Non-essential travel is allowed for the following categories of persons if they fulfil the requirements set out in the Ordinance determining the conditions of entry into the Republic of Slovenia to contain and control COVID-19 and in the Ordinance on the method of meeting the condition of recovery, vaccination and testing to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus infections:

• all persons residing in the EU member states and the Schengen area, including Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican;
• persons residing in the following third countries/entities listed in Annex 1 of the Recommendation (as of 10 January 2022):
  - Bahrain,
  - Chile,
  - Colombia,
  - Indonesia,
  - Qatar,
  - Kuwait,
  - New Zealand,
  - Peru,
  - Rwanda,
  - Saudi Arabia,
  - South Korea,
  - Uruguay,
  - United Arab Emirates,
  - Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China,
  - Macao, Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China,
  - Taiwan;
• other foreign nationals if, on entry to the Republic of Slovenia, they meet the recovered/vaccinated rule and provide certificates according to the Ordinance on the method of meeting the condition of recovery, vaccination and testing to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus infections.

Visas for non-essential travel are only issued in the countries for which the Republic of Slovenia has lifted the restriction on non-essential travel on the basis of the EU recommendations. Whether and when the issuing of visas is resumed also depends on the criteria and measures agreed by the Member States that have their representations in individual third countries. The decision to resume visa operations will be published on the websites of the diplomatic missions and consular posts of the member states in those countries. The Slovenian diplomatic missions have resumed visa operations in Albania, Argentina, Australia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Russian Federation, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and the USA. In countries where such criteria cannot be met, visas can only be issued in emergencies and only for essential travel. Visa representation has been suspended in most third countries and can only be used in cases that qualify as essential travel. What is deemed essential travel is defined in the Guidelines concerning the exercise of the free movement of workers during COVID-19 outbreak.

Persons who do not present the required certificates when entering the Republic of Slovenia may be refused entry into the Republic of Slovenia by the police.

Staying at tourist facilities in the Republic of Slovenia is only possible for persons who meet the recovered/vaccinated/tested rule according to the Ordinance on the method of meeting the condition of recovery, vaccination and testing to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus infections. Undergoing quarantine at tourist facilities is not possible under any circumstances.

You can transit through Slovenia without having to present any certificate (PCR, rapid antigen test, certificate of recovery, vaccination certificate or vaccination certificate for recovered persons), but only if you meet the conditions for entry into the neighbouring country (e.g. residents of a neighbouring country must be permitted to enter their own country). Travellers in transit must leave Slovenia within the time slot of 12 hours after entry. While in transit, travellers should take the shortest route and should only make a stop if necessary, i.e. to use a rest area facility or for medical or other similar reasons.

Transit is allowed to those foreign nationals without registered residence in Slovenia who, upon crossing the border, tell the authorities that they are SARS-CoV-2 positive or have typical signs of infection with this virus; entry into the Republic of Slovenia and transit through the Republic of Slovenia are allowed according to the recommendations of the National Institute of Public Health if they, on entering the Republic of Slovenia, have established beyond a reasonable doubt that the purpose of entry is only to transit through the Republic of Slovenia.

Transit is also allowed for persons who have been ordered to quarantine by another country because they were exposed to a Covid-19 infected person and wish to quarantine in a different country, provided they meet the conditions for entry to that country. Upon notification by the competent authority in the Republic of Slovenia, the police allow entry into and transit through the Republic of Slovenia of such persons in their own vehicle by the shortest route within six hours of entry.

Requirements for entry into the Republic of Slovenia

Entry into the Republic of Slovenia without quarantine is permitted to travellers who have recovered from Covid-19 or are fully vaccinated or have been tested (the RVT rule). A person shall comply with the RVT rule by presenting one of the proofs/certificates defined in ordinance on the method of meeting the condition of recovery, vaccination and testing to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus infections.

The RVT rule is met if a person provides one of the certificates listed below:

1. a negative PCR test provided that no more than 48 hours have passed since the swab was taken, or a negative rapid antigen test provided that no more than 24 hours have passed since the swab was taken,
2. EU Digital COVID Certificate in digital or paper format and with a QR code (EU DCC),
3. a digital COVID certificate of a third country in digital or paper format and with a QR code, which must contain the same data as the EU DCC and be issued in English by a competent health authority of the third country (DCC of a third country),
4. a certificate of COVID-19 vaccination to show that the person has received:

   – the second dose of the Comirnaty vaccine produced by Biontech/Pfizer or the Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine produced by Moderna or the Sputnik V vaccine produced by Russia’s Gamaleya National Centre of Epidemiology and Microbiology or the CoronaVac vaccine produced by Sinovac Biotech or the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Sinopharm or the Vaxzevria COVID-19 vaccine produced by AstraZeneca or the Covishield produced by the Serum Institute of India/AstraZeneca or the Covaxin vaccine produced by Bharat Biotech (India) or a combination of two previously listed vaccines. Proof of vaccination is obtained as of the day of vaccination,

   – the dose of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine produced by Johnson and Johnson/Janssen-Cilag. Proof of vaccination is obtained as of the day of vaccination.

5. a certificate of a positive PCR test result that is older than 10 days, unless a doctor determines otherwise, but not older than 180 days,
6. proof of recovery from COVID-19 referred to in the preceding point and proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to show that the person has received one dose of a vaccine under indent one of point 4 within a period of no more than 180 days since receiving a positive PCR test result or from the onset of symptoms; The person is protected as of the day of vaccination.

A PCR test is deemed to be valid if performed in an EU member state, a Schengen Area country, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, Turkey, Canada, New Zealand, Russia, Serbia, the UK or the US. If a PCR test is performed in a country other than those listed above, it is deemed to be valid if it meets all of the following conditions:

• it contains at least the same data set as a PCR test issued in an EU member state or a Schengen Area country: name, surname, the person's unique identifier (personal identification number, health insurance number, number of passport or another document issued by that country, date of birth or other similar identifier), data on the test type (producer, date and time of taking the swab), data on the issuer of the certificate, and the date of the issuing of the certificate, and
• has a QR code in accordance with the standards and technological systems that are interoperable with the European Digital COVID Certificate System, and
• allows the authenticity, validity and integrity of the certificate to be verified in the same way as a European Digital COVID Certificate.

A rapid antigen test is deemed to be valid if performed in an EU member state, a Schengen Area country, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, Turkey, Canada, New Zealand, Russia, Serbia, the UK or the US. If a rapid antigen test is carried out in a country other than those listed above, it is deemed to be valid if it meets all of the following conditions:

• it contains at least the same data set as a rapid antigen test issued in an EU member state or a Schengen Area country: name, surname, the person's unique identifier (personal identification number, health insurance number, number of passport or another document issued by that country, date of birth or other similar identifier), data on the test type (producer, date and time of taking the swab), data on the issuer of the certificate, and the date of the issuing of the certificate, and
• has a QR code in accordance with the standards and technological systems that are interoperable with the European Digital COVID Certificate System, and
• allows the authenticity, validity and integrity of the certificate to be verified in the same way as a European Digital COVID Certificate.

Regardless of the issuing country, a rapid antigen test is valid only if it is listed in the on the common list of COVID-19 rapid antigen tests. It is not possible to use a rapid antigen self-test to prove the fulfilment of the tested rule.

A vaccination certificate of a country with which Slovenia has not concluded an agreement or arrangement must contain at least the following information: name, surname, date of birth, unique identifier of the person (personal identification number, health insurance number, number of passport or another document issued by that country, data of birth or another similar identifier), information on the type of vaccine (manufacturer, name of vaccine, dose number, date of vaccination) and information on the institution that issued the certificate. The language of the certificate is not explicitly prescribed in the Ordinance. In addition to certificates in Slovenian, valid certificates include those in the languages of the national minorities (Italian, Hungarian) in bilingual areas and the languages of countries recognised by mutual agreements or arrangements (Hungarian, Serbian). In order to avoid any difficulties at the border, we suggest that foreigners have their vaccination certificates translated into English or German. If the certificate is not part of the digital COVID certificate with a QR code, which is compatible with the European system of digital COVID certificates, it must be in paper form.