# Slovenia: ordinary naturalisation

Ordinary adult naturalisation requires ten years of actual residence, including five continuous years before applying, lawful foreigner status, basic Slovene and other conditions. Release from prior nationality has important exceptions.

Scope: Ordinary adult Article 10 naturalisation, not Article 12 family, origin, refugee, stateless or graduate routes, or Article 13 extraordinary naturalisation.

Jurisdiction: Slovenia. Sources reviewed 2026-09-17; review due 2026-12-16.

General information, not legal advice or a finding of eligibility. Requirements depend on the route, applicant and filing date. Verify the official instructions before applying.

## Actual residence and lawful status

Applicants must actually live in Slovenia for ten years, including the continuous five years immediately before applying, and have regulated foreigner status. Actual residence involves physical presence and the centre of interests. Qualifying status can include permanent or temporary residence permission or EU residence registration; ten years of permanent-residence status is not required.

Evidence: documented. [Slovenia, Ministry of the Interior and Public Administration: Citizenship, updated 22 June 2026](https://www.gov.si/en/topics/citizenship/); [Slovenia, Official Gazette: Citizenship Act, official consolidated text ZDRS-UPB2, Article 10](https://www.uradni-list.si/glasilo-uradni-list-rs/vsebina/79103); [Slovenia, eUprava: Instructions for an application for Slovenian citizenship by naturalisation](https://e-uprava.gov.si/.download/vloge/datoteka?file=22020). Source location: GOV.SI Acquiring citizenship by naturalisation; Act Article 10(1)(3) and concluding definitions of actual residence and foreigner status; application instructions section I.

## Basic Slovene examination

The ordinary requirement is Slovene for everyday communication, proved by the basic-level examination. The authorised examination centre maps that basic level to CEFR A2–B1, with listening, reading, writing and speaking; it is not described here as a single B1-only requirement.

Evidence: documented. [Slovenia, Official Gazette: Citizenship Act, official consolidated text ZDRS-UPB2, Article 10](https://www.uradni-list.si/glasilo-uradni-list-rs/vsebina/79103); [University of Ljubljana, Centre for Slovene as a Second and Foreign Language: Slovene language examinations: frequently asked questions](https://centerslo.si/en/exams/faq/); [University of Ljubljana, Centre for Slovene as a Second and Foreign Language: The Basic Level Exam (A2–B1)](https://centerslo.si/en/exams/slovene-language-exams/the-basic-level-exam/). Source location: Act Article 10(1)(5); FAQ Which level of exam should I take and CEFR correspondence; Basic Level Exam format.

## Education, age and health exceptions

The requirement is deemed met after Slovenian primary school, an accredited Slovenian secondary programme, specified Slovenian higher education completed after 25 June 1991, or Slovene-medium primary/secondary school in neighbouring indigenous Slovene communities. Applicants older than 60 with 15 actual years in Slovenia also qualify. Illiterate applicants can take a basic oral-communication test. Health impairments preventing everyday communication and examination in the required form can exempt the applicant, established by expert evidence.

Evidence: conditional. [Slovenia, Official Gazette: Citizenship Act, official consolidated text ZDRS-UPB2, Article 10](https://www.uradni-list.si/glasilo-uradni-list-rs/vsebina/79103); [Slovenia, eUprava: Instructions for an application for Slovenian citizenship by naturalisation](https://e-uprava.gov.si/.download/vloge/datoteka?file=22020); [University of Ljubljana, Centre for Slovene as a Second and Foreign Language: Slovene language examinations: frequently asked questions](https://centerslo.si/en/exams/faq/). Source location: Act Article 10, language-equivalence list and following illiteracy/health paragraphs; instructions section I point 4; FAQ illiterate citizenship applicants.

## Support, conduct and oath

Applicants must be adults, have sufficient means for themselves and dependants, settle tax obligations, satisfy criminal-record and residence-exclusion conditions, and present no public-order, security or defence danger. Relevant convictions include unconditional imprisonment exceeding three months or a suspended prison sentence with probation exceeding one year, subject to expungement rules. An oath respecting the democratic constitutional order is required. Grant remains discretionary in the national interest.

Evidence: conditional. [Slovenia, Official Gazette: Citizenship Act, official consolidated text ZDRS-UPB2, Article 10](https://www.uradni-list.si/glasilo-uradni-list-rs/vsebina/79103); [Slovenia, eUprava: Instructions for an application for Slovenian citizenship by naturalisation](https://e-uprava.gov.si/.download/vloge/datoteka?file=22020). Source location: Act Article 10 opening, points 1, 4, 6–10, pending-proceedings/expungement paragraphs; instructions section I.

## Release and retention exceptions

Ordinarily applicants must obtain release from existing nationality or show it will follow a Slovenian grant. Exceptions include statelessness, automatic loss, proven unreasonable delay, and EU nationality with reciprocity. Where the other country refuses release or penalises naturalisation as disloyalty, a renunciation declaration suffices. Delay has statutory steps and deadlines. These exceptions differ from the wider retention rules for specified special routes.

Evidence: conditional. [Slovenia, Ministry of the Interior and Public Administration: Citizenship, updated 22 June 2026](https://www.gov.si/en/topics/citizenship/); [Slovenia, Official Gazette: Citizenship Act, official consolidated text ZDRS-UPB2, Article 10](https://www.uradni-list.si/glasilo-uradni-list-rs/vsebina/79103). Source location: GOV.SI Dual nationality; Act Article 10(1)(2) and following release-exception paragraphs.

## Scope and limitations

- This is not automatic eligibility or approval. Permitted absences and detailed continuity calculations are not reduced to a single day allowance.
- The official gazette text is archival. Article 10 was checked against the current government page and linked application instructions; the subsequently enacted 2017 amendment affects Article 13, not these ordinary-route conditions.
- The older-than-60 exception also requires 15 actual years; health exemption requires the statutory inability and expert evidence, not a diagnosis alone. Retaining another nationality also depends on the other state's law.

## Explore this passport

- [Passport rank and travel access](https://multipassrank.com/passport/slovenia)
- [Tax residence & income](https://multipassrank.com/passport/slovenia/taxes)
- [Country-profile JSON, including sources and scoped requirements](https://multipassrank.com/api/v1/country-profiles/SI)
- [Multiple-citizenship policy guide](https://multipassrank.com/dual-citizenship-countries)

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