It was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No. 32 of 6.5.2025 Act on Amendments to the Aliens Act (ZTuj-2I). The amendment brings harmonisation with EU legislation (among other things, it transposes the so-called Blue Card Directive (Directive (EU) 2021/1883) into Slovenian law, replacing the currently valid Council Directive 2009/50/EC) and certain measures to eliminate administrative obstacles in the field and optimise procedures at administrative units. It also brings some new measures and eliminates existing internal inconsistencies in the Aliens Act and inconsistencies of this Act in relation to the Employment, Self-Employment and Work of Aliens Act.
The amendment, in conjunction with Directive (EU) 2021/1883 on the Blue Card, introduces the obligation to recognise the professional experience of a foreigner in a specific profession as proof of high professional qualifications. The circle of beneficiaries of the Blue Card is being expanded, which now also includes persons entitled to international protection and seasonal workers. The conditions for the mobility of Blue Card holders within the Member States are being eased and the aggregation of periods of residence of a foreigner for the purpose of obtaining long-term resident status is being re-regulated.
The amendment also eliminates identified shortcomings in the implementation of the so-called seasonal workers directive (Directive 2014/36/EU). The accelerated procedure includes a permit issued for seasonal work for up to 90 days, and also regulates the possibility of changing the employer and work client, which has not been specifically specified so far.
The amendment introduces a temporary residence permit for digital nomads. To obtain this status, a foreigner must, among other things, prove that during their stay in the country they have income that reaches or exceeds twice the average monthly net salary in Slovenia.
To reduce administrative burdens, the register of foreigners is being upgraded and, instead of the previous practice of exchanging data based on requests from administrative units or institutions, an automated connection with the records of the ZZZS and ZPIZ is being established, which is expected to significantly shorten procedures.
The amendment establishes the possibility of serving decisions to a foreigner directly at their address of residence abroad or electronically, which will relieve the burden on administrative units and diplomatic consular missions through which this service has been carried out until now.
The amendment enters into force on the fifteenth day after its publication in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, i.e. 21 May 2025.
