It was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No. 32 of 6.5.2025 Act on Amendments to the Act on Employment, Self-Employment and Work of Foreigners (ZZSDT-E). The amendment to the ZZSDT-E also transposes the so-called Blue Card Recast Directive, i.e. Directive (EU) 2021/1883, into Slovenian law. The amendment regulates the following in relation to this directive:
A foreigner will need an employment contract for at least 6 months for highly qualified employment, which is a shorter period than the previous one-year requirement. As before, he will have to meet the conditions for performing a regulated profession, while for unregulated professions he will have to prove high professional qualifications. For ICT professions, he will be able to obtain an EU Blue Card even if he does not have formal education. A foreigner will demonstrate his high professional qualifications with at least 3 years of relevant work experience in the last 7 years. This experience will have to be comparable to higher education qualifications. The required salary level is also being reduced, namely, the salary of a foreigner for highly qualified employment will have to be at least the average monthly gross salary in Slovenia (previously 1.5 times). After one year of residence on the basis of a Blue Card in the first EU Member State, a foreigner has the right to enter, reside and work in another EU Member State, namely for the purpose of employment on the basis of an EU Blue Card, which is obtained in another EU Member State through a simplified and faster procedure. When determining whether the conditions for issuing a Blue Card are met, an additional check will be made as to whether employers are actively doing business.
A new condition is added to the conditions for obtaining consent to employ a foreign worker, according to which the employer must not have dismissed the foreign worker for business reasons in the last 6 months. This condition does not apply in two cases: if the employer provides the foreign worker with a salary at least equal to the gross average monthly salary of the previous year in the Republic of Slovenia, or if it is proven during the consent procedure that there are no unemployed persons in the register whose contract was terminated by the employer for business reasons and who also meet the conditions for filling the vacant position.
Seasonal work in tourism and hospitality is being introduced, which can only be performed on the basis of an employment contract. In relation to seasonal work, certain changes had to be made due to the incomplete transposition of the so-called Seasonal Workers Directive (Directive 2014/36/EU), namely: a foreigner is allowed to change employer after the expiry of the seasonal work permit. The ZRSZ will issue a seasonal work permit within 10 days if the foreigner has performed seasonal work in Slovenia in the last 5 years. If a foreigner's seasonal work permit is revoked, or a single permit is revoked based on the withdrawal of the ZRSZ's consent due to certain violations of labor law, the foreigner is entitled to lump-sum compensation, which the employer is obliged to pay, and is set at 3 times the most recently published gross minimum wage.
Foreigners who legally reside in Slovenia on the basis of a temporary residence permit that does not allow employment, self-employment or work (family members, students and the like) are given the opportunity to find employment on the basis of a valid temporary residence permit and an information sheet issued by the ZRSZ until the residence permit card, which indicates access to the labor market, is issued.
Foreigners legally residing in the Republic of Slovenia who have applied for the first single employment permit are allowed to be employed based on a certificate of the submitted application and the consent of the institution. This possibility is limited to activities and professions determined by order of the Minister of Labour in agreement with the social partners. Employers are obliged to enable these foreigners to attend and complete a publicly recognized educational program for adults to learn the Slovenian language, lasting at least 80 hours, during the first 6 months of employment.
The amendment establishes a new register of employers who violate labor legislation. Information on violators will be accessible to a wide range of interested parties, including foreigners who have been granted permission to be employed, self-employed or work, foreigners with free access to the Slovenian labor market, and all other workers, both from Slovenia and from European Union member states.
Registration of international transport from third countries is being introduced: foreign employers will be obliged to register electronically with the ZRSZ before starting to provide services, in which they will provide certain data related to the service. The provision of transport in Slovenia for an individual employee of a foreign employer will be limited in time to a maximum of 7 consecutive days or a total of a maximum of 90 days in a calendar year. A record of registrations under the management of the ZRSZ is also being established, as well as sanctions for violation of the registration obligation.
The amendment shall enter into force on the fifteenth day after its publication in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, i.e. 21 May 2025, and shall be applied on the thirtieth day after its entry into force (except for the amended Article 20 and the new Articles 20a to 20d of the Act, which shall be applied 2 months after its entry into force). Until the entry into force of this Act, the provisions of the ZZSDT shall apply.