Moving to Slovenia for a Tech Job: The Ultimate Guide

How to Move to Slovenia for Work in Tech

A visa is not necessarily required to immigrate to Slovenia, but it all depends on where you’re coming from. A Slovenia work visa may be needed to gain entry and establish residence.

Moving to Slovenia as an EU Citizen

If you’re a citizen of one of the European Union Member States or a citizen of one of the member states of the European Economic Area (EEA), you do not need a visa or residence permit to enter Slovenia. However, you will need a valid identity card or valid passport.

As of 2023, these rules apply to citizens of:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Republic of Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland (EEA)
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein (EEA)
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway (EEA)
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Spain
• Sweden

If you are not a citizen of one of these countries, you’ll need to obtain a visa before moving to Slovenia.

Moving to Slovenia as a Non-EU Citizen

To visit or immigrate to Slovenia as a non-EU citizen, you’ll need to obtain a visa by submitting an application explaining the reason for your visit and by providing a few identifying documents. A long-stay work visa will allow you to stay in Slovenia for an extended period while you work.

After getting your visa, you’ll also need to apply for a temporary residence permit. You can do this before arriving in Slovenia at the same embassy where you apply for your visa or you can do it on arrival at the nearest administrative unit.

Temporary residence permits last for a year before you’ll need to ask for an extension. You’ll need to stay in Slovenia for five years before you can apply for a permanent residence permit.

Can I Get a Blue Card to Move to Slovenia?

The EU Blue Card program is available to non-EU/non-EEA nationals and aims to simplify the immigration process. In effect, a Blue Card is a residence permit. If you qualify for a Blue Card, it will put you on the fast track toward permanent residence and citizenship in Slovenia (or any of the participating EU countries).

Being a Blue Card holder also provides countless benefits outside of Slovenia. In many ways, it gives you the privileges of an EU citizen, including free movement throughout the EU (no additional visas required) along with full educational, economic, cultural, human, and health rights.

To qualify for a Blue Card, you must fulfill all of the following criteria:

• Have a valid work contract or binding job offer for highly qualified employment that will last at least 12 months; and
• Meet the minimum salary threshold in Slovenia; and
• Present documents proving that the relevant higher professional qualifications have been met; and
• Present a valid travel document, an application for a visa or a visa and a valid residence permit or a national long-term visa; and
• Present proof of sickness insurance; and
• Prove you do not pose a threat to public policy in the view of the Member State.

In Slovenia, a Blue Card is valid for two years and can be extended to a maximum of three years. The application process involves a thorough review of you and your skills, so set aside 4-6 months and prepare to pay an application fee of €140.

While entering Slovenia without a Blue Card means you’re 5 years away from permanent residence, a Blue Card could allow you to become a permanent resident in as little as 21 months if you achieve B1 level knowledge of the Slovenian language (or 33 months otherwise).

Cost of Living in Slovenia

Excluding rent, a single person’s estimated cost of living in Slovenia is €791. A one-bedroom apartment ranges from €484 to €605 per month on average. A three-bedroom apartment is about twice as much.

The capital of Ljubljana has the most amenities and it’s naturally the country’s economic and cultural hub, meaning many job opportunities can be found there — but it also has a higher cost of living.

In Ljubljana, the average cost of living is €803 for a single person without rent. A one-bedroom apartment in the city center starts at €700 a month. With some good searching, you may be able to find a two-bedroom apartment for around €1,000 a month, but it won’t be downtown. Utilities range from €250 in the summer to €350 in the winter for a couple or small family.

Average Salary in Slovenia for Tech Jobs

When searching for jobs in Slovenia, you may be surprised by the average salary, which will look quite low compared to some other EU countries.

For a software engineer, the average salary is just €34,774 annually, which works out to around €2,897 monthly. As with any country, salaries vary across the market and it is possible to find a good offer if you spend time looking.

Alternatively, you can work remotely for a non-local company and try to get a residence permit by opening a company of your own.

Taxes in Slovenia

There are a few different types of taxes in Slovenia and you’ll need to sort them out before you arrive to ensure you’re budgeting based on your actual take-home pay:

• Personal Income Tax: You will need to pay taxes on all the money you earn in Slovenia. This is a progressive tax with brackets of 16%, 27%, 34%, 39%, and 50%, depending on your income. If you enter your salary and resident status into this calculator, it’ll estimate your personal income tax obligation.
• Social Security Contributions: Both employers and employees must contribute to the Social Security fund. 16.1% will be paid by your employer and 22.1% will be paid by you as an employee.
• Capital Gains Tax: If you sell a home or other asset, or inherit certain property in Slovenia, you may have to pay Capital Gains Tax, which ranges from 0% to 25% depending on the situation.
• Value Added Tax (VAT): All EU countries now charge VAT at a standard rate of 22%. There is also a reduced rate of 9.5% and a few goods and services are excluded entirely. In most cases, the prices you see when shopping in Slovenia will be “VAT inclusive,” meaning this tax has already been factored into the display price.
• Property Tax: There is no property tax in Slovenia.
• Payroll Tax: The payroll tax was abolished in 2009.

Renting an Apartment in Slovenia

All sorts of accommodations are available in Slovenia, ranging from shared accommodations and spare rooms to apartments and houses.

In your search, know that many people do not want to report the income they receive from renting out a property. This may mean they try to lease to you without an official contract — and you should be wary of these situations. You may also experience challenges due to language barriers, especially in more rural areas.

Most apartments that aren’t being leased “under the table” are handled by real estate agencies, which means they likely have an English-speaking representative. However, these agencies often require at least one month’s rent upon signing and may ask for other deposits as well.

As far as where to look for housing, Nepremicnine.net is the largest and most popular real estate site in Slovenia. You can also find a partially translated version in English.

Healthcare in Slovenia

Slovenia has a social health insurance system offering universal coverage to all residents and a broad range of benefits. It costs around 30 euros a month for an adult and children's healthcare is fully covered. There are co-pays for healthcare services, so some Slovenians choose to take out private health insurance to cover these co-payments.

Until you become a resident of Slovenia, you’ll likely need to purchase a private expert health insurance plan. This is a type of international medical insurance policy that will cover both emergencies and routine care while you’re in Slovenia or elsewhere.

When it comes to the quality of care, Slovenia’s healthcare system is considered good and may even offer state-of-the-art equipment and services, especially in Ljubljana.

Language

Locals speak Slovenian, which is a Slavic language that can be challenging for non-Slavic speakers to learn. However, Slovenian is rarely spoken outside of the country and most locals have learned to speak English. German and Italian are also widely spoken.

Coffee Culture

Slovenia is renowned for its thriving coffee culture, notably the increasing abundance of specialty coffee shops and roasters.

International Tech Companies in Slovenia

Some of the largest international tech companies in Slovenia include:

• Infomediji is a virtual reality streaming company with a team of more than 100 skilled engineers and developers. They are rapidly growing and need specialists across the fields of data analytics, machine learning, UX/UI, and more.
• Outfit7 is a game development company with 20 hits and counting, entertaining billions of people around the world.
• SportRadar is a sports technology company that offers immersive experiences for sports enthusiasts and bettors. They’re partnered with DraftKings, FanDuel, the NBA, and countless other major organizations.
• Hisense Europe has a more than 70-year-long reputation providing home appliances to Slovenia and other nations. They have a growing R&D center and recently invested 45 million euros into a new factory that will produce side-by-side refrigerators.
• Outbrain makes over 344 billion recommendations each month to people around the world. Its algorithms are embedded into countless social media networks, determining what shows up in user feeds. The company is a powerhouse that continues to innovate.
• Comtrade Group is home to a number of innovative IT businesses across the area of smartphones, consumer electronics, software, development, gaming, and more. They have won multiple awards for their sustainability efforts and they have global partners like Microsoft helping them continue to grow.
• Endava has over 12,000 employees around the world working to provide solutions to companies in the payments, financial services, telecommunications, media, technology, consumer products, retail, mobility, and healthcare sectors. They’re one of the largest tech companies in Slovenia and have a growing world-class engineering team.

While Slovenia has relatively low salaries compared to places like Germany, it has many benefits, including a high quality of living, great work-life balance, free medical insurance, a good education system, a convenient location, and many opportunities for remote work.

If you want to start searching for job opportunities abroad, let Relocate.me help you find the perfect position.