New in Koper
FAQ
On arrival
What are the procedures on arrival in Slovenia?
Non-EU nationals must have a valid travel document and visa to enter the Republic of Slovenia. For longer stays, you must obtain a residence permit, temporary residence permit or permanent residence permit.
Administration
What are the procedures on arrival in Slovenia?
Non-EU nationals must have a valid travel document and visa to enter the Republic of Slovenia. For longer stays, you must obtain a residence permit, temporary residence permit or permanent residence permit.
How do I find a translator and/or interpreter?
If you are involved in court proceedings in Slovenia and you do not understand or cannot express yourself fluently in Slovenian, you will need a court interpreter to help you communicate with the other parties to the proceedings. A court interpreter is a certified professional who provides oral language services. A list of court interpreters in Slovenian is available at www.sodni-tolmaci.si/imenik-clanov.
How can I get Slovenian citizenship?
You can apply for citizenship of the Republic of Slovenia by naturalisation at the administrative unit if:
- You are aged 18 or over,
- You have been living in Slovenia for 10 years,
- You have sufficient means to support yourself,
- You have a certificate of knowledge of Slovenian as a second and foreign language (examination in Slovenian at the A1-B1 level),
- You have not been sentenced to a non-suspended prison sentence of more than three months or to a suspended prison sentence with a probation period of more than one year,
- Your residence in the Republic of Slovenia has not been withdrawn,
- Your tax obligations have been paid.
You must also attach your CV and the required certificates to your application.
You can get nationality under easier conditions if:
- You are married to a Slovenian national,
- Your Slovenian nationality was terminated by release or renunciation,
- You are a Slovenian emigrant or a descendant of a Slovenian emigrant,
- You are a stateless person,
- You are a refugee,
- You have attended and successfully completed at least higher education in the Republic of Slovenia,
- You were born in Slovenia and have lived in Slovenia since birth,
- You are a minor and live in Slovenia.
Finding a job
You can put your skills and competences into practice through National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs). A national vocational qualification can give you formal recognition that you are qualified to practise a particular occupation, regardless of how you acquired the necessary skills. NVQs can be obtained for occupations that are approved by the Minister responsible for labour. A certificate does not confer a level of education, but rather a publicly valid document that demonstrates competence in the field for which the certificate has been obtained.
For more information, see www.gov.si/national-vocational-qualifications/, www.pco.si/npk, and www.lu-koper.si/priprave-na-pridobitev-npk.
You can also get involved in various volunteering activities. You can find out more about volunteering at www.prostovoljstvo.org and www.filantropija.org.
How do I write my CV?
You can find information on how to write your CV on the Employment Service’s website: www.ess.gov.si/en/jobseekers.You can also set up an account on a social networking site such as LinkedIn.
Entrepreneurship
How can I start my own business?
Before setting up a business, choose the appropriate business form and check what information you will need to provide when registering your company. For more information, visit the SPOT portal: spot.gov.si/en/company-registration.
The Koper Regional Counselling Centre, part of the Folk High School of Koper, offers free counselling for adults on education and career development opportunities. Face-to-face counselling is available at the Folk High School of Koper (Ljudska univerza Koper, Cankarjeva ul. 33, 6000 Koper), and by prior appointment in Izola (Medgeneracijski center Izola, Livade 7a, 6310 Izola) and Lucija (Obala 105, 6320 Portorož). You can find out more at www.lu-koper.si/svetovanje-odraslim.
The PONI ProjectThe Regional Development Centre in Koper (an institution promoting the region's enterprise and economic development) organises practical entrepreneurship training, with 6 calls for tender in the 2020-2023 period. The calls for tender are published every four months. More information can be found at www.rrc-kp.si/podjetno-nad-izzive-poni and www.rrc-kp.si.
The Obala Vocational Centre offers personal, business and vocational training, language courses and National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) for a fee. You can find out more at www.pco.si.
Education
How do I find childcare?
If you do not claim parental leave, you can enrol a child who has reached 11 months at any point during the year. Besides public kindergartens, you can enrol your child in private kindergartens or arrange individual childcare (hire a nanny). For more information, visit https://www.gov.si/teme/vpis-otroka-v-vrtec/. www.gov.si/vpis-otroka-v-vrtec.
Parents have the right to choose between public and private kindergartens and between different educational programmes. When your child is admitted to a kindergarten, you must provide a certificate from your paediatrician stating your child's health status.
The cost of kindergarten programmes is covered by parents and the municipality. The municipality covers part of the price for children whose parents are registered as permanent residents in the municipality. The parents' share of the payment is determined by the local Social Work Centre on the basis of a scale classifying parents into grades 1 to 9. The parents' share of the price is determined by taking into account the net monthly income per member compared to the average net salary per employee in the Republic of Slovenia. Parents pay a maximum of 77% of the cost of the programme in which the child is enrolled.
Many associations and companies also offer (holiday) care through sports and other activities.
How do you enrol your child in the first grade of primary school?
Enrolment in primary school takes place in February for the school year starting in September of the same year. During an interview with the parents, the school fills in an enrolment form that the parents then sign.
Parents enrol their child in a public or private primary school in the district where the child lives permanently or temporarily. You can enrol your child in another primary school if the school agrees. At least three months before the start of school, the school will issue the parents with a certificate of enrolment or a decision to postpone the start of school.
The start of schooling for an individual child may be delayed for one year on the basis of a proposal from the parents, the health service or a guidance decision, if it is established that the child is not yet ready to start school.
Transport
How do I register my vehicle?
Before you drive on the roads, you must register your vehicle. This means that your vehicle must comply with the legal requirements and pass a technical check. You can find out more at e-uprava.gov.si/vehicle-registration.
You can register a new or old vehicle with any registration organisation in Slovenia. The registration organisations are:
- Administrative units,
- Professional organisations carrying out technical checks on motor vehicles and their trailers or the identification and assessment of the roadworthiness of vehicles;
- Legal persons and sole traders registered for the activity of selling vehicles and authorised by the Slovenian Traffic Safety Agency to register vehicles.
A vehicle registration certificate and a number plate are issued to each registered vehicle. Number plates are tied to the vehicle they are issued for. Any change affecting the information on the registration certificate (e.g. technical change, change of ownership, residence or office) must be notified to the registration organisation within 15 days. The owner of the registered vehicle must also attach supporting documents with the notification of the change.
For more information on vehicle registration, please visit the e-Government and the Slovenian Traffic Safety Agency website.
[1]https://infotujci.si/vkljucevanje-v-slovensko-druzbo/motorna-vozila/registracija-vozila/
How can I arrange to pay for parking?
There are a number of car parks in Koper and the surrounding area, which are managed by the municipal company Marjetica Koper. Each car park is marked with a code or area name. Parking fees can be paid in cash and/or by card at the parking meter and also by smartphone (by text message or app). You can find out more at www.marjeticakoper.si/parkirisca.
English 
Slovenščina