Immigrate to Slovenia from the US

Persons who want to move to Slovenia from the US may need to follow different legal pathways, depending on their citizenship, residence in the USA, and the duration and the purpose of stay in Slovenia. The legislation in Slovenia distinguishes between short-term and long-term stays and, depending on the legal situation of the applicant, a visa will be required.

The requirement for having a visa issued by the Slovenian authorities will also vary depending on the purpose for which the visa is issued. Given the complexity of the visa requirements and the legal procedures that American citizens may have to respect, you can always rely on the legal services provided by our team of Slovenian lawyers, who are ready to assist you when you want to immigrate to Slovenia.

Immigrate to Slovenia from the USA for short-term stays

A short-term stay in Slovenia is defined as any visit in this country that has a duration of less than 90 days. As a general rule, foreigners who are not citizens of the European Union (EU) will have to apply for a visa for short-term stays, but the local legislation stipulates that certain nationalities are exempted from this regulation. Below, you can find out when a person needs a Slovenia visa for US citizens.

This exemption is also applied to persons who move to Slovenia from the US for a short period of time, but the right is granted only to persons who have American citizenship. In the case of persons living in the US, who have obtained their permanent residency in America, the requirement to have a visa even for short-term stays may still be applicable, depending on the nationality of the applicant.

Foreigners living in the US as permanent residents can receive in-depth legal advice on this matter from our team of lawyers in Slovenia who will present them the formalities in case they want to immigrate to Slovenia.

Relocate to Slovenia from the USA for long-term stays

Americans who immigrate to Slovenia from the USA for a long-term period (any stay with a duration of more than 90 days) will need to apply for a visa in accordance with the purpose of their stay. At the same time, it is necessary to know that staying in this country for a period of more than 90 days requires foreigners to obtain a residence permit.

The residence permit is issued on a temporary basis and the applicant must start the procedure at a Slovenian embassy or consulate working in the US, close to the place where the applicant has his or her current residence.

However, there is an exemption from this rule, and this is applied in the case of those who want to obtain a visa and a temporary residence permit in Slovenia based on family ties with Slovenian citizens. In this case, the residence process can be started in Slovenia.

When arriving in this country, Americans should be able to meet a set of basic requirements. Our law firm in Slovenia has prepared a short list of basic aspects Americans should know prior to their arrival here, some of the highlights being the following:

the validity of the American passports has to be 3 months longer than the date at which the departure from Slovenia will take place;
the passport must also have blank pages, as 1 page will be required for each visa stamp;
in the case Americans will relocate to Slovenia from the USA for at least 90 days in a period of 180 days, they will need to obtain the D visa (for long-term stays);
it is also necessary to declare upon entry and exit in Slovenia any sums of money larger than EUR 10,000;
Americans are amongst the top non-EU nationalities represented as foreign-born immigrants in this country (800 persons in 2018, according to the data provided by the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia).

How can one obtain the Slovenia visa for US citizens for long-term stays?

Above, we have presented just few of the main aspects American citizens have to comply with when they immigrate to Slovenia for the purpose of obtaining a long-term visa. In the following section of this article, we will present more details concerning the issuance of a long-term visa, known as the D visa.

The application for the Slovenia visa for US citizens is done through the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia, and the procedure has to be completed in accordance with the rules of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.

When applying for this visa, the foreigner must know that the overall duration of the stay in Slovenia can be of minimum 90 days and maximum 1 year. The visa can be issued for a variety of reasons, and you can refer to our Slovenian lawyers for more details concerning this subject.

In order to obtain this visa type, you will need to prepare a set of documents presenting your identity, the purpose of stay and information regarding your accommodation. Another important aspect for those who want to obtain the Slovenia visa for US citizens is that they must also provide evidence on their financial funds and having an appropriate insurance document.

Please mind that the Slovenia visa for US citizens that is issued as a national visa will require the applicant to participate in an interview with the Slovenian authorities.

The visa application can be done by mail, but an appointment can be requested by the Slovenian immigration authorities after reviewing the visa application; the appointment can take place after minimum 5 days since the online application was submitted.

Please mind that the processing formalities of those who immigrate to Slovenia from the USA under this visa impose a standard fee of EUR 77, which is payable in US dollars at the current exchange rate. The applicant has to complete various legal requirements, including the ones referring to medical travel insurance.

In the EU, the medical travel insurance must have a minimum value of EUR 30,000 and those who apply for the Slovenia visa for US citizens will have to comply with the same requirement. You can request more details on the medical travel insurance requirements from our team of lawyers in Slovenia.

Photo requirements for the D visa in Slovenia

When moving to Slovenia from US, one of the requirements Americans must comply with is to provide a valid photo. The photo must have a specific size and also, the image of the person must meet certain basic requirements.

The size of the photo must be 3.5 cm x 4.5 cm, and the face of the person depicted in the image must have length of 3 cm, out of the total of 4.5 cm, representing the height. The photo has to be a recent one (taken with maximum 6 months prior to the application).

The picture must be printed on photographic paper (no other type of paper is accepted). It is important to respect other criteria, such as: very good picture quality, the elements of the face have to be distinguishable and elements such as sunglasses or hats should not be present in the image.

These criteria are important, as any missing element can result in a visa refusal. There is an exemption from all the basic requirements, and this applies to persons moving to Slovenia from US who have a religious background which interdicts them to appear in public without a head covering, for example.

The photo is a key element of the application for immigration to Slovenia, therefore please be mindful when submitting it with the other documents. Our Slovenian lawyers can help any American moving to Slovenia,offering tailored advice, in accordance with their residency background, ethnic, religious, etc.

Where can Americans apply for the Slovenia visa for US citizens?

As a general rule, the place where the visa application has to be made is the consular mission or the embassy of Slovenia operating in the region where the applicant has his or her residency. Please mind that the visa application process can be influenced by the number of countries that will be visited by the applicant.

Thus, in the situation in which the American citizen will want to visit only Slovenia (regardless of the reason) then it is necessary to apply for a visa at the Slovenian embassy or consulate.

In the case in which the applicant wants to visit not only Slovenia, but other Schengen states (Slovenia is part of this structure), then the application for the visa can be started with the authorities of the Schengen state that represents the main destination.

The main destination refers to the place where the American citizen will spend the longest period of time or where the main purpose of the visit is located. If this country is Slovenia, then the applicant will request the Slovenia visa for US citizens from the Slovenian immigration authorities.

In the case in which the applicant will not have a main destination, then the visa application process will be started with the authorities of the country where the first point of entry is registered.

We mean here in the sense that one can’t determine a longer stay in a given Schengen state (all visits have a similar duration) or one can’t determine a specific purpose in a given country (for instance, the foreigner will travel to several Schengen states for the same period of time.

So, for instance, if the first point of entry is through Germany, then the foreigner will apply for a visa in Germany, without the need of obtaining additional visas from all the other Schengen states that will be a part of the travel itinerary. If the first point of entry is Slovenia, then the formalities for the Slovenia visa for US citizens will be started in Slovenia.

How long does it take to process the D visa application?

Slovenian visas are processes in a short amount of time and the same applies to the D visa, which grants temporary residency in Slovenia. The legislation stipulates that the application should be initiated maximum 90 days prior to the date of arrival in this country.

However, an American moving to Slovenia should submit the documents with at least 30 days prior to the arrival date. It is recommended to do so, because the 1-month threshold is sufficient for the processing of the application.

The application must contain the standard form for the D visa (mandatory document), in which the American moving to Slovenia will disclose all the information required by the Slovenian authorities. Our immigration lawyers in Slovenia can help you complete the application as per the applicable law.

The form contains 34 fields that must be completed and, in situations where the person doesn’t need to complete the field, the abbreviation from the words “not applicable” – N/A must be mentioned. For instance, for the Field 34 – Signature for minors, parental authority, legal guardian, if the applicant does not have children, the field must still be completed by adding the required abbreviation.

How can Americans obtain permanent residence permits in Slovenia?

A foreigner is also entitled to obtaining a permanent residence permit in Slovenia, as is for obtaining Slovenian citizenship. However, these procedures can only be started if specific conditions are met, and they may depend upon the relation of the American citizen with Slovenia, the purpose of stay, the type of visa obtained here and other conditions, that can be presented by our Slovenian lawyers.

A permanent residence permit can generally be obtained by a foreigner after living here for an uninterrupted period of 5 years (the foreigner must have a continuous legal residence in Slovenia, which can be attested by various papers). Americans who want to relocate to Slovenia on a permanent basis can receive in-depth information on the procedure from our Slovenian lawyers.

We also invite you to contact our law firm in Slovenia for legal representation or legal assistance on the citizenship formalities. A foreigner can become a Slovenian citizen only after obtaining the permanent residency and for more details on how to relocate to Slovenia, our lawyers remain at your disposal and can offer information regarding the procedure of obtaining the Slovenia visa for US citizens.