferee, and
  • where family reunification in the Republic of Slovenia is in the interest of the Republic of Slovenia.

Sufficient financial means for family members

Evidence demonstrating sufficient financial means for family members is based on the same criteria as those used to determine financial social assistance, the criteria being very precisely specified by means of particular credit-based units.

Example: a foreigner, reuniting an unemployed wife and an under-age child is required to provide financial means for himself (unit 1.00), his unemployed wife (unit 0.57), and a child (unit 0.59). The amount of basic minimum income (unit 1) is subject to change and currently amounts to: HERE.

You shall be entitled to extend your family members’ permit for the same period of validity as the validity of your permit (for example: if you have been living in Slovenia for three years and your family members for two years, namely on the basis of family reunification, and your permit has been extended for another six months, the permit of your family members shall also be extended for six months, on condition that all the necessary requirements are met).

If a foreigner dies or the union of two persons ends and it lasted for at least three years in Slovenia, the permit for a family member shall be extended only once.