Immigrate to Slovenia from South Africa

Updated on Friday 17th December 2021

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Most of the nationals of third countries have to obtain various immigration documents when arriving in Slovenia. The right to enter freely in this country is reserved for the nationals of the European Union (EU), as the country applies the policies of free movement of persons as a EU member state.

The procedure applicable for those who want to immigrate to Slovenia from South Africa will vary depending on the duration of the stay and its purpose. In Slovenia, just like in other EU states, visas are divided between transit visas - issued only so that one can have the right of transiting an airport for a connecting flight, short-term visas, issued for stays with a duration of maximum 90 days, and visas for stays with a duration of more than 90 days.

If you need advice on the types of visas available in these situations, you can always request legal assistance from our team of Slovenian lawyers, who can also help you in the process of obtaining a specific type of visa, as well as offering advice on other immigration matters (obtaining residence permits, apply for citizenship, bringing close family members in Slovenia, etc.). In order to relocate to Slovenia, you can contact our team.

Do South Africans need a Schengen visa in Slovenia?

Yes, the citizens of South Africa need to obtain a Schengen visa for Slovenia, that allows them to relocate to Slovenia. The Schengen visa is one of the visas issued for short-term stays (of 90 days maximum, in a period of 180 days). You can request information on the types of documents you must prepare from our team of lawyers in Slovenia and you must also know that detailed information concerning your arrival and departure will be required as well.

The Schengen visa can be issued by one of the Schengen states (which are EU member states, but one must notice that not all EU states are Schengen states) and the document provides the right to enter not only the territory of the country which issued the document, but also the territory of other Schengen states, without any additional border controls or other immigration documents.

Please be aware that the Schengen visa can also be issued as a transit visa, allowing its holder to stay in various international transit areas, such as airports, in accordance with the policies established by the European Commission. Also, South Africans must know that the applications for the issuance of the visa will not be processed by the Slovenian Consulate operating in South Africa, as it generally applies in other cases.

Instead, South Africans can apply for a Schengen visa for Slovenia only through the Consular Section of the German diplomatic missions in South Africa. Persons living in South Africa and who are South African residents will apply for this visa only through this institution. Our law firm in Slovenia can offer more information concerning this.

What documents do South Africans need to prepare for a Slovenian visa?

Those who will immigrate to Slovenia from South Africa must prepare an extensive set of documents when they will apply for a visa. The documents necessary for this will slightly vary based on the visa one needs, but in most cases the following papers have to be gathered:

completing the visa application form and presenting a recent passport photo;
detailed information on the departure from South Africa and the departure from Slovenia (the flight bookings have to be presented);
the passport, which must have a validity with at least 6 months longer than the date at which the departure from Slovenia will take place;
one has to prepare a cover letter presenting the personal details of the applicant as well as the ones of the persons travelling with the applicant;
in order to move to Slovenia, a travel insurance is also required, in accordance with the EU laws.

What is the data on migration in Slovenia?

Slovenia is a country that has been recording a constant number of Slovenian citizens and residents who emigrated to other jurisdictions (for more than 20 years). However, the number of Slovenians leaving the country is lower than the number of foreigners immigrating here from other jurisdictions, which is known as positive net migration. The latest entries of the Statistical Office show the following:

in 2019, the immigration rate was higher than the emigration rate, as 31,319 persons arrived here, and 15,106 left the country;
in this sense, one must know that compared to 2018, in 2019, Slovenia received 10% more immigrants;
Slovenian citizens also account for a share of the immigrant population, as some of them returned from countries such as Germany (22% of them) and Austria (17%);
the highest number of foreign immigrants was from Bosnia and Herzegovina (28%), Serbia (14%) and Germany (11%);
in 2019, Slovenian citizens emigrated to Austria (25% of them) and Germany (18%).

If you need additional information on how to move to Slovenia from South Africa, please contact our Slovenian lawyers. Our law firm in Slovenia can help you ease the process of relocating here and can also present the steps you should take if you want to become a permanent resident or a Slovenian citizen.