Guidance

Slovenia: Knowledge Base profile

Updated 12 April 2024

About: Slovenia

This document contains useful information about Slovenia which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this document (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document then you can email the Guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 3.0
• published for Home Office staff on 9 April 2024

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with minor formatting changes.

Slovenia: names

This section tells HM Passport Office operational staff about names in Slovenia.

The rules for the name that a citizen of Slovenia could use on their official documents changed on 13 July 2019.

Prior to 13 July 2019, names consist of:

• 1 forename
• 1 surname

This name is recorded on their birth certificate and all official records.

The surname can be:

• the mother’s surname
• the father’s surname
• a combination of the mother’s and father’s surname
• a different surname (if the parents decide to give them a different surname)

Where parents gave their child more than one name, they had to confirm which name must be used in official records.

From 13 July 2019, Slovenian citizens can use a name that has more than 1 forename for official records.

Changes of name

Name changes are legal in Slovenia.

Changes of name are allowed after marriage.

Slovenia: nationality

This section tells HM Passport Office operational staff about nationality in Slovenia.

Dual nationality is not allowed in Slovenia.

There are certain circumstances which are considered on a case by case basis by the Slovenia authorities.

Slovenia: legitimacy and parental responsibility

This section tells HM Passport Office operational staff about legitimacy and parental responsibility in Slovenia.

Legitimacy

Slovenia recognises a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births.

A child will be considered:

• legitimate:
  • if the parents are married
  • from the date of marriage, if the parents marry after the child’s birth
• illegitimate if the parents never marry

Parental responsibility

Both parents hold parental responsibility, unless:

• one of the parents is deceased
• one of the parents is unknown
• one of the parents has had their parental responsibility removed

If one of the above apply, then the parent will have sole parental responsibility for the child.

If the parents divorce, they will not lose their parental responsibility.

Parents will lose their parental responsibility if their child is adopted.

Children may also be looked after by foster parents or a guardian if social services remove the child from their parents.

When the Slovenia authorities decide on parental responsibility, they will apply the:

• law of the country where the family are permanently resident (if the child and parents are nationals of different countries)
• law of the country where the child is a national of, if both of the following apply:
  • the child and parents are nationals of different countries
  • they are not permanently resident in the country they are living in

Slovenia: adoption

This section tells HM Passport Office operational staff about adoption in Slovenia.

Adoption is legal in Slovenia.

Overseas adoptions are recognised in Slovenia.

Same sex couples cannot adopt in Slovenia.

Slovenia: gender recognition

This section tells HM Passport Office operational staff about gender recognition in Slovenia.

Transgender citizens are recognised in Slovenia.

Slovenia: civil partnerships and marriage

This section tells HM Passport Office operational staff about civil partnerships and marriage in Slovenia.

Registered partnerships for same sex couples have been recognised in Slovenia since 23 July 2006.

These relationships are not classed as civil partnerships and they are not treated the same as an opposite sex marriage under Slovenia law.

There are religious and civil marriages in Slovenia. A religious marriage in Slovenia does not have legal status.

Slovenia: documents

This section tells HM Passport Office operational staff about documents in Slovenia.

The authorities in Slovenia record all changes to personal details in the Register of Births. This includes for example when a person:

• marries
• divorces
• dies

If a customer requests a recent copy of their birth certificate, it will show all the customer’s changes in circumstances.

The Slovenia authorities do not laminate official documents.

Following the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, HM Passport Office cannot accept Multilingual Standard Forms (MSFs) issued by member states. An MSF will:

• contain a reference to the convention signed at Vienna on September 8 1976, this may be on the reverse of the document
• be marked as a Formul A (birth certificate), normally in the top right corner on the front of the document in the language of the country where the document was issued
  • there will also be marriage certificates and death certificates that will have a different Formul version that is also not acceptable

These documents are an extract of a civil registration record translated into the language needed and not a full, original certificate.

Birth certificates

All births are registered and a birth certificate is issued in Slovenia.

There are two types of birth certificate in circulation. These include:

• the full birth certificate
• a certified copy from the register of births

The Slovenia authorities can also issue the customer with an international birth certificate if they ask for one.

Where a customer needs a copy of their birth certificate, they can apply at the register office in person.

If there is an error on a birth certificate, the Slovenia authorities will correct the certificate and re-issue it with the correct details on.

Hospital birth notifications are given to the parents, and they record both parents’ names.

Marriage certificates

A religious marriage in Slovenia:

• does not have legal status which means the customer cannot register it
• is not valid outside of Slovenia

Marriages are recorded in the central registry and the Slovenia authorities will issue a marriage certificate. If the customer wants an international certificate, they can apply for one. The marriage certificate will always show if the couple had a religious or civil marriage.

When a couple marry, their marriage takes place in the register offices and their marriage is registered instantly.

Death certificates

Death certificates are issued to everyone and recorded in a local register.

All deaths must be registered within 1 month of the death and only family members can get copies of the death certificate.

Identity documents

The Slovenia authorities issue a Slovenia identity card:

• to Slovenia citizens
• for foreign nationals, to people who have temporary residence permits

Identity cards are made of plastic and are the same shape and size as a credit card.